Nintendo sold 3.5 million-plus units of the Switch 2 in just four days, a record-breaking start for the company\u2019s first new console in eight years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The numbers, released by the company Wednesday, bode well for its target to sell 15 million units by March next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also reinforce analysts\u2019 projections that Nintendo may be able to sell far more if it can pump up supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gamers from Tokyo to San Francisco\u00a0lined up\u00a0for hours last week to get their hands on one of the most highly anticipated gadgets of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The long-awaited Switch 2 succeeds a global hit in the original Switch, which pioneered a hybrid design that allows play both at home on a TV and on the move.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The release of the new Switch was regarded as a watershed moment for the industry, steering business decisions by partners and competitors for years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a time of thinning margins and exploding development budgets, a popular new console may galvanise the sector and provide a counterbalance to the increasing dominance of a handful of marquee, live-service games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Catching up with runaway demand is the first major challenge Nintendo faces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Shuntaro Furukawa has\u00a0apologised\u00a0after customers came away from lotteries for the Switch 2 empty-handed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kyoto-based company has asked its partners to speed up production of the console. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also secured agreements from Japanese online marketplace operators such as Rakuten Group, Mercari, and LY to discourage resellers from taking advantage of the hardware\u2019s scarcity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The console is manufactured mainly in China by partners including Foxconn Technology Group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nintendo\u2019s shares, which have gyrated because of concerns about how tariffs may disrupt supply, were down more than 3% in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe pace is good,\u201d said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst with Toyo Securities. \u201cThe key will be to maintain assembly capacity and increase production going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A chronic shortage may spur consumers to turn elsewhere and flatten momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nintendo\u2019s priority is to sustain launch momentum for as long as possible, Furukawa told analysts at an earnings briefing in May. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s more difficult due to the Switch 2\u2019s higher retail price compared with its predecessor and growing weakness in the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furukawa has also\u00a0warned\u00a0the company may consider raising the console\u2019s price in the future, depending on US President Donald Trump\u2019s tariff measures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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