Now with the wraps unraveled, the Switch, Nintendo's handheld and home console hyphenate, seems pretty slick. Its detachable controllers, each called a Joy-Con, proved far more complex than anyone had speculated. The "Switching" gimmick really works as depicted in its reveal video, and there's a new Mario.
But after watching everything Nintendo had to reveal during the livestream, some keen-eyed anticipants are left wanting to know more. Its apparent lack of system-selling first-party titles aside, there's one more conversation that needs to be versed out loud: the console's availability and virtual console.
Reggie Fils-Aime Says Nintendo Switch Won't Suffer Supply Shortage
Concerns over availability in particular stems from the NES Classic Edition's similar blunder. Upon release, it rekindled a boomlet, which then grew to massive fanfare for the staple '80s gaming machine. The NES Classic Edition was a sure hit, or it could have been. When Nintendo couldn't ship more units as demand far outgrew supply, the public grew — is growing, still — weary.
This troubles current players wanting to secure themselves a Nintendo Switch unit lest it suffers the same paucity the NES Classic Edition suffered. Preorders are closing one by one, and there will only be 2 million units worldwide upon launch.
That's according to Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's president, who recently spoke to Wired's Chris Kohler about a lot of Switch-related things, including details about supply and backward compatibility.
"I know, because I read the boards and I read the comments, that there is concern about supply," Fils-Aime said. The initial release will only output 2 million systems because Nintendo's "focus is [to make] sure that the consumer who wants to buy a Nintendo Switch can buy a Nintendo Switch."
He admitted that the NES Classic Edition's mishap was brought on by public demand that ballooned way beyond the company's expectations. Fortunately, Nintendo is going to make more of them available soon. "With the ongoing level of supply, the ongoing demand is going to be met. We know the concern."
Will Virtual Console Redownloads Be Discounted?
A lot of gamers have barked negatively at Nintendo for not allowing games to be tied to their respective accounts. The chief benefit of this is: When a user hops on a new system — if the device gets stolen, for instance — the games can then be redownloaded because the games will recognize the account and not the individual system. At present, Nintendo doesn't adopt this system.
Nintendo knows that a lot of fans have shelled out a lot of cash by downloading games from the Wii and Wii U's virtual console, and it "[recognizes] that consumers are rightly concerned about moving to Nintendo Switch without backward compatibility."
Nintendo will reveal more about the console's online experiences before the console's launch. Fils-Aime advises everyone to stay tuned for further announcements about this front.
"There are more details to come," he said.
The Switch was revealed late October, billed as a hybrid console able to seamlessly switch from a home console to a handheld device. More details came about Thursday including launch titles, third-party games in development, accessories, and a glimpse at the technology powering the Joy-Con controllers.
The Nintendo Switch comes out March 3, retailing for $299.
