It appears that the rumored Nintendo Switch supply shortage for the upcoming holiday season has been confirmed, due to the statements made by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.
This would mean that gamers hoping for an increased supply for the hybrid console to grab one as a gift for themselves or others will definitely need a Plan B.
Not Enough Nintendo Units For The Holidays Confirmed?
According to a previous report, Fils-Aime failed to make a commitment that the Nintendo Switch supply for the upcoming holiday season will be enough at Variety's Entertainment and Technology Summit in Los Angeles.
Fils-Aime said that Nintendo is still aiming to meet its production goal of 10 million Nintendo Switch units for its first year. "Are we going to have enough for the holiday? That's what we are focused on," Fils-Aime said, which does not inspire confidence that all gamers looking to buy the hybrid console as a holiday gift will be able to do so.
Making matters worse is that Nintendo promised last month that there will be enough Nintendo Switch units for sale in the holiday season, with supply chain sources claiming that the company actually ordered for production of 18 million units.
Gamers who are still hoping that Nintendo will be able to follow through on its promise of an abundant Nintendo Switch supply in the holidays might have to just give up. In a follow-up report from the Financial Times on the same event, an interview with the publication on the sidelines of the same event revealed that Nintendo is still in the dark on the hybrid console's expected demand.
"I'm going to make millions of these units to flow into the marketplace," said Fils-Aime. "But what I don't know is what the demand is going to be. And there is a potential that demand is going to outstrip supply."
Multiple Components Behind Nintendo Switch Supply Chain Delays
Japanese analysts have identified Alps Electric, the supplier of the vibrating motors that are used in the Joy-Con controllers of the Nintendo Switch, as the cause of the supply chain bottlenecks that Nintendo has suffered for the hybrid console.
However, Fils-Aime told FT that there is no single choke point blamed for the delays in the Nintendo Switch supply chain but rather multiple ones. "I won't go into any more detail but it's not just one component," the Nintendo boss said.
With Nintendo apparently not focused on a definite figure for the Nintendo Switch demand in the holiday season and the new revelation that there are multiple choke points in the hybrid console's supply chain, this all but confirms that there will be a Nintendo Switch supply shortage in the upcoming holidays.
