Switch Will Not Face NES Classic Supply Shortage, Nintendo Assures

Nintendo's NES Classic Edition made huge sales beyond expectation. Although this is supposed to be good news, it is likely not for fans who have been hoping to lay hands on the handheld device as high demand has made it relatively scarce. It is reported that the cost of the device has dropped to about $150.

However, gamers are hoping that they will not encounter the same problem with the Nintendo Switch as pre-orders are closing gradually, and it has been announced that there will just be 2 million units of the device worldwide at launch.

The president of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime revealed some interesting updates on the Nintendo Switch, such as information about the compatibility of demand and supply, during an interview with Wired. He assured that Nintendo Switch will not suffer similar supply shortage as the NES Classic Edition.

"I know, because I read the boards and I read the comments, that there is concern about supply."  Fils-Aime said the developer will only release 2 million units so as "to make sure that the consumer who wants to buy a Nintendo Switch can buy a Nintendo Switch."

The developer did not anticipate that gamers and young adults will want the mini NES in such huge figures. Although Nintendo was hoping for huge sales, they weren't prepared for the viral publicity which followed few weeks after the system's announcement.

Fils-Aime also said that Nintendo will keep to its promise to supply two million units at launch, so as to satisfy current demand of gamers.  The developer is working actively to ensure that the supply chain is robust with a steady flow of the hardware.

He said the NES Classic Edition's supply issue was due to the high demand that was beyond the expectations of the company but they are working actively towards making more of them available very soon.

He added that the area that is outside their anticipation is the level of demand but they feel they are well positioned in terms of supply. Fils-Aime said the ongoing level of demand will be met by the corresponding ongoing level of supply, Techtimes reports.

It is difficult to determine how high the demand for the Switch will be as pre-orders have only recently gone live this. It is not known if additional pre-order opportunities will go live so fans who are interested in the switch are advised to pre-order now.

Fans have been complaining to Nintendo for not allowing the games to stick to their individual accounts, which is suppose to make the games re-downloadable in the case of theft, for instance, as it will recognize the account and not the system, but the developer does not use this system.

Fils-Aime said Nintendo is aware that fans have paid so much to download games from the Wii and Wii U's virtual console, and they are also aware that consumers are concerned about moving to Nintendo Switch without backward compatibility.

However, he added that the developer will reveal more about the console's online experiences before launch. He said there are more details to come and urged fans to stay tuned for further announcements on the switch.

The Switch was announced Oct. last year as a hybrid console that will be able to switch from a home console to a handheld device. The Nintendo Switch will launch March 3 for $299.