Millions will be sold but pre-orders are still scarce (Nintendo) Analysts estimate that between 6 and 8 million Nintendo Switch 2 consoles will be available at launch, the most there’s ever been. On Wednesday, Nintendo had to apologise to fans, because it wasn’t able to make enough Switch 2 consoles to fulfil pre-order demands. 2.2 million people applied for a pre-order, which is a staggering number when you consider the launch record in Japan is less than 1 million for the PlayStation 2 – which is currently the most successful video game console of all time. It’s not clear how many consoles Nintendo will have available at launch in Japan but analysts suggest that there will be around six to eight million worldwide, for the June 5 launch. That will make it the biggest console launch in history. Nintendo has neither confirmed nor delayed the figures, but the current worldwide record is held jointly by the PlayStation 4 and 5, which both sold 4.5 million units in their first two months. The Bloomberg report featuring the figures comes as Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are belatedly opened in the US and Canada, following uncertainty over Donald Trump’s constantly changing tariffs. Nintendo was trying to avoid the worst of the tariffs by having around a third of its consoles made in Vietnam, and others in Cambodia. The Vietnamese tariff was announced as 46% on the day of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct but has since been lowered to 10%, for at least 90 days. Reports suggest Nintendo already imported large volumes of consoles before any tariffs came into effect and is now sending only Vietnamese consoles to the US, which results in a much lower tariff than if they had been made in China. More Trending As a result, Nintendo has not raised the price of pre-orders in the US, where the console will cost $450 (£338 before tax). Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, in the camera and optional controllers, have seen price a price increase though. How to pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 in the UK The situation in the UK hasn’t changed much since the Direct, as while Nintendo has opened pre-orders on their own site, it works similarly to Japan in that it’s invite only, to people that can prove they’re long-time fans (by having had Nintendo Switch Online for several months and other criteria). Other retailers do get stock occasionally, but it never lasts for very long; although we’ll try and keep you updated when they get new deliveries. At time of writing nobody in the UK has stock but one option is Currys, who are not taking pre-orders online but are in-store, although that may very depending on the shop’s size and location. New stock sells out almost instantly (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy