LIFE & CULTURE
Since the Nintendo Switch has hit shelves, it’s been hard to get a hold of it across the country. The console has been either out of stock or egregiously marked up at most major retailers — with asking prices on eBay going for more than $4,000.
But if you’ve been dying for a Nintendo Switch to call your own, there’s some relief in store. GameStop on Friday announced it will be getting new shipments of Nintendo’s new $300 console and expects a fresh supply to hit shelves around March 22.
GameStop, the country’s largest video game retailer, has had trouble keeping up with demand, said Eric Bright, the company’s senior director of merchandising, in a statement. Nintendo hasn’t released actual sales numbers, but said that the Switch had the fastestselling debut of any of its consoles in the U.S. The demand has been so great that the company plans to double the production of the console, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sure, we haven’t seen widespread Black Fridaystyle fist fights over these consoles. But the fact that GameStop issued a press release about a restock — normally a mundane event — certainly says something.
While GameStop expects consoles in stock by March 22, things may vary at your local store. It’s best to call ahead to ask GameStop employees when your local store’s units are coming in before you get your hopes up. And be nice when you do. Yours may be the 10 bajillionth request they’ve heard in the past few weeks.
If you don’t want to leave your house, you’ll have to set aside more cash if you want the console. Online auction sites regularly show the Switch going for more than its markup price, with a median selling price of $440, or about 47 percent, according to an analysis from Ars Technica. With extras, such as the latest title from the Zelda series, prices have gone much higher — to a median of $525, Ars said.
The Nintendo Switch is a good console and going fast, but it’s not worth all that. At that point, you’d be better off investing in a tent to pick up one in your local store.