Nintendo wants to up Switch production as stock runs dry
Nintendo is doing its best to amp up Switch production as worldwide shortages have made the console difficult to get hold of and driven prices up where it is available.
Nikkei reportsthat Nintendo has reached out to suppliers to ask them to prepare for a 10 percent increase in production over 2020, though some parts suppliers have reportedly already received orders for the April-June quarter that are more than 50 percent higher than planned. It’s not clear if the increased production is solely for theoriginal Switch, or also last year’s cheaperSwitch Lite.
In 2019 Nintendo manufactured 20 million Switch consoles, though the company itself has warned that uncertainty in the supply chain means it’s not quite as simple as saying that there will be 10 percent more (so 22 million) consoles this year.
“We hope [suppliers] will be responsive to the production increase, but for procurement of some parts, the outlook remains uncertain, and we can’t forecast exactly how many Switches can be supplied,” a Nintendo spokesperson told Nikkei.
Switch availability was spiked by the double whammy of production problems in the Asian supply chain through the early months of the year, and increased demand driven by global lockdowns and the launch ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonslast month.
The result has been stock shortages in most countries,including the UK, where the Switch has been seen on sale for more than double its RRP as some sellers try to make a quick buck from the shortages – though at the time of writing you can stillbuy the Switch Lite from Amazon UKfor its usual price.
Author: Dominic Preston, Contributor
Previously Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming.
