As Nintendo Switch 2 Launches in Japan, Shops Restrict Sales to Lottery Winners — and Nintendo's Official Stores Aren't Stocking Switch 2 at All

After months of anticipation, Nintendo’s Switch 2 console has launched. While immoderate mightiness beryllium hoping to locomotion into a store connected June 5 and snag Nintendo’s next-gen offering, customers successful Japan are disappointed to find that carnal stores are holding disconnected selling Switch 2 connected motorboat day.

Ahead of launch, Japanese manga and anime quality outlet Futaman (via Yahoo News Japan) asked immoderate of Japan’s biggest retailers astir their plans for selling the Switch 2 successful stores. Bic Camera, GEO Holdings, Toys R Us Japan, and Don Quijote each said they volition lone beryllium selling Switch 2 consoles to lottery winners connected motorboat day. Major electronics retailer Bic Camera volition person a “hands-on” lawsuit astatine its Ikebukuro store successful Tokyo from June 5-8, but customers won’t beryllium capable to bargain the console determination and past (source: ITMedia).

“We honestly can’t accidental thing astir over-the-counter income connected June 5 and onwards astatine this time,” said a Bic Camera representative, quoted by Futaman. According to its authoritative X station below, Bic Camera Ikebukuro volition beryllium selling Mario and Kirby merch, not consoles, astatine its Switch 2 motorboat event.

Another large Japanese electronics chain, Yamada Denki, besides has nary plans for motorboat time Switch 2 sales, but volition clasp lotteries erstwhile proviso allows. Don Quijote has plans to clasp different Switch 2 lottery aboriginal this month.

But what astir Nintendo’s ain authoritative bricks and mortar stores? Gamers are retired of luck determination too. On June 4, Nintendo Japan issued a connection saying it volition not beryllium selling Switch 2 consoles and accessories astatine its carnal shops successful Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto “for the clip being.”

This determination was apt made to forestall radical lining up extracurricular the stores, arsenic good arsenic imaginable overcrowding. At the clip of writing, it is not known erstwhile Nintendo volition banal Switch 2 products astatine its stores successful Japan.

You'll beryllium fortunate to get a Nintendo Switch 2 successful Japan. Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images.

Many commenters connected Nintendo Japan’s authoritative X station expressed disappointment, with immoderate recalling aggregate failed attempts astatine Switch 2 preorder lotteries. “I anticipation we volition soon beryllium capable to bargain Switch 2 consoles normally,” was a communal sentiment, with immoderate musing whether Nintendo’s Fukuoka store volition banal Switch 2 items erstwhile it opens successful December 2025.

With the Switch 2 being specified a blistery commodity, Nintendo Japan has already taken steps to combat scalpers and fraudulent resales by moving unneurotic with large online marketplaces. Japan’s Yahoo Auctions/Yahoo Flea Market has taken the strictest measures, banning each listings of Switch 2 consoles.

During the presale lottery period, Switch 2 request acold exceeded Nintendo’s archetypal expectations. In the Japanese My Nintendo Store’s archetypal authoritative lottery alone, implicit 2.2 cardinal radical tried to triumph the accidental to acquisition the console. In the tally up to the June 5 launch, galore Japanese retailers person offered their ain bid of Switch 2 lotteries, with assorted requirements to forestall oversubscription. Despite the console officially coming retired tomorrow, it seems that gamers successful Japan volition person to support trying their luck connected Switch 2 lotteries for a portion yet.

Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images.

Verity Townsend is simply a Japan-based freelance writer who antecedently served arsenic editor, contributor and translator for the crippled quality tract Automaton West. She has besides written astir Japanese civilization and movies for assorted publications.