In a literal sign of things to come, Nintendo is providing retailers with ‘out of stock’ posters for when the Switch 2 runs out.
Even before the Nintendo Switch 2 was properly revealed, Nintendo spoke of its plans to try and avoid stock shortages for the console. Given its expected popularity amongst consumers and scalpers, one of the goals was to simply make enough consoles to meet demand and avoid selling out.
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately depending on how you look at it), that plan looks like it hasn’t worked. Switch 2 pre-orders have routinely sold out here in the UK and Nintendo admitted demand in Japan far exceeded expectations.
As such, with the console launching this week on June 5, it seems Nintendo has wisely begun supplying retailers with out of stock signs for when the inevitable happens.
An image of one such sign was shared to the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit by Alternative_Basket19. They don’t say which store they spotted this in, but we’ve seen it suggested it’s a US retailer like Target or Best Buy.
If so, it’s possible Nintendo has shipped signs like this to other US retailers and no doubt some UK ones too. We’re sure retailers would appreciate it, since it means they won’t have to spend time making their own sign or repeatedly explaining to disgruntled customers that they’ve run out of stock.
According to Alternatve_Basket19, the sign can be also flipped around to read that the Switch 2 is back in stock, which is extra handy.
Fellow Redditors agree that the signage is warranted and a smart decision on Nintendo’s part, with Welsh_Redneck calling it ‘excellent advertising once stock does run out.’
Others have expressed an interest in getting the sign for themselves, if only for the novelty. It’s not uncommon for retail workers to take home signs like this, once the store has no use for them anymore, so we could see this fetching a pretty price on eBay or being shown off in someone’s gaming collection in a few months.
Given how quickly Switch 2 pre-orders keep selling out, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll be able to walk into a shop and easily grab a console off the shelves this summer, but you may still be able to find bundles online.
That said, Smyths has said it will have a limited amount of Switch 2 stock in its stores during its midnight launch. So, if you’ve yet to grab one, it may be worth being amongst the first at your local Smyths.
Some lucky individuals have managed to get their hands on the console already, but an unboxing video suggests that it requires a day one patch, at least for playing backwards compatible Switch 1 games.
It’s unclear if the patch is needed to run Switch 2 games, but no such footage seems to have leaked online yet.
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