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So how bad is the Switch stock situation?
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My SW PA Target had 5, but I didn't call until I saw your post (an hour after open) and they had one left, which of course I missed it while driving there. I guess tomorrow Toys R Us is the next waste of time for me.
snowsabre93
Member
Scooped one up at Target this morning, they had 5 come in which is what seems to be the normal number for all the Targets today. Waited outside 20 minutes to open expecting to see other people but it was just me and another guy. The search is finally over! and boy does it feel good.
Why can't you buy something? She could play it while you are watching the kid.
RoninChaos
Member
No, I'm a guy who's read up on Nintendo's business practice of under shipping everything the make because they're a conservative company. I also lived through the NES phase where they undershipped specifically to increase demand. If you don't believe me that Nintendo has a history of this, go read Game Over by David Sheff.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679736220/?tag=neogaf0e-20
In regards to the Switch, I don't think they expected it to be this popular, however, I believe Nintendo created less Switches than they thought they would need until they absolutely knew the market was going to suck them up. Now they're ramping up production but we aren't going to see this issue alleviated for a while, especially with scalpers in the mix, and because Nintendo only really has Zelda right now. Nintendo's sales plans have historically embraced under serving the market to create a frenzy for their products. They did this with the NES, the SNES, the Nintendo 64, Wii Fit, the black friday 3ds, the NES classic, Amiibos, etc. There's been posters in here that have even commented that they're not sure if they really want the system or if they just like the chase. The fact that this thread is 60 pages in and people are going to 10+ stores just to find a console proves that this strategy works and it's served Nintendo well for 30 years.
So, yeah, historically this is what NIntendo does. I'm not sure why posters keep denying it when there's a shit ton of proof that this is Nintendo's business practice. All these people saying it's their M.O. aren't making it up.
Hari Seldon
Member
It looks like the go to strategy is if you are able, check Target's website before it opens. If it shows Limited Stock it is probably accurate. But once Target opens it doesn't update fast enough as people buy them.
You've misread the situation. She's more than happy for me to buy it. She's less than happy about me having to leave the house hours early to stand in line right when she needs a morning off to sleep in.
TheApatheticOne
Member
Well, istock is now showing pretty much every area Target in Cincy has now been wiped. Seems like most made it to 930-ish. And the search continues for those of us in the land of 9 to 5's.
Kor of Memory
Member
Got mine!
Waiting outside target for 40 minutes and only 1 other person showed up behind me about 5 minutes before opening.
We both walked back to electronics. I grabbed my Switch and as I was leaving the guy behind me asked if they had any Kindle Fires in stock. Which the clerk seemed incredibly thrown off by.
Central Illinois for anyone curious. I used istock and just checked when I woke up today.
Waiting outside target for 40 minutes and only 1 other person showed up behind me about 5 minutes before opening.
We both walked back to electronics. I grabbed my Switch and as I was leaving the guy behind me asked if they had any Kindle Fires in stock. Which the clerk seemed incredibly thrown off by.
Central Illinois for anyone curious. I used istock and just checked when I woke up today.
Your first mistake was to walk into a CEX, they always add tons as a premium on-top.
They do the same here in Ireland, even if you can go to Gamestop practically next door to them and get a Switch and any accessories you may want at regular retail price.
MacGurcules
Member
Similar situation for me. I was sixth in line at Target this morning. Manager popped out to ask if we were waiting for the Switch and that she had gotten five. I was disappointed until the second dude in line spoke up and said he was waiting for a Kindle Fire Stick. Good news for me, though. It meant I got the last Switch.
djSyndrome
Member
fnac or GAME in Diagonal Mar might be your best bets.
Luschient
Member
Glass Shark
Banned
If there's a "shit ton of proof," post some of it please.
Also, I've read the book you mention and I don't recall the section or passage about purposely undershipping to increase demand. Can you find an excerpt?
I would agree with you that Nintendo is conservative and bad at predicting demand. But I don't believe they have ever purposely shipped less of a product than they thought they could sell SOLELY to introduce artificial scarcity and increase demand.
RoninChaos
Member
I don't have game over in front of me, but here's the passage from Console Wars:
"Peter Main, the Vice President of Marketing for Nintendo during the late 1980's, created a distribution strategy that purposefully provided licensees and retailers with only a fraction of the products that they requested."
"The goal of this technique was twofold: to create a frenzy for whatever products were available, and to protect overeager industry players from themselves."
Nintendo has done this since the 80s based on Peter Main's blueprint. This allowed Nintendo to set its own terms with retailers rather than retailers setting the terms with them.
Now, I think Nintendo wants to ship as much as they can of the switch, but how many stores have you called that got 5 or less switches? how many people were in that NYC Nintendo Store line like a dozen pages ago? When Nintendo has a hot product they have HISTORICALLY under-shipped because it gives them an edge and results in retailers and consumers clamoring for more. Again, to my point in my previous post, there are posters here who have gone to 10+ stores, there are whole fucking websites dedicated to finding these things. This thread is 71 pages long! And all this is happening because Nintendo doesn't have enough consoles to fit demand. Nintendo had the pre order numbers, they knew how much they could sell. I do think manufacturing is an issue with producing as much as the market can handle but NIntendo has never really had an interest in that. Do you remember the threads here on Gaf where people convinced themselves that the Amiibo shortage happened, not because Nintendo under produced Amiibo, but because ships were stuck in a harbor some where in California? So again, yes, there is proof of Nintendo pulling this and there's also plenty of examples of people with their heads in the sand about Nintendo's business practices. The same practices it's used since the 80s.
Oh, and also, if you've read Game Over, you no doubt remember chunks of the book being directed towards Nintendo's relationship with retailers in regards to their undershipping strategy. Specifically when it came to cartridges. 3rd parties begged Nintendo to find chip suppliers that could help them fill the demand for their customers with product but Nintendo had them by the balls and would tell them no. Nintendo's strategy pissed a LOT of people off, but Nintendo had a hot product (like they did with Amiibos, NES Classic, etc) so retailers dealt with it. Nintendo under-shipping anything doesn't just affect Nintendo, it affects the people selling their products. How many store clerks right now have spent an inordinate amount of time telling customers there aren't switches available? How much time is being taken up explaining to customers they don't know when the product will be in? How much time is being taken up by consumers on a fruitless search for this item, or any Nintendo item for that matter, that's popular? I'm not sure why you guys keep insisting Nintendo doesn't have a history of this behavior.
JoshuaJSlone
Member
There's a lot of shit Nintendo could get away with in the late 80s because they were the only serious game in town. In recent years we've either seen them provide record-breaking amounts of machines (Wii) or too many (3DS, Wii U). With Switch they seem like they'll have only a slightly lower number available in the first 1-2 months than those systems had, and they weren't sure which category it would end up in.
RoninChaos
Member
I think the Switch is a bit of a unique item in that Nintendo knew there would be demand, but they also knew they are in a weak position as far as a launch line up. The game really has one major title (and it's a fucking BIG ONE) but it's hard not to believe that Nintendo saw the numbers they had coming in, and wanted to play it safe by under producing. Especially when you consider the way the Wii U launched and then tapered off. If Nintendo guessed right then they have a hot product that people will be after for months and months (like the Wii) or if they guess wrong, they didn't manufacture that many systems so they aren't in the red. Either way they're safe. I do think now that Nintendo has seen the demand that we're in for a NES Classic style problem for a while as I think Nintendo will trickle these systems out, even with doubling production, because it keeps them in the position of having a hot product that everybody wants and that means that every time they restock they're going to sell out. It's win win for Nintendo.
psychotron
Member
Even though I have the joycon desync issue and my dock was bent. I'm loving my Switch. The system is fast and the pro controller is awesome. My joycons were sent back for repair today and I'm using a book to bend the dock back. I got mine at the NYC Nintendo store a few days ago. To those ready to give up, don't.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Have not, but I would imagine it would be pretty flawless. The whole idea of the remake was to fix the problems of the original, plus they added 2-player co-op. It's a Lego game, so it isn't a technical beast, and the load times are supposedly much shorter.
moltonasty
Member
It's not out yet..release date 4/04
Seems like it.
Yea, I am aware. I was wondering if anyone had heard impressions or anything.
Resistance100
Member
CEX have been selling them for that since day 1. You can trade yours in for £300
MacGurcules
Member
Man, now that I managed to scoop one this morning, I'm coming down with a major case of Nintendonitis at work. I brought it into the office so I could charge it up all the way. Now it's sitting there taunting me mercilessly.
backflip10019
Member
Take it into the bathroom, play while on the can.
hemo memo
Gold Member
It's really really not.
TwoDurans
"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
Looks like there's more coming this week!
https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/845304611351265280
EDIT: Also, I just checked and Amazon has the grey ones. GO! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LTHP2ZK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/845304611351265280
EDIT: Also, I just checked and Amazon has the grey ones. GO! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LTHP2ZK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
What do they mean by this week? Today and tomorrow?
Is Amazon considered a local retailer? Heh
Calm Killer
In all media, only true fans who consume every book, film, game, or pog collection deserve to know what's going on.
Just got one off Amazon!!! YES!
Calm Killer
In all media, only true fans who consume every book, film, game, or pog collection deserve to know what's going on.
Taco_Human
Member
Meh, I want the neon colors. I can wait. Someone buy this while it's available.
Rang up a local gaming store in Glasgow the other day. They only had 1 switch left, it 'came with 1,2 Switch & a Pro controller' which wasn't negotiable.
Asking price of £425.
Yeah.
zackmorris
Member
That Amazon restock must have been pretty big. The drought might be ending
FleetingFlowAir
Member
YES! Amazon pulled through for me! Thanks, man!
You sir, are amazing! I got one!
milw00kiee
Neo Member
HOLY SHIT! THANK YOU!
Can't believe I still got one over 10 minutes later.
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