Nintendo’s big Nintendo Direct presentation, where the company will launch the Switch 2, is just a few days away. Also, Nintendo is tipped to hold another surprise event before that April 2nd press conference where it’ll fully unveil the Switch 2.
Nintendo did show the world the Switch 2 design a few months ago, but it only did it to put a stop to all the design leaks happening in late 2024 and early January. While Nintendo confirmed those design leaks with the Switch 2 design reveal, it never gave us anything meaningful.
The Switch 2 specs, games, price, preorder, and release dates remain secret. Nintendo did announce the April 2nd event in January, teasing that’s when it would reveal everything about the console.
With a few days to go, a trusted restock tracker thinks he knows exactly when the Nintendo Switch 2 preorders will start. If he’s right, it’ll happen next Wednesday, April 2nd, right after that highly anticipated launch event.
The Shortcut’s Matt Swider said in a new report that Nintendo and its partners will kick off Switch 2 preorders at 10 AM ET, exactly one hour after the Nintendo Direct presentation is supposed to start. Swider believes Nintendo will do a repeat of the first-gen Switch launch. Eight years ago, the original Switch console went on preorder one hour after the launch presentation.
While Swider is speculating here, it wouldn’t be surprising if the information is accurate given his day job. Tom’s Guide says he’s “one of the internet’s biggest restock trackers, having helped thousands of gamers secure hard-to-buy products including PS5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation Portal, and the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection.”
Swider also offers a price guess for the Switch 2, saying the next-gen handheld console will cost $399. That’s $100 more than the first model and $50 more than the OLED Switch. It’s also a price we’ve seen in other Switch 2 leaks and estimates.
The consensus seems to be that Nintendo isn’t looking to cash in on the Switch 2 interest by selling an overpriced console. Instead, it’s looking to make more money from first-party games, which might be more expensive than the first-gen Switch exclusives.
The restock expert believes some of the main retailers in the US will take Switch 2 preorders next week. The list includes Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Walmart. Retailers worldwide would also start taking Switch 2 preorders around the same time US sales start.
The Shortcut doesn’t mention a release date for the Switch 2, but we’ll know that information before preorders start. Nintendo will reveal everything about the new console during the Switch 2 event next week. Recent rumors say the Switch 2 will launch in June alongside several first-party games.
The report also has some good news for gamers worried that scalpers will preorder the Switch 2 in large numbers, potentially disrupting inventory soon after sales start. Swider reminds them that Nintendo has already acknowledged the scalpers problem, preparing for it. Nintendo said it won’t have inventory problems like some competitors. The PS5 and new Xbox quickly sold out in 2020 when they first launched.
It’s unclear whether Nintendo will impose any limitations for the first batch of Switch 2 preorders that could prevent scalpers from buying as much stock as possible. Also, online stores will be hit with plenty of traffic from interested buyers and might crash during the initial wave of preorders.
You should keep your options open and try buying the console from different stores. That means checking the online stores of all the retail stores Swider mentioned in the report and being ready to preorder the handheld from any of them.
