Signing you in

If you are anything like us, the reveal of the special edition Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 console last month was quickly followed by the dreaded realisation of "oh no, I need this". Alas, for many, this need has not been fulfilled, with supply shortages making those all-important pre-orders far rarer than we'd like them to be.

In a recent interview with YouTube channel Coelho no Japão, Nintendo's Latin America Vice President and General Manager Bill van Zyll admitted that the company had "underestimated" the demand for the console, and reaffirmed that further restocks are on the way (thanks for the heads up, GamesRadar+).

"It's a global phenomenon; we have this issue everywhere," van Zyll told the YouTube channel, "we apologise for that. That certainly wasn't the intent".

"We underestimated how well it would be received," van Zyll continued, "and there are certainly some markets that stand out" — he explicitly mentioned North America as one such market.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Nintendo has made it clear in the weeks since pre-orders went live that more products will be made available down the line, and van Zyll banged the same drum in this interview. "We are working on replenishments of the special hardware and software, but it'll take a little bit of time," he confirmed, before dealing out the old Nintendo chestnut: "Please be patient".

Here in Europe, we have seen the system come in and out of stock at various retailers in recent weeks, and we're sure it's a trend that'll continue on the run-up to launch. Considering how popular just about every SE Switch 1 console was in the past, we're a little surprised that Nintendo wouldn't expect the same from *checks notes* a gold, Zelda-themed Switch 2, but hey, here we are.

Guide Where To Pre-Order The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time & Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 Console

Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since.

Overestimating and so spending money for unsold physical products is objectively worse so I'm not surprised when Nintendo or whoever else "underestimate" sales - anyway, glad to have official confirmation that more Zelda Switch 2 consoles will be available down the line (personally had no doubt that would be the case but still, good to know)!

I really hope we get lots of restocks on the Switch 2 Pro Controller as well. Been waiting a for a nice limited edition to get one, and can't find the Zelda one anywhere right now.

Yeah I just want the pro controller. That console is beautiful, but it’s not an update so I’ll pass on that.

I think it made sense to be on the cautious side considering we live in a post-BotW world. OoT is a really iconic game but there's no guarantee the people who loved the open world nature of BotW/TotK would love the more linear nature of OoT.

I think Nintendo have great stock of the standard switch 2 from shops I use.

With the others struggling to keep stocks up and running out, Nintendo should have a very merry Christmas 🎄

It hasn't just been with the Zelda-themed Switch 2, but also the Switch 2 port of Stellar Blade, especially the Steelbook Edition. I and a lot of other people ended up getting the notification from Best Buy a few days ago that our preorders were cancelled, and I made sure to preorder it the day they went live. The CEO of PM Studios, the company behind the Switch 2 port, made a Twitter post saying that Best Buy oversold preorders, thus causing the mass cancellations, and that more units were on the way. Actually a bit surprised that video game news sites like IGN or even Nintendo Life have yet to report on this fiasco.

I am still holding out for the Pro Controller. While I love the aesthetic of the Switch 2 design, I just can't justify buying it when my current Switch 2 is not that old. But I do eventually want a new EU Switch 2, because of the replacable battery.

@AStupidIDThe RE9 edition looks pretty cool and is not too hard to find. They'll probably restock the Zelda one though.

He's stating the obvious, but hopefully restocks are enough to meet demand and to thwart scalpers while they're at it. I did manage to secure a Zelda Switch 2 console through Walmart, but I admit part of me is expecting a cancellation email to show up between now and the 29th.

I think based on their current console sales they understocked. If you look at Tears of the Kingdom, they produced too many consoles as it's still on store shelves. People see this as an investment and time to jump into Nintendo's next gen for those that haven't migrated over. OoT is a system seller! Happy I have my preorder in 😁

@Sepewrath Yeah I had the same feeling. If I had the extra money to burn, sure I’d get the Zelda console and toss my S2 to my wife or daughter. They currently have an OLED S1 and an S1 Lite, so it’s not a huge deal.

I’d LOVE to have a set of those joy cons though. I play 99% handheld so the dock would be wasted on me, but I could look at those joy cons all day though!

Makes sense. They never said it was a limited release. Don't pay scalpers folks, just be patient.

I'm waiting for the WaveRace special edition. It's going to make a massive splash.

With the current economic climate, you can’t blame them for being cautious.

I am also yet to see the ocarina (i.e. the actual flute) on the European Nintendo Shop! I might end up having to hum my way through the game!

It's gonna be such a monster hit. I could see it selling 12 million through the holidays.

I've been WAITING for some sort of special edition Switch 2, or at least SOME color (black is boring).

I finally got one after downloading the Nintendo Store app and marking the Zelda Switch 2 with a back in stock notification.Soon as I got it notification, I ran to my computer to order it.5 minutes later, it said sold out, lol.

Honestly they should keep selling these until the movie comes out

Now where have I heard this line before ... oh yeah ... the NES mini ... the SNES mini ... many of the original amiibo ... etc ...

I think they'll never be able to match demand since scalpers will always buy up the current stock. I mean if they made an insane amount like 10 million +, then maybe they'd be fine. But in most cases, scalpers will just ruin it for everyone.

It is such a beautiful console!! I am tempted to get it too, although I could not reasonably justify it at all. My original works splendid. The game is preordered.

Honestly I believe it in this case. While Zelda is big ... for demand to be this high I feel a lot of people who already owned a switch 2 got the Zelda one.

I wouldn't have expected demand to be as high as it's been given how expensive the console is.

I just want the controller. After spending a few hours in a 100k+ wait to get onto the UK online store and everything being sold out by the time I got in not spent a lot of time checking stock levels and so on. If it happens it happens.

Don’t underestimate the power and popularity of Mario nor Zelda.

@Altaria_97 what companies need to do is set up an advanced pre-order without a cap and then produce based on it.

Of course this would have it's own catches. Like they'd take the money for the sale before production to avoid someone ordering a bunch and then canceling. Or something like that.

And depending on final order they might have to fulfill orders in waves. But if scalpers can't steal the entire supply then they'll be less of a problem.

Sure it's not a perfect solution, but at this point it seems like that's the only real solution.

Just cancelled my previous pre-order that cost $65 and re-ordered the new one with huge discount, now I got it pre-ordered the physical version for just $46.

@Metazoxan I get the intent behind the solution but sadly I believe is unworkable in practice. Depending on country laws, anyone can cancel any order shortly before dispatch.

The system of ordering according to preorder numbers would easily result in huge oversupply - losing Nintendo millions. Also - consoles need to get shipped around which takes time and storage costs money. Since consoles like Nintendo's are unsuitable for Just In Time manufacturing, a certain amount of forecasting is needed.

@marck13 likewise, I’m never really tempted by special editions but love this one and have been very tempted but like you my OG S2 is fine and I can’t justify it.

I’m going to hold out see if they come out with an oled with hopefully better battery.

I hope that theybrestock the controller with a display stand. Though that would have been a lot better if it was a charging stand.

(Also, as an aside, I wish that the Joycon Grip had a tiny pixel Ganon on it to go with Link and Zelda.)

This was a given, Zelda is so big in the west that anything like this gets gobbled up by fans and scalpers alike.

Great, very cool. Now how about restocking the Metroid Ravenus Special Edition?

Lets not forget scalpers are the main problem why stock is scarce which needs to be dealt with.

This will likely be their go to console print till end of next year.

@jsty3105 then how about vouchers? Sell vouchers at the price of a console.

Then produce based on that. At the time of release only those with a voucher can order one.

Should get around most laws since they are technically getting what they pay for immediately.

And it's not a problem if people change their minds later as the sale already went through.

Any consoles that go unreleased passed a certain point could then be sold normally. So the vouchers would include an expiration date.

@Grumblevolcano I hope that is the case! Zelda deserves better than what we got with TOTK

@Dodoo can't imagine any reasonably priced OLED version getting released until at least 2029 I'm afraid. 2028 would be the most optimistic prediction.

Crucially, there's No mass market adoption of similar size and spec screens yet.

The console and controller will be available throughout the 40th anniversary.

So they aren't limited editions just yet. Newer pre orders will be for the removable battery versions too in the UK and EU.

I hope Nintendo takes note that both the new open-world and the more traditional Zelda format (3d & 2d) can coexist going forward.

Some consoles bundled with a controller are selling for over 800 on eBay from scalpers. Trying to just get hold of a pro controller is a nightmare.

I guess the eshop download will sell out quick too so better preorder asap......

This is why you never buy from scalpers unless they clearly state limited run

@RiasGremory scalpers and people dumb enough to buy from them

If you pre ordered from a scalper please cancel your order and chill out. You will get one

Here in Brazil, it was a real struggle to get the physical foil edition of Zelda.The console and controllers were almost impossible to find.In a matter of seconds, they were sold out.

It sounds crazy, but why can't Nintendo like 6 months before launch open up a pre-sale window on these special systems. THEN, give it like a 2 week period for people to buy. They could then see demand, and be able to order enough to meet that, plus whatever the stores desire.

It’s so wild that it has come back in stock at European retailers. I only got one in America by subscribing to in-stock alerts and visiting the Nintendo Store for the 10-ish minute period when it was back in stock on a random day.

Still no luck with the controller, though, so I’m hoping to wait out at Best Buy. Though I’m not sure if I will need to be there 3 hours early, 5 hours early, etc…

I think they overestimated how deterred folks would be from buying all Switch 2s after the price hike. If it were not a Zelda Switch 2, I think they'd be right. But no, not buying it was never an option, for me.

@Grumblevolcano After the obvious Majora's Mask remake, I would love to see the same team use this new engine to tackle a very ambitious remake: A Link to the Past.

This product released a bit too early in my opinion, since they were doing fine on the plain vanilla switches and actually need to release some more color options for the Joycons.

@AstroTheGamosian I didn’t realize the Stellar Blade cancellation was widespread. I actually did not think the demo was very good compared to the PlayStation version that I already own, so I kind of don’t mind. I appreciate they gave me a $10 coupon that I used toward Star Wars Zero Company

@kmtrain83 Yeah, it's hit Best Buy the worst, although other retailers, such as Target, are also cancelling preorders due to overselling. According to the CEO of PM Games, the company in charge of the Switch 2 port, they're working on getting more stock to retailers. That's why I've signed up for email notifications from VGP (Video Games Plus), as well as for a free trial of Amazon Prime and set the steelbook version to auto buy if it becomes available.

But needless to say, I doubt I'll be preordering from Best Buy again, as this is the second time that they cancelled a preorder or a preorder bonus on me. And I never did get that $10 coupon/gift card myself, although frankly, I find just $10 in compensation for a game worth $70 to be a bit insulting. And I preordered two copies (one for me, one for my fiancée), so I would have probably received $20.

I really wanted the controller with the stand but I’m not getting my hopes up at this point

Applied to multiple friends. We all expected it to come with the first proper "buy a switch 2" Zelda game; the first year proposition wasn't great; the (then imminent) price increase wasnt enough to make them want a switch 2 that much sooner... I'm not surprised that demand outstripped supply. Cool that they're going to be doing more drops

@Metazoxan the problem is that it would take way to long after pre-ordering for they them to then buy the parts, start manufacturing, package them, and ship them around the world

A system like that wouldn't particularly work. By which I mean, it would require either wildly inflating the per-unit price of the goods in question ( because "on demand" manufacture of electronics will always be far more expensive than properly planned production runs ), or else having delivery delays that the general market simply would never tolerate ( if you instead try to fit those pre-orders into actual properly structured production orders ).

Nintendo out here pretending they don't know there are scalpers that specifically prey on all things Nintendo to take advantage of their 'must-have because it says Nintendo on it' consuuumers, who will for whatever odd reason, buy the same console two or even three times.

Amazon UK is offering pre-orders for £499.99 with a delivery date of 31st Oct.

You have to click on "See all buying options," and then the option to pre-order the console directly from Amazon appears.

Bull!Nintendo does this EVERY SINGLE time a Zelda edition or collectable is released. They'd rather cater to scalpers than to fans!

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Has Been Updated To Version 4.0.1, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Preview: Zelda: Ocarina Of Time On Switch 2 Brims With Breathtaking Detail, Plus One Familiar Irritation

Street Fighter 6 Reveals Street Fighter Movie EX Colours, Here's Every Free Code

News New Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Trailer Is A Throwback To The '90s N64 Ads

Talking Point How Did You First Encounter Zelda: Ocarina Of Time?

News Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Ad Give Us Our First Look At Dark Link

News Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Switch 2 "Replica N64 Box" Revealed

News "No Offense To Zelda" - Activision Exec Says Call Of Duty: MW4 And GTA 6 Are The Two Biggest Games Of The Year

News Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Has Been Updated To Version 4.0.1, Here Are The Full...

Preview Zelda: Ocarina Of Time On Switch 2 Brims With Breathtaking Detail, Plus ...

News Street Fighter 6 Reveals Street Fighter Movie EX Colours, Here's Every F...

Guide When Is Modern Warfare 4's Early Access Release For The Campaign & DMZ M...

News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Three More Titles

News Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Expansion Pass Announced, Wave 1 Launches T...

Feature "I Lost My Mind" - Abby Trott On Singing The Smash Bros. Theme & Playing...