Nintendo Doing Everything It Can To Prevent Scalpers And Bots From Ruining The Switch 2 Launch
Nintendo Doing Everything It Can To Prevent Scalpers And Bots From Ruining The Switch 2 Launch
People are already trying to resell early Switch 2 demos on eBay
Nintendo Doing Everything It Can To Prevent Scalpers
Last I heard that the N64 controllers were limited to NSO subscribers. :/
You might not want to hear this, but that would work.
Limit the initial run of units to people with Nintendo accounts (not subscriptions, just the free account). All accounts must have a verified phone number and verified residential address attached to them prior to purchase. One unit per account, up to three units per address. And that console ID is locked to that account for 12 months to prevent resale. The console has to go online once to initialize, after that an internet connection is completely optional.
Nintendo is still guaranteed to sell every unit they make in a matter of days.
Then the second run of units become available to everyone and get shipped to stores. Nintendo and the stores themselves will likely still limit the number of units per person.
I would be okay with that method. It at a minimum authenticates an individual.
IIRC for the N64 controllers the Australian Nintendo Store couldn't keep them stocked for more than an hour every 6 months or so from when to first released in October 2021 to when stock stabilised in June 2023.
From what it hear it was similar on many other regions too, I don't think it had the effect they were hoping for.
I assume that the system will still be very hard to get on release. Nintendo is going to hoard systems until November and flood the market until December. If you or I cannot get the system on release day, we will complain to other fans, but we will keep looking until we find one or break down and pay scalper prices.
On the other hand, parents will want to go to Walmart at 3 PM on Black Friday and grab a system. If they don't find one, they will be super mad that they have to explain to little Timmy that he is not getting a new Nintendo for Christmas. It will make the news.
What I would like to see is Nintendo limiting how much their resale partners can bundle with the system. For a while with the Switch, you could find one in stores… assuming you also buy a GameStop carrying case, a GameStop controller, a set of gold audio cables, and 3 shovelware games for a premium price.
I'd love to see Nintendo constantly saying there will be shortages, while secretly producing hundreds of thousands of units. Then on launch, only release a certain amount the first week so the scalpers buy them all, then release the floodgates the week after to undercut them.
This would dupe all the scalpers into buying dozens of consoles they can't resell for a profit.
The scalpers can have this one. I already have a switch.
I don't, though, and I'm not a scalper!
You're in luck then, because it should be much easier (and cheaper!) to get a Switch now that scalpers will be focusing on the 2.