Leak Suggests Recent Arrival of Significant Nintendo Switch 2 Shipments on US Shores

[T0@st]

Nintendo seems to readying a speculated mid-2025 launch of the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 hybrid games console, according to industry watchdogs. International preview events are scheduled to happen throughout April, so online theories have settled on potential May or June release windows. Members of Famiboards—a Nintendo discussion forum—have kept tabs on a wide variety of pre-launch information outlets, going back to 2021. Their latest tracking activities—with eyes firmly trained on shipping manifests—have produced compelling evidence of Switch 2 materials turning up on North American shores in the recent past. A Famiboards detective detailed their discoveries: "so, it finally happened. HVBG exported 383,000 units of the completed console set between January 17th and January 22nd. They were all shipped to the US, and all were of the USZ (US/Canada) region code. 41,598 units of the charging grip were also shipped to the US, confirming that HGU0620 is the charging grip with a product code of BEE-A-ESSKA, which matches the Switch 1 charging grip's HAC-A-ESSKA."

Nintendo's mid-January unveiling of Switch 2 served as a refreshing break from the norm; the Japanese gaming giant operates under very secretive conditions. Their early 2025 teaser showcased a device that seemed to recycle its predecessor's feature set, but the CGI trailer implied mouse-like functionality. Patent leaks have provided further insight into the design of Nintendo's next-gen Joy-Con. Last month, Shuntaro Furukawa—the company's president—disclosed that his team was taking "all possible measures" to provide sufficient stock for Switch 2's launch window. This week's insider investigation paints a promising picture, at least for potential North American buyers: "383k is a decent-sized shipment, but I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers increase. HVBG had received 1.2 million units of one-per-system parts like the SoC and screen as of December, and 1.7 million as of January, and we can expect 100% of those to end up in units shipped to the US. One thing we can learn from the shipments is that the console set is not a bundle."




Despite the upcoming arrival of new hardware, Nintendo's first-party studios and many third-party outfits are still pushing out titles for the current-gen hybrid system. Officially, Switch 2 offers "backward compatibility" but a handful of titles are expected to not run on the newer platform; due to anticipated technical issues. Open world JRPG fanatics are looking forward to next week's launch (March 20) of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.

Monolith Soft has spent time remastering an old favorite from the Wii U days. Long-term Xenoblade franchise fans hold the belief that the original version (2015) did not deserve to languish (in perpetuity) on the obsolete/unpopular Nintendo console. The Definitive Edition is set to release with improved graphics and assets, extra characters, and a brand-new post-main campaign storyline. A certain demographic will be looking forward to a possible higher resolution/frame rate experience on Switch 2.

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[QUANTUMPHYSICS]

I'll be anxious to see the must-have games.

To be perfectly honest, with the exception of Nintendo's 1st party titles: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc... I'd much rather have Steam deck.

Games like Mega Man, TMNT and other IP not owned by Nintendo which are dirt cheap now abound.

 

[alwayssts]

To be perfectly honest, with the exception of Nintendo's 1st party titles: Mario, Zelda, Metroid.

That's their purpose and why people buy them, first and foremost.

In a perfect world (to us), they would be a software company, but the reality is their IP is so strong they can both make a profit off (low-end) hardware and take 100% of those software sales by using it.

I do wonder how long this will be the case, as I think 3nm and beyond there will be a strong case for decently-powered 1080p (if using up-scaling from 540p/720p) devices that don't compromise nearly as much.
Heck, some people might end using them as their main PC, just hooked up to a monitor (even if not always, if ever for gaming that way).

When that choice exists, is no longer a concession, and the price eventually becomes competitive...I do think in some ways Nintendo may have to fight for peoples' time...but for some (bc of their IP) they never will.

 

[Hyderz]

think pokemons is going to be part of the launch title..