Giancarlo Matute arrived at the Shirley GameStop a little after midnight Thursday, sat down on his folding chair and waited overnight to snag the latest Nintendo gaming console.
The 25-year-old Medford resident, who “was worried” because preorders were delayed, wanted to be first in line to preorder the Switch 2 after the Japanese gaming giant opened up reservations ahead of its June 5 release date.
By noon when the store opened, Matute was joined by 60 other eager gamers, who all walked away securing a preorder.
Preorders and prices for Nintendo’s new gaming device were originally set to go live April 9, but were pushed back because of President Donald Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariff announcements on April 2.
On April 18, Nintendo announced a new preorder date of April 24, with the $449.99 price remaining the same. Nintendo moved production from China to parts of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, to avoid the harsher China tariffs, Financial Times reported.
The console can also be purchased in a bundle with the “Mario Kart World” game for $499. Game prices range from $69.99 to $79.99, and Nintendo has said that accessories for the console, such as extra controllers, will go up in price due to the tariffs.
“Other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions,” Nintendo said.
The new console features video and audio chats and game-sharing functions, according to The Associated Press. The console can be played either handheld or on a TV screen.
Online preorders opened up at midnight Thursday, with Target, Walmart and Best Buy selling out almost instantly and not offering in-store preorders, Newsday confirmed. Nintendo posted a message to its online store saying it couldn’t guarantee delivery by June 5.
GameStop opened online preorders at 11 a.m., and its website ran into issues as soon as preorders opened, leaving the brick-and-mortar shop the only reliable way for many to secure a Switch 2.
“We’re seeing overwhelming demand for Switch 2, which is causing some site issues. In-store preorders are open and running smoothly,” GameStop posted to its customer service account on X. “Our team is actively working to fix it. Hang in there — we’ll keep you posted.”
GameStop’s corporate office could not be reached for comment Thursday.
GameStop employees at brick-and-mortar stores were told how many units would be available on Wednesday night, and a notice was posted to the door, said Dylan Nemeth, 31, of Shirley, who has worked on and off for five years.
“It was actually really shocking,” Nemeth said. “Everyone who waited on line got one. We only had to turn away three people.”
Mastic resident Rory Braun stood at the back of the line in Shirley, having decided to try her luck after running errands at the nearby Stop & Shop.
“I said, okay, I’ll take a chance!” said the 23-year-old, securing one of the last available preorders at the store.
The Switch, first released in March 2017, has been a massive success for Nintendo, selling 150.86 million units worldwide as of February, Forbes reported.
