Nintendo Switch Lines Are Crazy Long In Japan

The hunt to find a Nintendo Switch is still in full swing as retailers are struggling to keep the [...]

Switch

The hunt to find a Nintendo Switch is still in full swing as retailers are struggling to keep the new console on stores' shelves, and in Japan, the lack of availability is resulting in some waiting lines that are absolutely insane.

Reported first by Kotaku, these lines that Japanese gamers are waiting in to get their hands on a Nintendo Switch wrap around city blocks and snake down sidewalks as individuals wait to get their shot at taking home a Switch. You can see just a small example of the Nintendo Switch limbo that people are getting stuck in below.

The real kicker here with all these people standing in line is that they don't even have a guarantee of walking away with a Switch. That's right, all of these people are standing in line just to get the chance to purchase a Switch. When availability of products such as these plummet in Japan, raffles are held to determine who gets to take home one of the consoles. According to one eyewitness who was present at one of the lines today, a crazy huge queue of over 3,000 people formed in front of the Yodobashi Camera store in Tokyo where the store only had 250 Nintendo Switches in stock to give away.

This method is a bit different from what others regions sometimes do where hopeful buyers camp out for hours or days on end to get the latest console or smartphone, but you'll still have to post up in a line in order to have a chance.

So, what happens if you're one of those lucky gamers who survived the line and get selected to purchase one of the available Nintendo Switches? You get to spend quite a bit of money on one given the way that Switches' prices are rising in Japan.

In the United States, a new Switch will run you $299, not a terrible price for a product that's in such high demand. In Japan, however, these prices are reaching figures such as 46,980 yen, a price that translates roughly to $415. That's on the low end, too, and with Splatoon 2 not even out yet, players in Japan can expect Switches to be even harder to find.

[via Kotaku]

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