Will Nintendo Switch Pro's Release Mirror Sony's PS5 Console Fiasco
Even if sidestepping the GPU shortage allows more production, a Switch Pro is too tempting for scalpers to pass up. Fans should prepare for scarcity.
Many gamers are excited at the notion of the Switch Pro, a rumored console that might provide a 4K upgrade to the Switch, but the scalpers are likely excited as well. While E3 has passed without any confirmation of such hardware, fans who are hoping for this new console might want to temper their expectations of getting one any time near its release. The current wave of console shortages facing the PlayStation 5 could easily also impact the availability of the Switch Pro, revisiting the elusiveness of the original Wii around the time of its debut, but exacerbated by the new wave of organized, bot-aided scalpers.
More than seven months have passed since the new consoles from Microsoft and Sony hit the market, and due to organized efforts by scalper resellers and their bots and even whole scalper teams, some still turn to the secondary market for Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles. While the scarcity of a Switch Pro could be mitigated if it does not make use of cutting-edge GPUs like the Series X and PS5, a high-profile Nintendo console release seems fated also to attract scalpers. Even if Nintendo were to make a surprise announcement of a Switch Pro releasing in a month’s time, it could still be a great many more months before it's actually in the hands of the typical gamer, unless they resort to paying the huge mark-ups of the secondary market.
Due to the timing of the Xbox Series X and S consoles and PS5 systems releasing during the pandemic, sales were limited to online transactions for the most part. Even now, with the vaccine widely available in the US, most retail chains do not stock the new consoles on their shelves and limit such purchases to their online storefronts. Numerous websites track the availability of PS5s, with rumors about restock dates and times, and even the would-be buyers who follow such news sources often find them sold out before they can finalize the purchase. The only particularly reliable method of buying a PS5 is through sites like Ebay and StockX, where scalpers openly resell the systems at prices that are usually $300 above the retail price, if not much higher.
The shortage issue is not limited to console gamers, as the GPU shortage also impacts those who play on gaming PCs. Nintendo’s current Switch did not attempt to directly compete with the specs of the prior Xbox One and PS4 consoles, so it is doubtful a Switch Pro would be on the same hardware level as the Xbox Series X or PS5, which might make it less susceptible to shortages. But while there are many unknowns about the Switch Pro (including whether such a thing is even in Nintendo's plans), even in a scenario where the rumored console uses older, more readily available components, actual availability to consumers could still be a problem. In any hypothetical situation where a larger amount of Switch Pro systems hit the market relative to its Microsoft and Sony counterparts could simply result in more of them being warehoused by scalpers.
The Switch has already achieved success in its current form, and it's often been the case that a Nintendo console with that level of consumer adoption will get a mid-generation redesign. This has been especially consistent for Nintendo’s line of portable consoles. As the Switch merged Nintendo’s portable and home console lines, it's not hard to believe that the rumored Switch Pro would act as the follow-up to the Switch Lite. The Switch Lite offered a cheaper, scaled back version of the Switch, lacking its ability to dock to a television, and is available on store shelves quite regularly. Similarly, the economical Xbox Series S is somewhat easier to obtain than the more powerful Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, which remain largely unavailable for purchase through conventional retailers.
It stands to reason that a more powerful and highly sought after Switch Pro would be an attractive target for scalpers. None of the efforts to prevent scalper purchases seem to have had any significant impact on the availability of PS5s or Series X for most consumers, so Nintendo fans might want to prepare for the same. If a Switch Pro upgrade does hit the market, gamers might need to wait months before it's readily available at retail price or expect to pay into the same predatory pricing models as PS5s sold by scalpers.