For years, gamers have had difficulty getting their hands on the latest gaming systems. Scalpers have made the problem worse, buying up consoles and selling them for a mark-up.
And COVID-19 has had a massive impact on the entire industry. A number of highly anticipated games were delayed as studios needed to shut down operations. The pandemic has also affected the supply chain, making it hard for gaming companies to get the hardware needed to build systems.
The Nintendo Switch is a very popular system, but it has been more readily available than some other consoles. That may be changing in 2022 as Shuntaro Furukawa recently warned that the Japanese company may face a shortage in the coming year.
The Nintendo President recently told Kyoto-NP, “I can’t say that I was able to supply enough for demand after Black Friday, and after the beginning of the year. It depends on the demand, but as I was concerned, there will be an impact that [we] can’t make as many as [we’d] want to make.”
Nintendo is certainly not alone in having trouble finding parts. Xbox’s Phil Spencer said during a podcast interview:
“When I think about, what does it mean to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is? There are multiple kinds of pinch points in that process. And I think regretfully it’s going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year.”
Those who have purchased or received a new console in the last year should consider themselves lucky. And those hoping to purchase a new one may be in for a bit of a wait.
