Call us a liar if you haven’t heard of rumors that Nintendo was trying to clear stock of the existing Nintendo Switch inventory to make way for the Nintendo Switch 2 for the better part of the past 2-3 years.
For what feels like forever now, Switch 2 rumors have been popping up just as the holidays kick in, and just when everyone thought that Nintendo was getting ready to announce its next console later this month, it went ahead and bundled the OLED with last year’s Game of the Year candidate, Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
What’s even weirder is that this bundle, which had already been leaked earlier, isn’t available everywhere—it’s exclusive to Australia and New Zealand.
The not-so-limited edition Switch OLED bundle comes with a white OLED Switch, a pre-installed digital copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and a 12-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online.
It isn’t a bad package, by any means, and we’ll likely see Nintendo roll out similar bundles for other regions soon. Nintendo’s strategy of releasing special bundles has proven successful in the past, particularly during the holiday season, and there’s no reason to change that, especially as Sony and Microsoft seem content on driving the prices of their consoles up, leaving Nintendo to take advantage of the gift-giving season with the most economically sound console on the market today.
But while it’s great that the Switch is still getting support 7 years into its lifecycle, it isn’t the Switch 2.
At this point, no one knows when the Switch 2 is coming. But it’s clear that Nintendo is trying to maximize Switch sales and buying time before transitioning to their next hardware, especially with the Japanese economy the way that it is right now. After all, Nintendo has already projected it would sell 13.5 million Switch units by March 2025. Achieving this goal could potentially propel the Switch to become the best-selling video game console of all time, surpassing the current record holder, the PlayStation 2.
The Switch has already claimed the title of best-selling console in Japan and it has already achieved a similar milestone in the United States. The continued support could help solidify the Switch’s position in the global market and extend its impressive sales run, giving Nintendo more time to squeeze out as much as it can from the hybrid console.
So, for better or for worse, we’ll probably see more Switch bundles before Nintendo is ready to reveal the Switch 2.
As for the Nintendo Switch 2, there may still be hope. Nintendo has confirmed its presence at the Tokyo Game Show later this month. If it wants all eyes on the Switch 2, making an announcement during an event that the entire gaming industry will be watching is the best way to go.
