The Nintendo Switch might soon have limited stock due to a semiconductor shortage

The Nintendo Switch might soon begin to see the effects of the international semiconductor shortage. The company’s president Shuntaro Furukawa has said that though it currently has enough parts for immediate production, Nintendo may soon begin to struggle like many other tech companies, due to the lack of semiconductor availability that came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nintendo’s president recently provided this update, and according to VGC, the company could very well begin to see stock shortages as early as this year. Though the supply chain for the Switch has been established for a while now, demand for the product has steadily risen during the pandemic, with Nintendo recently having one of its best quarters ever in terms of console sales.

This type of demand is unexpected and incredibly difficult to keep up with. When asked about the rising demand of the console, President Furukawa is quoted saying:

“We have been able to secure the necessary materials for the immediate production of semiconductors for switches. However, in Japan and other countries, demand has been very strong since the beginning of the year, and there is a possibility of shortages at some retailers in the future. It is difficult to say how we will deal with this, but in some cases we may not be able to prepare enough for orders.”

This news is not great for Nintendo, and it will be interesting to see how the company handles this problem. The Switch has been performing great in terms of sales, probably benefitting greatly from the lack of Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 stock. The Switch had previously been able to rely on established supply lines, but it looks like they are running out as well.

Nintendo will have to do something in order to solve this problem, especially considering the possibility of a “Switch Pro” that might be launching later this year. The company could very well find itself in the same boat as Microsoft and Sony with a new console launch, but not enough material to fill the demand.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apparently, Qualcomm is working on a Nintendo Switch competitor
• Nintendo Direct 2021: The best Nintendo Switch games coming out in 2021 and beyond
• Game subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass make gaming more accessible for disabled gamers
• Sony adds Marvel’s Avengers, Borderlands 3, and more to PlayStation Now