You should buy a Nintendo Switch now — here's why

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Nintendo Switch shortages could ruin the holidays, but if you're quick you could get a console now

Nintendo Switch
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Nintendo Switch production issues could make the console extra hard to find this holiday season. As a result, you might want to pick one up the minute stock replenishes. (Make sure to follow our guide on where to buy Nintendo Switch for the latest inventory news).  

Not only are Switch consoles selling out the second they hit retail stores, but disruption to manufacturing caused by COVID-19 is making it difficult for Nintendo to make enough of its wildly popular console. Now Bloomberg reports that such stock shortages are set to continue until the end of the year. 

The report notes that government-imposed lockdowns in Malaysia and the Philippines have left Nintendo struggling to get the parts it needs to make the Switch. As both nations have to limit their manufacturing operations, Nintendo has found itself short of the printed circuit boards and the parts to attach to those PCBs in order to make the Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. 

In the very short term, Nintendo is expected to get its Switch inventory in order and have enough console units to take it over the summer period. But after that, the shortages are set to make a return. 

"The inventory may recover in the summer, but we may see shortages again toward the year-end because Nintendo wouldn’t be able to produce enough units for the shopping season," Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute, told Bloomberg. 

In April, Nintendo promised that more Switch consoles would be made to counterbalance the demand for them. But even with more stock, it still looks like Nintendo is going to fall short of the demand. 

So if you’ve been waiting to get a Nintendo Switch, now’s the time to take the plunge. Assuming stock replenishes in the coming weeks. If you wait until the holiday 2020 period to get one as a gift for yourself or someone else, you might end up out of luck. 

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.