It’s Switch 2 launch day and all around the world excited Nintendo fans are unwrapping their shiny new consoles. Top of the agenda is the long-awaited Mario Kart World, but the console is set to deliver years of high-quality Nintendo exclusives, leaving gamers very happy. 3b2y5u

Well, most gamers anyway. As reported by @Wario64 on X, a GameStop store in Staten Island needed a way to fix pre-order receipts to the new console box. Glue? Nah, too messy. Sellotape? We don’t have any. Ooh! How about a staple gun! Ka-thonk!

Apparently one GameStop store used a stapler to attach receipts to Switch 2 boxes and the staple ruined the screen…another person commented their unit and others were affected at the same store https://t.co/3eMGSUVnT6 pic.twitter.com/YXvfU9fUq7

— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 5, 2025

Yup, some incompetent employee decided to staple the receipt to the front of every single Switch 2 box on pre-order. As you might predict, the staple pierced the box, the packaging, and, unfortunately, the pristine screen of the new console. Needless to say, those anticipating a fun day of Mario Kart aren’t happy to see that their system was irreparably damaged before they even took it out of the box.

A whole shipment, trashed 4j4c70

Reports on Reddit indicate that this particular GameStop may have done this to every Switch 2 they had: “Me and my homie here (we never met before) were unfortunately at the same gamestop and this happened to me and another buddy! Think the entire pre order batch is completely f**ked” and that it looks like “over 100 people” may have had the same thing happen.

Unfortunately, even if GameStop accepts liability (and anyone who’s dealt with them knows that’s far from guaranteed), it’s unlikely those with damaged consoles are getting a replacement anytime soon. From the preorder chaos onwards ,it’s clear that, at least in the United States, there are far more people who want Switch 2’s than there are available.

Predictions are that they’ll be waiting 6-8 weeks for a new one, but here’s hoping they’ll get some kind of apology in the form of GameStop store credit. In the meantime, here’s hoping that poor GameStop employee that screwed up is lying low. They’ve no doubt been chewed out ferociously by their boss, are probably already looking for new employment, and now have hundreds of irate Nintendo fans on their trail. Maybe in their next job, they’ll be more careful with the merchandise, so fingers crossed this is a lesson learned!

Last week, Nintendo pulled the curtain away from the Switch 2, confirming the release date, launch line-up, hardware specs and revealing a whole bunch of exciting games. They also announced the price: the base Switch 2 would be $449.99, there’s a Mario Kart World bundle at $499.99, and Mario Kart World itself retails at $79.99.

That’s a touch more expensive than most had predicted, and there were immediate calls to lower the cost by about $50. But, even as the cries that it was too expensive were reaching fever pitch, Donald Trump was about to toss a blue shell towards everyone’s carefully laid plans. The tariffs were worse than anyone imagined, with the ludicrous twist that Trump had even targeted innocent penguins.

But it seems nobody at Nintendo was laughing, and emergency meetings no doubt immediately commenced as their business plan went up in smoke. The domestic pre-order scheme was immediately postponed, and American gamers are nervously awaiting further news. So, what’s the damage going to be?

The post-tariff Switch 2 price 374w72

As Trump’s second term began, Nintendo appeared to have made a smart decision by moving Switch production facilities from China to Vietnam. Trump’s economic focus has long been on China, so theoretically, there was a chance that assembling the console in Vietnam would result in lower import costs to the United States.

Then came the bombshell that Trump was not only including Vietnam on his tariffs list, but that this was set at an eye-watering 46%, making it one of the hardest-hit countries in the world. As such, any profit that Nintendo had forecast they’d make on the domestic release of the console would effectively be wiped out. The company has since confirmed that the announced $450 price tag didn’t for any tariffs, making a price increase all but certain:

Nintendo says US tariffs weren't factored into the $450 price tag of the Switch 2

“The [tariff] news is fresh, and like many companies right now, we are actively assessing what the impact may be"

(via @washingtonpost) pic.twitter.com/Wtix2rrjfn

— Culture Crave (@CultureCrave) April 7, 2025

So, what price are we looking at, and how optimistic do you feel? If Nintendo is feeling generous, they’ll absorb some of the Trump tariffs themselves, which could mean a $499 or $549 base Switch.

More realistically, given that Nintendo is a fiercely profit-driven corporation, they’ll simply almost all of that tariff onto the consumer, meaning you’re looking at a $699 or even $749 Switch 2. Add a few games to that, and you’re probably looking at the best part of $1,000 for the console, Mario Kart World, and a second set of Joy-Con 2s.

Ordinarily, that price point would be suicidal for a game console launch (just ask the PlayStation 3), but we don’t live in ordinary times. Fortunately, there may be a slim olive branch of hope for gamers. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has vowed that in exchange for removing or lowering this tariff, his country will buy more American goods and is begging Trump for a delay to negotiate a new deal.

That ongoing negotiation is likely why Nintendo has, so far, not announced when domestic pre-orders will reopen. Even so, if you are planning to pre-order, expect there to be a price increase of some kind, with the best-case scenario a further $50 “Trump tax”.

After the big reveal earlier this week, hype levels hit maximum for the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s arriving with a dazzling new instalment in the Mario Kart franchise, is a technological leap above the original Switch, and already has a very promising future software line-up.

Now, just days after announcing that pre-orders were to go live on Apr. 9, Nintendo has abruptly canceled these plans for domestic consumers. The reason? Donald Trump’s tariffs throwing global finances into chaos. As per IGN, Nintendo said:

“Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”

As the Switch 2 is assembled overseas (likely in Nintendo’s Vietnamese factory) it’ll be subject to Trump’s tariffs when imported into the United States. Vietnam was hit particularly hard by Trump, slapping it with a massive 46% tariff on all goods.

Nintendo had already announced the base price of the Switch 2 at $449.99, with the Mario Kart World bundle at $499.99 and Mario Kart World at $79.99. This sudden announcement naturally raises the suspicion that Trump’s tariffs will force Nintendo to raise the price to make it profitable in the United States.

Now, this is mere speculation, but if Nintendo is going this route, they may have to take into this 46% tariff, meaning that because of Trump the Switch 2 may end up costing American gamers somewhere around $650-$750, with games coming in at around $110.

The console and games will have already been carefully costed by the company and they won’t be eager to take a massive hit to their bottom line simply because of what Trump decides. There’s already grumblings that the Switch 2 is expensive, but American gamers may soon realize with horror that to enjoy it along with the rest of the world on launch day they’re going to have to bleed their wallets dry.

If this is the case, the Switch 2 will only be the first shocking price increase caused by the Trump istration. Whether gamers – or consumers in general – will stand for much more of this remains to be seen. Either way, life is about to get more much expensive for Americans, and you have just one man to thank for that: President Donald J. Trump.

At long last, Nintendo fans finally have something to look forward to again. Yesterday saw the popular game company announce the much anticipated Switch 2 along with a roster of games that are bound to entice gamers from all walks of life. There’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to this new console, but here are some of the things that made us feel positively giddy.

10. The screen size 6g3p69

While some say it doesn’t look too different from the original, the Switch 2 will be a huge upgrade in of both physical size as well as storage capacity. The new screen boasts an additional 1.7 inches in screen size going from 6.2 inches, to 7.9 inches on the Switch 2. Oh and it s 1080p and 120fps meaning the games on the new console are going to look pretty sharp too.

9. Cyberpunk 2077 6x732c

Sure the game is over four years old now, but the release was kind of botched by all the bugs and whatnot, nowadays it’s a polished and beloved game. The game’s release on the Switch 2 offers the perfect excuse for old players to delve back into the world of Cyberpunk while new players can experience it for the first time.

8. Deltarune Chapters 1-4 6p2s5s

Everybody loves this indie RPG series from the creator of Undertale. Including this in the roster of titles available upon release shows that the new console will continue to have a variety of games from big-budget AAA to smaller indie titles — this is exactly why the original Switch was so popular.

7. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition 44d4i

Speaking of big-budget AAA games, one of the most critically acclaimed games of the last few years will also be available on the Switch 2. The Tarnished Edition includes the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion as well as new armor, weapons, and customization options.

6. The built-in GameChat feature 63324o

Previous Nintendo consoles have not been great for in-game ways of communicating. Don’t get me wrong, I loved PictoChat but to be able to speak to other players in online games would have been fun too. Well Nintendo are finally making that dream a reality with this brand new (to Nintendo) feature.

5. Split Fiction 4u5p19

There’s no doubt about it, Split Fiction became an instant classic upon its release earlier this year. So it makes sense to release it on the Switch 2 while it’s still fresh in people’s minds — the Switch has always been the kind of console you play with friends anyway so a co-op action adventure game is perfect for the console.

4. New James Bond game 2o123s

It’s been a while since we had a good James Bond game, but I’m still holding out hope that something will come along that brings bad the vibes GoldenEye brought to the Nintendo 64 back in the day. Could this new Bond game finally be the one to do it?

3. GameCube games 6n436l

It’s one of the most underrated Nintendo consoles but it had some of the best games. Wind Waker, Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin, these are just a few of the many great games that were released on the GameCube, and now they’ll be available to play once more on the new console.

2. Mario Kart World 1ti72

We’d almost lost hope that we’d ever see another Mario Kart game ever again, Mario Kart 8 released in 2014, that’s over ten years, almost as long as the wait between GTA V and GTA VI. But the wait is almost over as Mario Kart World will be a launch title on the Switch 2.

1. The release date 585p8

The most exciting news is the release date and that’s because we don’t have long to wait at all. Nintendo announced that the Switch 2 will launch on June 5th, a little over two months from today. The fact that we’re so close to a new Nintendo console release is by far the most exciting news I’ve heard all year!

Nintendo is about to pull the veil away from the biggest release in gaming in years. The Switch 2 is poised to follow the world-conquering success of the Switch, with today’s hour-long Nintendo Direct broadcast at 9 am EDT / 6 am PDT likely to confirm the price, release date, and (hopefully) give us a peek at the launch line-up.

The Switch 2 is guaranteed to sell out on launch, meaning anyone who wants one right away is going to have to pre-order, which may begin immediately after the broadcast ends. Analysts predict a base price of $449 (with some talk of a $499 package bundled with the new Mario Kart) and a June launch.

So, what happens when the pre-orders go live, and how can you beat the rush to find one? As you’d expect, all the major electronics retailers will open pre-orders in which you’ll reserve a console and then be charged when it’s dispatched. Large quantities of Switch 2s will be allocated to major online retailers like Amazon, and ordinarily, they’d be a safe bet.

However, in this instance, I sound a note of caution about ordering online. The 2020 launch of the PlayStation 5 saw many consoles stolen during transit, with unfortunate gamers tearing open their packages to find cans of cat food or rocks in place of their new console. The Switch 2 box will be smaller, the hype will be enormous, and the stock limited, so the chances of theft in transit will be much higher.

I’m not saying it’s objectively unsafe to order online, but it’s certainly risky. To avoid this, I’m choosing to pre-order from a physical retailer and collect in person on launch day. As disreputable and generally depressing a company as GameStop is these days, if you pre-order in person and collect on launch day, they will fulfill that order. A peek at social media reveals some fans will be even be waiting outside their local game stores this afternoon so they can snag a pre-order the minute they go live.

Another plan that’ll be familiar to veterans of high-profile console launches is to pre-order from more general retailers like Macy’s, Walmart, or Target, or to check out chain toy stores, which often have small video game sections inside. These retailers aren’t the obvious choice for gamers and receive less stock, but the fact that they fly under people’s radars as places to get a new console can mean you strike paydirt.

But make no mistake, there will be way more people who want Switch 2s than there will be Switch 2s to buy, so if you snag a confirmed pre-order, consider yourself lucky. Just to explore all options and, if at all possible, get the console handed to you in person rather than have it delivered.

Well, folks, the Nintendo Switch 2 is officially coming out this year, and lessons have not been learned here. Indeed, not only was “Super Nintendo Switch” staring the beloved video game console right in the face, but Nintendo has also doubled down on its tendency to operate in one of two extremes of console redesign.

This is to say that, when it comes to new consoles, Nintendo will either A) Redesign its console and controllers almost completely, or B) Slap on the equivalent of a 15-minute vanity station session and call it a day. The Nintendo Switch 2, as pointed out by the denizens of X, is an example of the latter.

No one is convinced that the inevitable price jump will be worth the extra aesthetic nuts and bolts that Sir Nintendo Switch the Second will bring into the fray.

But among the hottest jokes of this moment was one ’s comparison of the Nintendo Switch 2 to the 1999 redesign of the Japanese flag.

Now, that little tidbit of Japanese history seems a bit too ridiculous to be completely true, and that’s because it is. The 1999 redesign, you see, wasn’t actually a redesign so much as an act that ushered in the officiality of the Japanese flag. From 1870 up until 1999, the Japanese flag that we’re all familiar with only represented the country in an unofficial capacity.

The act, known quite robustly as the Act on National Flag and Anthem, specified the modern dimensions of the flag, changing its width and length from a 7:10 unit ratio to a 2:3 unit ratio, and properly centering the red circle. Today’s shades of white and red on the flag would not be specified until 2008, and the shades themselves vary depending on whether the flag is constructed out of acrylic fiber or nylon.

Still, the spirit of doing a lot while accomplishing very little is intact here, as is the case for the Nintendo Switch 2. The Verge reported back in 2023 that, according to internal Activision emails, Nintendo’s latest console would likely have processing power similar to a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, both of which launched over a decade ago.

In other words, a brand new console — complete with exclusive games and a wallet-neutering price — will hardly feel justified given what will probably be an insignificant-at-best hardware upgrade.

It might be time, then, for Nintendo to realize that it’s not going to compete in the mainstream gaming market with Steam, Microsoft, and Sony, and instead realize that its power as a gaming entity has always come from their softer innovation. No one ever flocked to Nintendo games for their graphical fidelity, but for their creative mechanics and the way they were expressed through timeless IPs like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Kirby.

Indeed, no one looking for a revolutionary BioShock experience or a crisp playthrough of Skyrim is going to be seeking out Nintendo’s services, but very few can claim to be on par with Nintendo’s sheer force of imagination, and Nintendo themselves ought to that that’s the game it has always been elite at.

The Nintendo Switch is on track to becoming the best-selling games console ever. The current King is Sony’s mighty PlayStation 2, which shifted 155 million units over its lifespan. The Switch is currently at roughly 140 million, so the hybrid console should take the crown sometime in early 2025.

All of which leaves its successor with some enormous shoes to fill. The Nintendo Switch 2 has not yet been officially unveiled but appears to be targeting a Q1 2025 launch, so will be revealed in a Nintendo Direct sometime later this year. Nintendo’s veil of secrecy means we don’t know much about it, save for rumors that a demo console was shown running a “souped up” Tears of the Kingdom behind closed doors at GamesCom 2023.

Given the Switch’s success, a simple and conservative it would be the logical next step for Nintendo. Keep the form factor but give us a nicer screen, better specs, controllers that don’t drift, and so on. We fully expect the Switch 2 to follow this philosophy, but Nintendo’s gonna Nintendo and we doubt they’ll be happy with mere iteration.

So, if they want to do something that no other console manufacturer is doing, they need to bring back one of the company’s most technically brilliant achievements.

Back to 2011 6z3k5y

Last week I took a long-distance bike ride. My Steam Deck tends to live at my side but on this trip I had to pack light. So I dug around in my desk drawer and fished out my trusty New Nintendo 3DS XL, complete with an unplayed copy of 2011’s Super Mario 3D Land. After a hard day of cycling it was time to unwind with some gaming and, minutes after loading up this wonderful platformer, my jaw was on the floor.

In the decade-plus since I’d last played my 3DS I’d forgotten just how incredible the glasses-free 3D stereoscopic feature looks on the system. It adds depth and vibrancy to the graphics and games like 3D Land that are designed for it leverage the feature to do things you couldn’t on a 2D display. On revisiting it I can put my hand on my heart that, to some degree, stereoscopic visuals like this are more immersive than anything I’ve seen from highfalutin’ ray-tracing on Sony and Microsoft’s systems.

So, if Nintendo wants to stand out from the crowd again, the Switch 2 needs a 3D-capable screen. Imagine putting together Tears of the Kingdom‘s devices in 3D, a next generation of Mario Kart in which you can feel the speed, or exploring the intricacies of an Animal Crossing: New Horizon house?

However, judging by the research I’ve done for this article, many gamers would rather saw off their thumbs than crank up that 3D slider. So here’s why those people are wrong.

Why 3D needs to come back 5y2854

Many naysayers’ opinion of 3D is based on the original 3DS model released in 2011, which required the console to be held at the right distance and angle to be viewed properly. But, by the time of the New Nintendo 3DS XL in 2014, the tech had been refined into “Super Stable 3D” which detected the angle the screen was being viewed from and adjusted the image to compensate. Even this isn’t perfect, though in general, it provided a stable and vivid 3D image.

But glasses-free stereoscopic 3D screens have come a long way since 2014. Acer’s “SpatialLabs” line of gaming hardware launched last year and features the modern iteration of the 3DS tech, now leveraging both eye and head tracking to produce an even more stable 3D image. A Switch 2 leveraging this mature 3D tech would produce stunning graphics that are impossible for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, all achieved on lower-spec hardware. This feature would also improve classic Switch titles via 3D patches, breathing new life into older games.

A reasonable counterargument is that the Switch 2 will likely be a hybrid console like its predecessor, meaning any 3D effect would be lost when outputting to a regular television or monitor. There’s no obvious way around this problem (unless Nintendo releases their own 3D glasses, which is vanishingly unlikely), but strict parity between TV and handheld mode hasn’t been a priority for Nintendo in the past so why should it be now? Plus, even on the 3DS, the stereoscopic mode was optional so as not to exclude players without good binocular vision.

In addition, for a surprising amount of players the Switch is solely a handheld device and rarely if ever docked (and the popular Lite model is handheld only). So, any system function that caters to handheld players only will see a lot of use.

It’s also worth ing that Nintendo has literal decades of R&D in stereoscopic gaming dating back to 1987’s Famicom 3D System, the Virtual Boy, and an unreleased GameCube attachment. The company is clearly ionate about the tech and, with the Steam Deck and its ilk nipping at the Switch’s heels, what better time to reintroduce a feature no other gaming company is pursuing?

So c’mon Nintendo. You love to surprise us, and with the 3DS itself now having its store and online features shuttered, this hugely impressive tech should live on in the Switch 2.