Finding a Nintendo Switch could get harder this year as scarce supply looms

The president of Nintendo has warned of possible Nintendo Switch shortages this year as the components needed for the hybrid console continue to be in short supply.

As reported by VGC, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa explained during an interview with Nikkei that the company has been able to “secure the necessary materials for the immediate production of semiconductors for switches.” 

However, Furukawa said that because of the console’s high demand in Japan and other countries, “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,” Furukawa added.

The demand for the Nintendo Switch significantly rose last year mainly because of the lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Aside from high demand, shortages of crucial electronic components such as semiconductors and graphics chips also caused production challenges to console manufacturers. 

Prior to Furukawa’s warning, Bloomberg earlier reported that Nintendo is working on an updated Nintendo Switch console that will feature a seven-inch 720p OLED screen and a new Nvidia chip that will allow it to display games in 4K resolution when connected to a TV. 

There's still no word yet on the console's release date. However, the report previously mentioned that the new Nintendo Switch may arrive just in time for the holidays this year.