Nintendo Switch 2 – Majority of Japanese Customers Are Opting for the Cheaper Region-Locked Version

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The launch of pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 has sparked some intriguing insights about the console and its user demographics. For instance, as reported by VGC, an informal poll conducted by Japanese X user yukino_san_14 suggests that a significant number of Japanese fans are unwilling to shell out the additional costs for the region-free version of the console. Instead, it appears that the majority of Nintendo Switch enthusiasts in Japan are satisfied with the region-locked, Japanese-only model.

Approximately 60,000 customers who participated in the pre-order lottery on the My Nintendo Store were surveyed. Around 69.7% of these respondents indicated their interest in the Mario Kart World bundle exclusively available for the Japanese-only Switch 2. About 27.5% showed interest only in the Japanese-only console itself, without the bundle. Lastly, a small fraction of 2.9% expressed interest in the region-free version of the Switch 2.

Over 91 out of every 100 people who intended to buy the region-free Switch 2 managed to secure their pre-orders. However, it’s important to note that this survey was informal and only involved a limited number of customers.

As a gamer hailing from Japan, I’ve been keeping an eye on the new Switch 2. The region-free model is quite appealing, offering multiple languages, but it comes with a heftier price tag of ¥69,990 compared to the ¥49,980 for the Japanese-only version. That’s an additional ¥20,000 for the freedom to play games without region restrictions.

Nintendo hasn’t officially commented on this yet, but it seems they might be trying to deter potential buyers from purchasing the console at a lower price in Japan and illegally exporting it elsewhere. It’s a tricky situation, but I guess it makes sense from their perspective to protect their market and sales.

The Switch 2 is generating a great deal of excitement in Japan, and this week, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, shared some interesting news on social media. He announced that over 2 million customers have registered for the lottery-style pre-order system in Japan alone. In his statement, Furukawa acknowledged that they might not be able to fulfill such a large demand before the console’s release on June 5 due to its high popularity.

On the 2nd of April, we unveiled the specifics of the Nintendo Switch 2 and initiated lottery sales registrations on our My Nintendo Store. This revelation sparked an overwhelming response, with a staggering 2.2 million applications from Japan alone.

Unfortunately, the demand for Nintendo Switch 2 exceeds our initial estimates, and we won’t be able to fulfill as many orders from the My Nintendo Store on June 5 as originally planned. As a result, we regret to inform you that there will likely be many disappointed customers when we announce the lottery results on April 24.

He indicated that Nintendo intends to increase production of their console in the future, aiming to fulfill the demand as it arises. In other words, they plan to manufacture and distribute a significant amount of Nintendo Switch 2 devices going forward. He also expressed his regrets for not meeting expectations immediately and requested patience.

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2025-04-25 19:11