Nintendo wary of potential Switch shortages this holiday

Nintendo remains confident that Switch will continue to sell well, but it's main focus is ensuring enough units are in the channel in the run up to Christmas.

Speaking at a Variety event, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime found himself unable to promise that Switch supplies will meet demand in the months to come.

The platform holder has previously said it hopes to sell 10m units by the end of the current financial year.

"Certainly the demand is there, and our supply is there [to meet that 10m goal]," Fils-Aime told attendees. "Are we going to have enough for the holiday? That's what we are focused on."

Nintendo has been accused by some of artificially creating shortages to ramp up demand - an argument we dismantled earlier this year. It could be argued that Fils-Aime's comments are an effort to motivate potential buyers to purchase a Switch as soon as possible, but with a strong line-up ranging from Super Mario Odyssey to the surprise reveal of LA Noire for Switch, the platform holder already has plenty to promote and excite people.

Switch was launched quietly, almost cautiously (at least compared to previous console launches) back in March, and went on to sell 2.74 units if its first month alone - over a quarter of the way to it's first-year goal of 10m. It has since gone on to sell 1.5m units in its home territory of Japan in less than half the time it took PS4 to reach the same milestone.

During the event Fils-Aime also reiterated that mobile efforts like Super Mario Run have helped introduce the Nintendo brand in markets where the platform holder has yet to sell hardware, that virtual reality has yet to deliver experiences "that are truly fun" and that the potential for augmented reality as shown by Pokémon Go are something the company is watching with interest.