You need to buy Nintendo Switch now — here's why

You need to buy Nintendo Switch now — here's why

Production issues with the Nintendo-Switch may make the console difficult to obtain this holiday season. As such, you may want to pick one up the moment inventory is replenished. (Be sure to check out our guide on where to buy a Nintendo Switch for the latest inventory information.)

Not only are Switch units selling out the moment they hit retailers, but the manufacturing disruption caused by COVID-19 is making it difficult to make enough of Nintendo's hugely popular gaming console. Bloomberg now reports that these inventory shortages will continue through the end of the year.

The report notes that government clampdowns in Malaysia and the Philippines have left Nintendo struggling to procure the parts needed to manufacture the Switch. Forced to restrict manufacturing operations in both countries, Nintendo has found itself short of printed circuit boards to manufacture the Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, as well as the components to attach to those printed circuit boards.

In the very short term, Nintendo expects to have enough Switch inventory in place and enough console units to last through the summer months. After that, however, shortages will return.

"Inventory may recover in the summer, but shortages may return toward the end of the year as Nintendo is unable to produce enough units for the shopping season," Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Economic Research Institute, told Bloomberg.

In April, Nintendo promised to produce more Switch units to make up for demand. However, even with more inventory, Nintendo is still likely to fall short of demand.

So if you've been waiting to get your hands on a Nintendo Switch, now is your chance. That is, if inventories are replenished in the coming weeks; if you wait until the 2020 holiday season to get one for yourself or someone else, you may end up out of luck.

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