The supply of Nintendos may soon dry up, making them as hard to come by as the PS5 and Xbox Series X

. So if you are on the fence about purchasing one, you may not be able to make that decision in the next few months.

Last fiscal year, Nintendo shipped 28.83 million Switch units. This year's forecast is a bit more modest, at 25.5 million units. This 3 million unit drop is due to a surge in hardware sales thanks to last year's release of Animal Crossing: This 3 million unit drop is due to a surge in hardware sales thanks to last year's release of Animal Crossing. The shortage of semiconductors that stands in the way of the production of game consoles is not taken into account, and "uncertainty is increasing.

Furukawa told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (via VGG), "Due to the global shortage of semiconductor materials, we cannot produce all the products we want to produce. We are doing everything we can, but there is growing uncertainty about our production plans."

He added that the earnings forecast is "based on the assumption that (Nintendo) will be able to secure parts and materials," but if the situation changes, "we will likely respond by making revisions."

Last month, Furukawa warned that future chip supply issues could hit down the road. At that time, he confirmed that Nintendo had "secured the necessary materials for the immediate production of semiconductors for the Switch," but that demand for the console was "strong" in Japan and elsewhere.

If the Switch units continue to sell without a hitch, he advised, "there could be shortages at some retailers in the future." The overwhelming demand, combined with the global shortage of semiconductors, puts the company in the same predicament as Microsoft, Sony, and many other companies in the industry that have also been affected.

In fact, Sony is rumored to be considering a redesign of the PS5, finding a "second resource" for semiconductors, in order to avoid the current supply crisis. Until this issue is resolved, you may want to buy a Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite while you can.