Abstract:
The Switch 2, the 40th anniversary edition of "The Legend of Zelda" recently announced by Nintendo, sold out quickly after opening pre-orders. Almost at the same time that the retailer's inventory disappeared, a large number of scalpers began to resell this console that had not yet been officially shipped at a higher price on second-hand trading platforms. The commemorative edition Switch 2, which was originally officially priced at US$519.99, has now seen resale offers of up to about US$1,700, and some bundled products are even priced at more than US$2,000.
This console is the first special edition hardware since the launch of Switch 2. It was officially announced at the 40th anniversary special program of "The Legend of Zelda" held on September 8. Nintendo designed it with a combination of black and gold appearance, with a striking Triforce pattern on the front of the base, and a forest green color scheme for the Joy-Con, with gold decoration and elements from the "Legend of Zelda" series added.
The official price of the commemorative edition Switch 2 is US$519.99, which is only US$20 more than the standard edition Switch 2, which previously sold for US$499.99. From a pricing perspective, Nintendo has not set a particularly high premium for this commemorative edition console, but this has further increased its collection value. Due to the huge player and collector base of the Zelda series, demand quickly exceeded retailer inventory once pre-orders opened.
The current official release date of this console is October 29, which means that there is still more than a month from the start of pre-orders to actual shipment. However, scalpers have begun selling so-called "pre-order qualifications," or consoles that have not yet been obtained, and are trying to exploit consumers' concerns about shortages to make huge profits.
At present, some quotes on second-hand platforms have reached US$800 to US$850, which is equivalent to about 50% to 60% higher than the official price. More exaggerated products push the price directly to US$1,700 or even US$2,000.
Some sellers packaged the commemorative edition of Switch 2, matching Pro controller, storage bag, and physical version of "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" for a price of more than $2,000. Another seller listed a similar set for $1,700. Calculated according to the retail price, all these products cost only about US$720 to purchase, which means that the prices quoted by some scalpers have exceeded twice the normal retail price.
What’s even more outrageous is that the product pages of some second-hand platforms even show that buyers can receive the goods in mid-September, but Nintendo made it clear that this commemorative edition Switch 2 will not be officially launched until October 29. So these so-called early delivery dates clearly do not correspond to the actual availability of the product.
The 40th Anniversary Edition of "The Legend of Zelda" Switch 2 itself is not a performance console equipped with special hardware. Its core hardware is basically the same as the ordinary Switch 2, with the main differences focusing on the appearance design and supporting packaging. It does not come with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remastered game, which needs to be purchased separately.
In addition to the console, Nintendo also launched the Switch 2 Pro controller with the same theme, priced at US$99.99; the version with a display stand is priced at US$109.99. There is also a "Legend of Zelda" themed storage bag priced at $39.99, which comes with a green microfiber cleaning cloth and screen protector.
The remastered version of "Ocarina of Time" will be launched on November 5th, about a week later than the Commemorative Edition Switch 2. Therefore, many players originally planned to use the console directly with games after it was launched, which further increased the attention of the commemorative edition console in the pre-order stage.
However, Nintendo’s commemorative console this time is actually not a “limited production” product in the strict sense. Nintendo has confirmed that it will continue to replenish inventory and plans to sell it through physical stores and online channels on the release date. Therefore, the current sold-out status does not mean that this console will be permanently out of print.
Nintendo stores in the UK and Ireland have begun to remind consumers to wait for subsequent replenishment. Although the United States has not yet announced the same detailed replenishment schedule, this does not mean that consumers in the US market can only purchase through scalpers. Nintendo physical stores in New York and San Francisco also plan to offer this commemorative edition of Switch 2 on October 29, the day it is released.
This means that current resale prices of hundreds or even thousands of dollars are largely taking advantage of the short-term scarcity of "can't buy it now" rather than reflecting the console's true long-term collectible value.
Similar situations have occurred before with other Nintendo special edition hardware. For example, the "Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" themed Switch OLED, which will be launched in 2023, was also sought after by scalpers in the early days of its launch. Some sellers tried to sell the console, which originally cost about US$360, to around US$600. However, as Nintendo continues to replenish its stock, this console ultimately did not form a real long-term scarcity, and can now even be purchased through some second-hand channels at a price lower than the official selling price.
Therefore, industry insiders believe that this 40th anniversary version of Switch 2 is likely to go through a similar process. In the early days, due to limited pre-order stock, the price may be quickly pushed up by scalpers, but as Nintendo increases supply, the market price is likely to eventually fall back to around the official selling price.
This incident also once again exposed the problems existing in the pre-order model of popular game hardware. Scalpers do not need to actually own the product to sell "future goods" on second-hand platforms by obtaining orders or pre-order qualifications in advance. If the platform's pre-sale rules and delivery time management are not strict enough, consumers may bear higher transaction risks.
What is particularly noteworthy is that some scalper products do not even clearly indicate that they are pre-order products, but directly give an estimated delivery date of mid-September. Since the console will not actually be officially launched until October 29, this approach is not only easy to mislead consumers, but may also lead to refunds and disputes.
From a consumer perspective, there is currently no need to pay double or even triple the price to buy this console. Nintendo has made it clear that it will continue to provide inventory, and this 40th anniversary Switch 2 is not a one-time out-of-print limited collection. For players who really want to buy, waiting for official restock is obviously more reasonable than paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to scalpers now.
If we look at the sales patterns of Nintendo's previous special edition consoles, the current high price of this commemorative edition Switch 2 is more likely to be a short-term phenomenon caused by the imbalance of supply and demand in the early stages of launch, rather than its final market value. After the official launch on October 29 and a large number of consoles entering the hands of consumers, the inventory advantage in the hands of scalpers will also disappear.
Therefore, this crazy hype that has already occurred before official shipment is more likely to be the result of a combination of Nintendo’s popular IP, insufficient initial inventory, and second-hand market speculation. For "The Legend of Zelda" fans, this 40th anniversary edition with black and gold color scheme and Triforce theme is indeed attractive for collection, but the current offer of US$1,700 or even US$2,000 is obviously far away from its official selling price of US$519.99.
Comments