Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders live updates: latest restock news and retailers to check now

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Our hands-on with the Switch 2 (Image credit: Tom’s Guide) Time flies! It’s been almost a month since we went hands-on with the Switch 2. In our Switch 2 hands-on we described the Switch 2 as a big step up from the original Switch with a larger, high-refresh rate display, faster processor, better graphics, upgraded Joy-Con controllers, and eight times more internal storage. Yeah, we did ding it for a lack of OLED display and the higher price on both the console and the games. Ultimately, however, it’s a console we truly can’t wait to own.
Pre-ordering from Nintendo (Image credit: Nintendo) The first round of Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order invites will go out on May 8th. These invites are for folks who registered their interest with Nintendo. Nintendo had set some strict requirements for its invites, like having a Nintendo account that’s at least 12 months old to even get the invitation. You can still register via Nintendo, but there’s no telling how many invites will go out on May 8th nor when the next wave of invites might happen. That said, Nintendo states there will be more batches of invites going out periodically until purchase is open to everyone. Remember though, not too long ago Nintendo mentioned that due to high demand it can’t guarantee your Switch 2 will arrive by June 5. REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Nintendo Switch 2: $449 at nintendo.com Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order invites begin May 8th via invitation only. Pre-orders will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours on the current Switch. Additional batches of invitation emails will be sent periodically until purchasing on My Nintendo Store is opened to everyone.
What is going on at Amazon US? (Image credit: Shutterstock) Perhaps the biggest oddity of the Switch 2 pre-order period to date has been the curious case of Amazon U.S. While Amazon U.K. has taken pre-orders, first via an invitation system, and then just dropping stock of the Mario Kart Bundle out of the blue (twice!), Amazon U.S. doesn’t even have a listing page for the Nintendo Switch 2, or any accessories. This could be an indication that Amazon U.S. is simply not planning to stock the Nintendo Switch 2, period. But that would certainly be very strange. It’s the biggest online retailer in the world after all. Surely, it’ll be involved at some point. For now, I’m watching Amazon U.S. closely, for any updates, and will report once we know more. Perhaps, Amazon is just holding back all its stock for launch day?
Xbox confirms price hikes, could Switch 2 be next? (Image credit: Shutterstock) Bad news from the world of Xbox, as Microsoft has confirmed that basically all things Xbox are getting a price increase. Including the Xbox Series X console. You can read the full list in the above-linked article, but the top line news is that the Series X console is increasing from $499 to $599, while the supposed budget-friendly Xbox Series S will now cost $379 (was $299). First-party Xbox games will also increase from $69 at launch to $79, which certainly seems inspired by Nintendo’s decision to charge $79 for Mario Kart World. There had been fears that Nintendo Switch 2 would increase from its base price of $449 last month, but Nintendo confirmed it would remain at the confirmed launch price for now. While I don’t think it will get a hike before launch, once the console is in the wild, that could change very soon. The days of consoles getting deep price cuts after launch, for now, appear to be over.
Nintendo closes game-sharing loophole (Image credit: Nintendo) Looking beyond Switch 2 pre-orders (for just a moment, I swear), this week brings back news for anybody who likes to share their digital library with their loved ones. The new Virtual Game Card system launched in a recent Nintendo Switch system update has removed the previous available feature that allowed users to play the same game across two consoles on the same account. With Virtual Game Cards, you can still share games across multiple systems, but you can’t play the game online across two consoles anymore. It’s a real shame to see this feature removed. However, I’m not sure Nintendo intended for users to be able to do so in the first place, so it was perhaps only a matter of time. The Virtual Game Card system has been implemented ahead of Switch 2 and will be in use on Nintendo’s upcoming console. So the same restrictions will apply.