Last Thursday (June 5) saw the official launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and while many first-wave pre-orders have already landed in players' hands, a massive number are still waiting for their consoles. Others who missed out on lotteries are left watching everyone else play, and naturally, scalpers have been having a field day, with some desperate gamers even paying inflated prices.
But over on X (formerly Twitter) in Japan, one lucky individual managed to snag a console in the most unexpected way – and the photos show it sitting right on a store shelf, no frantic scramble required! This immediately sparked a frenzy among netizens: "Where on earth is this?!"
The gamer who posted the pic is none other than "SUZUNE," a well-known esports pro from the Super Smash Bros. scene. The photo shows an almost dreamlike sight: a whole row of Switch 2 consoles neatly displayed on a shelf. His revelation? This was at an appliance store in France! The shelves even had "nouveauté" (new product) signs and prices listed in Euros.
Turns out, SUZUNE was in France for a short stay, competing in a Smash Bros. tournament. He'd been striking out in Japan's console lotteries and was about to give up. But seeing the Switch 2 readily available locally? He made an instant decision: "I'm buying it!" Even though it was a slightly pricier "multi-language version," costing about 20,000 JPY more than the Japanese edition, he didn't care one bit. "Getting to play my favorite games sooner is what matters most!" he declared, chalking up the extra 20,000 JPY as a "pay-to-play-early tax."
Hilariously, when locals heard he'd flown all the way from Japan just to buy one, they were baffled: "Isn't it way cheaper in Japan? Why buy such an expensive one here?!" His reply? "Because I can't get one in Japan, QAQ!" That finally helped them understand... somewhat. (lol)
He also mentioned, "I just walked into a nearby appliance store and couldn't believe how easy it was to buy one..." For Japanese gamers, that sounds like an absolute dream come true! According to SUZUNE's observations, while he wouldn't call the stock "super abundant," the Switch 2 seemed "relatively easy to buy" in France overall. Unlike Japan's lottery madness and sky-high demand, local players mostly "bought it if they wanted it," without the nationwide frenzy.
So, if you're one of those "can't win a lottery but dying to play" gamers... maybe take a page out of SUZUNE's book and try your luck abroad? You might just stumble upon a Switch 2 at an appliance store overseas! (Though, you'll have to factor in the plane ticket cost... everyone's mileage may vary, lol.)