You will have to excuse the delay in this post, but I do want to share a quick story of how the Nintendo gods smiled upon me and rewarded me for my years of service in the 16-bit wars of yesteryear and for my loyalty as a day one owner of each of Nintendo’s last two consoles. The Switch 2 was released earlier this week, and I was not sure I was going to have one in my hands just yet. But I was wrong.
I was fortunate to be given a Nintendo Switch through a work-related perk when Nintendo first introduced the system as its successor to the Nintendo Wii era, and I have been a strong believer that the Switch was a terrific system. Although my time invested in video games may have declined over the years, I still never left home for a vacation or trip without the Switch being among the items I was packing up. Plane rides led to many hours with my Switch, and I still have some work to do to complete some of the games on the system, including Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. And I’d still love to go back and explore more of Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. So did I need to have a Switch 2 with so much still to enjoy on the original Switch?
No, probably not. Especially at the price point.
But did I want to get a Switch 2? Naturally.
What else would you expect from someone who believes he was the first one in his school to own a Super Nintendo after saving up a couple of years’ worth of allowance, birthday money and Christmas money specifically to have $200 in a tin can ready to plop on my first major investment in fourth grade? Or someone who actually preordered a WiiU and stands by that decision to this day?
I’m a Nintendo fan through thick and thin, and that may never change. And the Switch 2 was something I have been looking forward to because I know it will be the best way to enjoy future titles in some of my favorite franchises, and it will spruce up some of the games I still have to get through.
And there was no way I was going to miss out on more Mario Kart action with Mario Kart World!
But the timing of the Switch 2 release was not exactly the best for me, as we dealt with some real-life changes out of nowhere. So preordering a Switch 2 was off the table. But by the time the release date came around, things were in some better spots overall, so I decided to try my luck without a preorder in hand.
The Walmart by us opens an hour before I start my work day, so I decided to try my luck by walking up before the store opened. I had no idea what I was getting into, how many people would be there already waiting, or how many consoles the store might have available. I figured supplies would be limited, so I was not the most optimistic about my chances on release day. Especially if I wasn’t showing up at the store until about 15 minutes before it opened.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a small group of people standing outside the doors at Walmart, so I assumed there were others looking to pick up a Switch 2. As I walked up to the store from my parking spot, I counted four people in line. Not bad compared to the mass hysteria at stores like Best Buy and GameStop, with lines around the stores in some cases. Suddenly, my hopes began to flutter.
As I walked up, the four people waiting there already looked at me. I asked them, “Switch 2?” They laughed and welcomed me to their waiting party. Two moms, one with her adult son, and another guy who was clearly a gamer. They informed me that an associate of the store had already greeted them and let them know the store had eight consoles to sell, so they would all be good. With me being the fifth person in line, a Grinch-like smile was plastered across my face. I really was going to get away with getting a Switch 2 without a preorder, without having to wait for hours overnight in front of Walmart.
The doors to the store opened promptly at 6:00 am. The five of us walked to the electronics section and lined up in the order we arrived, and we each made our purchase. I was out of the store in five minutes with a Switch 2 with the Mario Kart World bundle.
I was not able to get everything set up until after work, but I am already enjoying my first few days as a proud Switch 2 owner since Day 1.