So, here’s the thing — IGN pops up with one of those shiny headlines, saying Nintendo’s shuffled the cards on when we can all start throwing our cash at the Switch 2. But hang on a second! Drop the confetti, because Nintendo hasn’t officially moved the goalposts just yet for us North America folks. If we peek back at their own FAQ page, which is still stretching its legs since it went live on April 2nd — yes, really, it’s like ancient history at this point — it mentions that first wave of pre-order invites coming May 8th. And that tidbit has been tucked away in there since day one. Like finding a forgotten dollar in an old jacket, but less exciting. A quick hop to the Wayback Machine shows the deets stamped there from the get-go.
Now, originally, the pre-orders were kind of kicked to the curb, all thanks to good old tariffs — those unwanted party guests who overstay. Trump-era tariffs did a number on shipments heading to the U.S., making Nintendo play the waiting game. Here’s a fun visual: imagine a cartoon character holding back a tidal wave with one finger — yep, that was Nintendo with distribution issues. But hey, some good news finally — most of those pesky tariffs got a bit of a haircut after a 90-day pause. Still, Nintendo’s keeping their cards close to their chest about when we can actually book a piece of the Switch 2 pie here in North America. It’s like waiting in line for concert tickets, only we don’t even know if the band’s still coming. So, we hang tight, snack on our popcorn, and keep refreshing pages like it’s some absurd Olympic sport.
