Editing Nintendo

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Nintendo
| Type = Public
| Founded = 1889
| Industry = Electronics, Entertainment Software
| Official Website = https://nintendo.com/
| Logo = Nintendo.png
}}

Founded in 1889, '''[[Wikipedia:Nintendo|Nintendo Co., Ltd.]]''' is a multi-billion-dollar company established in Kyoto, Japan, and has multiple subdivisions outside of Japan. They are well-known for their massive franchises, such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid, as well as their consoles such as the Switch, Game Boy, and Wii.

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User Freedom: Extensive history against hardware and software modification; recently has pushed to brick consoles if homebrew is detected.
*User Privacy: Historically has ignored individual consumers; recently may be spying on Nintendo Switch hardware to detect modifications.
*Business Model: Hardware sales, software sales, more recently subscriptions such as [[Nintendo Switch Online]].
*Market Competition: Limited home console competition from [[Sony]] and [[Xbox]]; questionable portable console competition.

==Controversial Practices==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:Nintendo|Nintendo category]].

===History against emulation===
United States Copyright Law, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 117 effectively states that making a copy of a computer program that you still own the original copy of (e.g., a video game, like Super Smash Bros. Melee) is legal if copying it is necessary in order to use the program with a machine (e.g., the Dolphin emulator) and that it isn't used in any other way, or to archive the program<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010 |title=Chapter 1: Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright, Section 117 |url=https://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=U.S. Copyright Office}}</ref>. Emulation is also legal in this context, as proven by ''Sony v. Connectix''<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 May 2025 |title=Sony Computer Entertainment v. Connectix Corp. |url=https://casetext.com/case/sony-computer-entertainment-v-connectix-corp-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250331104619/https://casetext.com/case/sony-computer-entertainment-v-connectix-corp-2 |archive-date=31 Mar 2025 |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=CaseText}}</ref> and ''Sony v. Bleem''<ref>{{Cite web |date=02 Apr 2023 |title=Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. v. Bleem, LLC |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sony_Computer_Entertainment_America,_Inc._v._Bleem,_LLC |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=Wikisource}}</ref>. Despite precedent, however, Nintendo is well-known for their extensive history of combating emulation of their games and hardware.

==== Examples: ====

* In 1999, Nintendo sued Nintendo 64 emulator UltraHLE. <ref>{{Cite web |last=@Hemos |date=12 Feb 1999 |title=Nintendo Confirms It Will Sue UltraHLE Creators 96 |url=https://games.slashdot.org/story/99/02/12/0943207/nintendo-confirms-it-will-sue-ultrahle-creators |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=games.slashdot.org}} </ref> 
* On November 19th, 2020, The Big House, a Super Smash Brothers Melee and Ultimate tournament, announced that Nintendo was forcing them to cancel their online tournament because of their use of a Super Smash Bros. Melee modification that required the use of a GameCube and Wii emulator known as Dolphin<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=20 Nov 2020 |title=Nintendo shuts down Super Smash Bros. tournament for using mods to play online |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/20/21579392/nintendo-big-house-super-smash-bros-melee-tournament-slippi-cease-desist |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 Nov 2020 |title=The Big House on X (Twitter) |url= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127080201/https://twitter.com/TheBigHouseSSB/status/1329521081577857036 |archive-date=27 Nov 2020 |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=X (Twitter)}}</ref>.
* In 2024, Nintendo took down the [[Nintendo Switch]] emulator Yuzu.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Joseph |date=11 Apr 2024 |title=Ninten-don’t: Breaking Down the Yuzu Emulator Lawsuit |url=https://www.romanolaw.com/ninten-dont-breaking-down-the-yuzu-emulator-lawsuit/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=www.romanolaw.com}} </ref> 
* Nintendo has also pressured for restrictions to access emulators, such as Dolphin's non-inclusion as a core for the [[Steam]] version of RetroArch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 Jul 2023 |title=What Happened to Dolphin on Steam? |url=https://it.dolphin-emu.org/blog/2023/07/20/what-happened-to-dolphin-on-steam/?cr=it |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=it.dolphin-emu.org}}</ref>

===History against hardware modification===
<blockquote>Further Reading: [[Game Genie lawsuit]]</blockquote>Nintendo in the past has sued the creation of hardware modifications, such as the Game Genie<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Eric E. |date=31 Dec 2007 |title=Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc. in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 964 F. 2d 965 (9th Cir. 1992) |url=https://www.museumofintellectualproperty.org/features/game_genie.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=www.museumofintellectualproperty.org}}</ref> and 10NES circumvention<ref>{{Cite web |date=1992 |title=Atari Games Corp. v. Nintendo of Am. Inc |url=https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/summaries/atari-nintendo-fedcir1992.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=www.copyright.gov}}</ref> which allowed users to enter cheat codes into their games and bypass the security lockout chip to prevent [[piracy]].<!-- Piracy deserves a theme article considering enforcement against it tends to almost always be anticonsumer in some format. -->

On November 18th, 2020, Nintendo of America sued Le Hoang Minh for selling RCM Loaders (plug in USB devices allowing unsigned/homebrew software to run on a Nintendo Switch), accusing him of selling piracy devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=Nintendo sues more hack sellers, ‘a worsening international problem’ |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/11/18/21574488/nintendo-rcm-loader-jailbreak-lawsuit-switch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126071118/https://www.polygon.com/2020/11/18/21574488/nintendo-rcm-loader-jailbreak-lawsuit-switch |archive-date=26 Nov 2020 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=Polygon}}</ref>

On April 16th, 2021, Nintendo of America sued Gary Bowser, head of video game modchip development and sales group Team Xecuter for over $150,000, accusing him of selling piracy devices.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=17 Apr 2021 |title=Nintendo suing Bowser over Switch hacks |url=https://www.polygon.com/22388720/nintendo-bowser-lawsuit-team-xecuter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417151420/https://www.polygon.com/22388720/nintendo-bowser-lawsuit-team-xecuter |archive-date=17 Apr 2021 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=Polygon}}</ref>

On June 28th, 2024, Nintendo sued modded game seller ModdedHardware for selling [[Nintendo Switch]] flashcarts, modded [[Nintendo Switch]] consoles, and a mail-in console modding service with the argument being raised that a modded system is capable of running pirated software alongside allegations of ModdedHardware pre-installing pirated games, despite citing no evidence in the legal document.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=1 Jul 2024 |title=Nintendo Sues ‘Modded Hardware’ and r/SwitchPirates Moderator ‘Archbox’ |url=https://torrentfreak.com/nintendo-sues-modded-hardware-and-r-switchpirates-moderator-archbox-240701/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710091021/https://torrentfreak.com/nintendo-sues-modded-hardware-and-r-switchpirates-moderator-archbox-240701/ |archive-date=10 Jul 2024 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=TorrentFreak}}</ref><!-- Definitely want further elaboration here (Keith: yes and no - this, or maybe a little more, is an appropriate level of detail for the summaries of controversies that live on a company page. The Incident pages which should be created for each of these should have substantially more information)  --><!-- Dunno if it is ideal to mention here, but they hold some irony having emulators in their community building in Japan that run in Windows. There is no confirmation that these systems are running internally-developed emulators or not.  - JamesTDG

- (note from Keith: probably best not to - seems quite muddy to bring up...

- To quote Mikaeli, Fair Enough. - JamesTDG -->

In May 2025, Nintendo updated their privacy policy<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Nintendo |title=Nintendo Privacy Policy |url=https://accounts.nintendo.com/term/privacy_policy/US?lang=en-US |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Nintendo Accounts}}</ref> to reserve the company the right to brick consoles owned by consumers if it detects modified hardware or software attempting to run on the system.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |date=May 9, 2025 |title=Nintendo reserves the right to brick your console following "unauthorised use", in bid to prevent piracy |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-reserves-the-right-to-brick-your-console-following-unauthorised-use-in-bid-to-prevent-piracy |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Eurogamer}}</ref>

===De-listing/destruction of access to games===
<blockquote>Further Reading: 

*[[Storefront shutdown#Wii U/3DS eShops (2012–2023)]]
*[[Storefront shutdown#Wii Shop Channel (2006–2019)]]</blockquote>In late January of 2019, Nintendo shut down their first digital storefront, the Wii Shop Channel,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Wii Shop Channel Discontinuation |url=https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27560/~/wii-shop-channel-discontinuation |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=Nintendo Customer Support}}</ref> and subsequently on March 27, 2023 shut down the [[Wii U]] and [[3DS]] eShops.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Apr 2023 |title=Notice of End of Purchases in Nintendo eShop for Wii U and Nintendo 3DUpdate April 2023 |url=https://www.nintendo.com/au/support/articles/wii-u-and-nintendo-3ds-eshop-discontinuation/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=Nintendo Support}}</ref> These shutdowns have caused hundreds of games to become impossible to obtain new copies of and for some, additionally play which include Splatoon 1, Super Mario Maker, Pokémon Picross, and more.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 Mar 2023 |title=These are the 1,000 digital-only 3DS and Wii U games disappearing next week |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/analysis-digital-only-wii-u-3ds-games/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=www.videogameschronicle.com}}</ref> As of now, over 1,000 digitally exclusive games can only be obtained through piracy, and a subset requires additional modification to run.

In early 2025, [[Nintendo Switch Online]] had a game delisted for the first time, Super Soccer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@GVG |date=28 Feb 2025 |title=First Game Removed from Nintendo Switch Online |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSz-wKls0Wk |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glagowski |first=Peter |date=28 Feb 2025 |title=Nintendo of Japan announces title will be removed from NSO library, first time since launch |url=https://nintendowire.com/news/2025/02/28/nintendo-of-japan-announces-title-will-be-removed-from-nso-library-first-time-since-launch/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=Nintendo Wire}}</ref> With earlier events of delisting where the products a consumer owns for their consoles, such as a physical game on disc or a previously downloaded digital title, consumers still had the ability to play these games, and in some instances, even reinstall them. However, with [[Nintendo Switch Online|NSO]]'s primary existence as a sort of [[streaming service]] meant for games, when a title is delisted, consumers lose complete and total access to the game unless the company who wished for the title to be delisted were to re-list the game on the service. The event in of itself has caused rightful concern among consumers since this may set a dangerous precedent for access to retro gaming in the future.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flores Jr. |first=Johnny |date=1 Mar 2025 |title=Nintendo Is Delisting A Game From The Switch Online Library For The First Time |url=https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-delisting-snes-game-from-switch-online-library/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=The Gamer}}</ref> 

===Nintendo authorized repair===
<blockquote>Further Reading: [[Nintendo authorized repair]]</blockquote>A man sent in their Nintendo Switch to Nintendo for repair of a broken charging port and was given an estimate of £132 (161.51 USD) to replace the entire motherboard, which would result in data loss and noted screen damage. This was despite the only damage to the console being to the charging port and a screen protector, and not the screen itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=31 Jul 2021 |title=Why Nintendo authorized repair sucks: the incentives are at odds with a good repair experience |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxKJn35DK8k |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><!-- This needs more evidence to demonstrate that it's not an isolated incident and represents systematic policy. probably best to creat the incident article for it, then summarise it here --> <!-- Will write more later. This should be a good starting point, I believe.


Looking great so far! - James -->
===Joy-Con and Joystick related Hardware Failures===

[[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Cons]] are the included controllers (retailing for $80) for the Nintendo Switch, and they are prone to failure via "stick drift" within a few months of purchase. According to the 2022 study by the British consumer protection group '''Which?''<nowiki/>', 40% of [[Nintendo Switch]] owners experienced [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Con]] drift. This defect is also found in other official Nintendo controllers, like the Pro Controller (Pro-Cons), and the Switch Lite, a version of the Nintendo Switch that has its Joy-Cons built into the handheld system. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa apologized for the "inconvenience" and subsequently launched Nintendo's "free repair program."

The way the "free repair program" works is that the user will send the defective [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Cons]] to Nintendo for "repair," which, in most cases, involves replacing the defective [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Cons]] with new ones. The problem arises in cases involving limited edition [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Cons]], where you have to sign off on consenting to the possibility of your limited edition or "non-standard colored" [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Cons]] being replaced with a standard color [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Con]] if they are sent to Nintendo for "repair." This leaves consumers with these limited edition [[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Cons]] without a guaranteed way to get their products repaired if they use Nintendo's official repair service.

===Nintendo V. Pocketpair===
Nintendo is suing Pocketpair, the developers of the extremely popular video game Palworld,<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Palworld_EN |date=19 Sep 2024 |title=Regarding the Lawsuit Yesterday, a lawsuit was filed against our company for patent infringement. We have received notice of this lawsuit and will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement. At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon, and we have not been notified of such details. Pocketpair is a small indie game company based in Tokyo. Our goal as a company has always been to create fun games. We will continue to pursue this goal because we know that our games bring joy to millions of gamers around the world. Palworld was a surprise success this year, both for gamers and for us. We were blown away by the amazing response to the game and have been working hard to make it even better for our fans. We will continue improving Palworld and strive to create a game that our fans can be proud of. It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit. However, we will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas. We apologize to our fans and supporters for any worry or discomfort that this news has caused. As always, thank you for your continued support of Palworld and Pocketpair. https://pocketpair.jp/news/news16 |url=https://x.com/Palworld_EN/status/1836692701355688146 |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=[[X]]}}</ref> for patent infringement, despite filing the patent after Palworld was already released to the public.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 May 2024 |title=US Patent Application for STORAGE MEDIUM STORING GAME PROGRAM, GAME SYSTEM, GAME APPARATUS, AND GAME PROCESSING METHOD Patent Application (Application #20240278129) |url=https://patents.justia.com/patent/20240278129 |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=patents.justia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@PirateSoftware |date=17 Oct 2024 |title=Palworld Lawsuit |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4ZZx4wiofw |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Feb 2025 |title=Nintendo Anti-Palworld Patent and Seeks More |url=https://gamerant.com/nintendo-anti-palworld-patents-uspto-infringement-lawsuit-implications/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=GameRant}}</ref> Should Nintendo win this case, users who purchased licenses for Palworld may be revoked.

===Nintendo Creators Program===
{{Main|Nintendo Creators Program}}
In 2013, Nintendo placed advertisements on let's play videos where their games were played, taking 100% of all revenue made by said adverts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=15 May 2013 |title=Nintendo Forcing Ads On Some YouTube "Let's Play" Videos |url=https://kotaku.com/nintendo-forcing-ads-on-some-youtube-lets-play-video-507092383 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607222601/https://kotaku.com/nintendo-forcing-ads-on-some-youtube-lets-play-video-507092383 |archive-date=7 Jun 2013 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=Kotaku}}</ref> In 2015, Nintendo started a YouTube partnership program, which required the removal of all non-Nintendo related videos on the channel, creators being given 60% of revenue per video or 70% of the channel's gross revenue. The program only allowed games on a internal Nintendo-made whitelist which infamously lacked multiple large/popular releases of the time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=29 Jan 2015 |title=Nintendo to share up to 70 percent of ad revenue with game YouTubers |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/01/nintendo-to-share-up-to-70-percent-of-ad-revenue-with-game-youtubers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208085014/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/01/nintendo-to-share-up-to-70-percent-of-ad-revenue-with-game-youtubers/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2015 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref> In 2017, Nintendo announced that live streaming wasn't allowed for creators in their Creator Program.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=2 Oct 2017 |title=Nintendo no longer welcoming YouTube livestreams of its games |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/nintendo-cuts-off-ad-program-for-youtube-livestreamers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004040443/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/nintendo-cuts-off-ad-program-for-youtube-livestreamers/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2017 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref> It ended in 2018<ref>{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=29 Nov 2018 |title=Nintendo ends controversial YouTube revenue-sharing program |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/nintendo-loosens-content-restrictions-ends-revenue-splitting-for-video-makers/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130073206/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/nintendo-loosens-content-restrictions-ends-revenue-splitting-for-video-makers/ |archive-date=30 Nov 2018 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref>, with Nintendo stating they “encourage you to create videos that include your creative input and commentary” and that “Videos and images that contain mere copies of Nintendo Game Content without creative input or commentary are not permitted.”<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2 Sep 2024 |title=Nintendo Game Content Guidelines for Online Video & Image Sharing Platforms |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/networkservice_guideline/en/index.html?n |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250322224418/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/networkservice_guideline/en/index.html?n |archive-date=22 Mar 2025 |access-date=22 Mar 2025 |website=Nintendo}}</ref>

===Controversial agreements and policies===
{{Main|Nintendo's May 2025 Policy Updates}}
On May 8, 2025, Nintendo changed their privacy policy<ref name="PrivacyPolicyMain">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Privacy Policy |url=https://accounts.nintendo.com/term/privacy_policy/US?lang=en-US |access-date=May 15, 2025 |website=Nintendo Accounts}}</ref><ref name="PrivacyPolicySummaryChanges">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Privacy Policy - What's Changed? |url=https://www.nintendo.com/us/privacy-policy/whats-changed/ |access-date=May 15, 2025 |website=Nintendo}}</ref> and [[Nintendo]] Account User Agreement,<ref name="EULAMain2">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Account User Agreement |url=https://accounts.nintendo.com/term/eula/US?lang=en-US |access-date=May 15, 2025 |website=Nintendo Accounts}}</ref> with features inside both which have the potential to negatively impact consumers. Highlights such as Section 6 (Adherence to content guidelines), Section 13 (reservation to render hardware/software inaccessible), and section 16 (forced arbitration) are key features that come to the risk of right to ownership of hardware and software that consumers may have paid for. 

Considerable backlash occurred especially over section 13, as both consumers<ref name="RunNGameYouTube">{{Cite web |last=Run N Game Entertainment |date=May 13, 2025 |title=Is Nintendo breaking the law? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOiD-lvaok |access-date=May 14, 2025 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref name="FashoKangYouTube">{{Cite web |last=Fasho |first=Kang |date=May 11, 2025 |title=The Switch 2 will RUIN Gaming [Full Controversy Explained] (Angry Rant) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P8Pv97mt8U |access-date=May 14, 2025 |website=YouTube}}</ref><ref name="NintenDeenYouTube">{{Cite web |last=NintenDeen |date=May 9, 2025 |title=Console Bans |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1H6cKTNxKM |access-date=May 14, 2025 |website=YouTube}}</ref> and outlets<ref name="EurogamerBricking2025">{{Cite web |last=Nightingale |first=Ed |date=May 9, 2025 |title=Nintendo reserves the right to brick your console following "unauthorised use", in bid to prevent piracy |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-reserves-the-right-to-brick-your-console-following-unauthorised-use-in-bid-to-prevent-piracy |access-date=May 9, 2025 |website=Eurogamer}}</ref><ref name="GameFileEffectiveDate">{{Cite news |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=May 8, 2025 |title=Nintendo warns it may brick Switch systems whose users “bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with” their games and services |url=https://www.gamefile.news/p/nintendo-emulation-hacking-brick-warning-terms-of-service |access-date=May 15, 2025 |work=Game File}}</ref> believe this means Nintendo reserved the right to effectively "brick" consoles such as the [[Nintendo Switch]] or its successor.<ref name=":1" /> This also may concern repair shops, as they may be required to instead purchase proprietary repair software from Nintendo to run diagnostics for the console, or otherwise risk bricking the console running personal/community-developed software.

===Deliberately locking Switch 2 consoles behind an online-only patch===
Users have reported Switch 2 consoles being in stock in some stores,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Ollie |date=May 26, 2025 |title=US Retailers Are Reportedly Starting To Receive Switch 2 Stock |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/05/us-retailers-are-reportedly-starting-to-receive-switch-2-stock |access-date=May 28, 2025 |work=Nintendo Life}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Alleexxi |date=May 27, 2025 |title=The Nintendo Switch 2 is already in end users' hands. {{!}} Switch Locked behind Day 1 Patch |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch2/comments/1kwv8go/the_nintendo_switch_2_is_already_in_end_users/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250527185423/https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch2/comments/1kwv8go/the_nintendo_switch_2_is_already_in_end_users/ |archive-date=May 27, 2025 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> however for these users who did get their hands on the console early among a multitude of reasons, these consoles are locked behind a patch that requires an internet connection to Nintendo servers to use the consoles.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Kent |first=Bobby |date=May 27, 2025 |title=Nintendo Switch 2 Gets Out Early, But It’s Locked Behind A Day 1 Patch |url=https://gameluster.com/nintendo-switch-2-gets-out-early-but-its-locked-behind-a-day-1-patch/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=Game Luster}}</ref> While this is a measure used to deter piracy ahead of the system's launch,<ref name=":3" /> this does mean that users will be required to connect to the internet to have any viable console functionality post-launch.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Drake |first=John |date=May 27, 2025 |title=Early Leak of Nintendo Switch 2 Get Locked Out By Day 1 Patch |url=https://gurugamer.com/pc-console/early-leak-of-nintendo-switch-2-get-locked-out-by-day-1-patch-24742 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |work=Guru Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hagues |first=Alana |date=May 27, 2025 |title=Switch 2 Units Are Allegedly Out In The Wild, But You Might Need An Update For Switch 1 Games |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/05/switch-2-units-are-allegedly-out-in-the-wild-but-you-might-need-an-update-for-switch-1-games |access-date=May 28, 2025 |work=Nintendo Life}}</ref>

Despite these measures, a sizeable portion of the Switch 1 library, and especially AAA titles, will not be available to play post-launch for an undetermined period of time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=FritangaPlays |date=May 28, 2025 |title=Over 100 Switch 2 Games That Will Not Work At Launch! OFFICIAL UPDATE |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=930oJHZd4Y0 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

==Products<!-- Please keep this section reserved for products which are expected to be relevant to the wiki, and at least try to organize products chronologically. -->==

===Console Hardware===

*[[Nintendo 3DS|3DS/2DS]]<!-- 2DS will be in the same article as 3DS as it is a mere hardware revision. Additionally consider 2DS XL as part of section, reference research from homebrew communities recording devices being so poorly manufactured that it quite literally can turn into dust. -->
*[[Nintendo Wii U|Wii U]]
*[[Nintendo Switch]]/Switch 2<!-- Switch 1 and 2 will be merged considering the marketing effectively treats the hardware similar enough, especially considering marketing
Additionally, as the Switch Lite is effectively just a weaker Switch, which will be treated effectively like how the 2DS is like with the 3DS -->

===Console peripherals/add-ons===

*[[Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons|Joy-Con]]
*[[Switch Pro Controller]]
*[[Switch Game Key-Card]]

===Software===

*[[Nintendo Switch Online]]

==References==
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