It seems that everyone and their Tom Nook bought a Nintendo Switch during lockdown - but now getting a new one will become that bit tricker owing to a global chip shortage.
The global chip shortage - driven in large part to more computers needed for people working from home, port shutdowns and other economic circumstances - has now hit the video game world.
Sony recently stated that the global chip shortage is a major contributing factor for the Playstation 5 not being more widely available, and now Nintendo has told would-be customers that the availability of their Switch console will now dip by 20%.
According to Nikkei, the company had originally planned to sell 25.5 million units for the fiscal year which runs until March 31st, but it will fall short of that, as it will only be able to produce 24 million units.
Nikkei states that Nintendo originally planned to produce 30 million Switch units this fiscal year, but the shortages of semiconductors and other electronic parts that emerged as a result of the current global situation have caused Nintendo to scale back its production targets.
A Nintendo spokesperson said that demand for the standard version is high, but it has also become apparent many customers are also wanting the new Switch OLED, with some Japanese outlets resorting to a lottery system to fulfil demand.
The Nintendo Switch has sold 89 million units since releasing in 2017 and is quickly catching up with Nintendo Wii, the company's all-time best-selling home console, which boasts lifetime sales of 101.6 million units.
