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Nintendo
Tech

Chinese gamers are snubbing the local version of Nintendo Switch in favour of imported consoles

  • Online peddlers are hawking imported Switch consoles for almost twice the price of the domestic Chinese version
  • The Chinese Switch, launched by Nintendo and local gaming giant Tencent, supports only three games so far

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Chinese consumers are not taking to the domestic version of the Nintendo Switch because it has limited titles and updates are slow, an analyst says. Photo: Shutterstock
Josh Ye
Nintendo Switch is selling like hot cakes in many countries, with online price gougers demanding up to twice the retail price, but sales for a Chinese version launched just months ago have been underwhelming in comparison.
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On Chinese e-commerce sites Taobao and JD.com, the average asking price of a new Switch is upwards of 4,000 yuan (US$566), almost twice the console’s recommended retail price of US$299.99. In contrast, the Chinese version which hit the shelves in December last year can still be purchased from official sales channels at its regular retail price of 2,098 yuan (US$296), with no apparent supply issues.

(Taobao is an e-commerce platform operated by Alibaba Group Holding, the parent company of the Post.)

On the second-hand market, a used regular Switch often still goes for at least the recommended retail price, while many gamers are selling their fairly new China Switch consoles at only 1,600 yuan (US$226) on Taobao’s second-hand goods site, Xian Yu.

The divide is an example of how consumers in China, the video game industry’s biggest market with an estimated 720 million gamers according to Niko Partners, are willing to pay more for a grey market console to get around strict government regulation of the industry.

With more than 50 million units sold by the end of last year according to its website, Nintendo Switch was already one of the bestselling gaming consoles worldwide prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. With millions staying home under shelter-in-place orders to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the Japanese gaming giant has seen supply shortages in many countries, and is reportedly aiming for an output of 22 million units this financial year, according to Bloomberg.
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