Chip shortage to affect Nintendo Switch sales

By: Ahmad Alsayouf, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

In 2021, Nintendo announced that they’ll expect to sell about 24 million Nintendo Switch units instead of last years’ 25.5 million. Due to semiconductor chip shortages, it will be expected that Switches will sell less than last year, and could potentially delay expected Christmas gifts this year.

Nintendo stated, “Our shipment forecast for the second half was reduced because of the change in our production plan due to the effects of the global semiconductor shortage”.

Many companies have been suffering from shortages like this throughout the years. New consoles such as the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X were short in supply amid the pandemic. 

Microsoft vice-president executive Phil Spencer stated that the shortages in next generation consoles wasn’t due to chip shortages, but with other issues and would continue after Christmas as well. 

The chief executive of chip design firm Arm, Simon Segars, told a conference that the gap between supply and demand is the “most extreme” he has ever seen, with chip supplies taking about 60 weeks to be produced.