Journey to Getting a Nintendo Switch

Should you get a Nintendo Switch? Josh struggled with his decision as to whether or not Nintendo was worth a second try. Eventually thinking so wound him up at Walmart at 2am, and a bit afraid for his life. He needed some time to get over the horror he went through, but he is finally able to share his experience with getting the Nintendo Switch on launch day!

Get a Nintendo Switch Or Not; That is the Question

So I managed to pick up a Nintendo Switch on launch day, which was March 3. I hadn’t even planned to pick it up. But I decided I would write an article detailing my thought process and journey to eventually getting one.

The Decision To Give Nintendo Another Shot

The Wii U was such a letdown, aside from a few first party games (Super Mario Kart Wii U and New Super Mario Brothers Wii U were about the only games in enjoyed playing), that I wasn’t sure I wanted to fork out more money for Nintendo. But I have had every Nintendo home console since the original NES with the exception of a Gamecube. I felt I had to give the Nintendo Switch one more shot. Especially because the new Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was coming out (sure I could get that for the Wii U, but why play a Zelda game on a second rate machine?)

As Expected, Nintendo Switch Pre-Orders Were Out—But There Was Hope

So I had perused various retailers a week ahead of launch day, and as expected, there was nothing available for pre-order. I had resolved to give up. But there was a glimmer of hope as I looked around on the eve of launch day: a few retailers — Walmart, GameStop and Target — said they would have some in stock for a midnight release and in the morning, depending on the store. There was no way I was going to go to a midnight release. I worked at 6am in the morning, and I did not want to go to work dead tired.

There was one problem though—I tend to have terrible insomnia, especially when something is bothering me like…not playing the next Legend of Zelda. I woke up at 2:30am, and could not fall back asleep. So I decided to check out stock online to see if any retailers showed some in stock – both Target and Walmart said in stock. This was even more troubling for me, because that means I had the opportunity, and I would be squandering it, if I didn’t at least try!

Don’t Go to Walmart at 2am—You’ve Been Warned

My next step was to see if there were any 24 hour Walmarts near me. There was one. One might think this was a stroke of good luck, but to paraphrase what Ted from How I Met Your Mother said, “Nothing good ever happens after 2am.”

I decided to head down to said Walmart, and found it to be a pretty scary place. There were people hanging out outside of the Walmart looking like they were up to no good. Inside, there was a man screaming a song into the Beats headphone display—clearly high or drunk. I decided I would ask an associate quickly about the stock on the Nintendo Switch so I didn’t have to spend anymore time here than I had to. The person I found looked like he didn’t want to be there anymore than I did, but he gave me the frustrating news—they had a midnight event and sold some Nintendo Switches, but they would not be selling anymore until morning. Like I said. Frustrating.

So with that, I scurried out of the Walmart, to my car empty-handed. I was not feeling defeated quite yet, so I looked up Walmarts that were not open 24 hours, but opened fairly early, and were close to work so that I could swing by on my way in. I found one that opened at 6am, and it also said “in stock.” I resigned myself to trying to get a couple more hours of sleep before I made my second attempt.

Round 2 At Getting a Nintendo Switch—Back to Walmart Again

Once I got up the next morning, I made my way to this second Walmart—in the daylight hours, which was refreshing. I no longer felt like I might be murdered in a parking lot. Once inside, there was already a line forming. Was I too late? Then I saw them—in a wire cage, like you might see at a casino when chips are being moved in large volumes—and it looked like they had a couple dozen inside.

Mission: Acquire a Nintendo Switch Is a Success

After agonizing over being late to work, and hoping they have enough to get to my spot in line, I was successful! I picked up a Nintendo Switch with the neon blue/red Joy-Cons and the Special Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I tried to find a Master Edition of Breath of the Wild, but a Gamestop employee said they were only available online, and nobody would have them in store. Oh well—I spent enough money as it was, and had some pretty fortunate luck getting my hands on the Switch. I figured I shouldn’t be too disappointed.

If you want to see my review of the Nintendo Switch, you can read about that in the following article, which you can read here!