People Are Getting Their Hands on Nintendo Switch 2 Ahead of Release

Nintendo Switch 2 is hitting the shelves in just a week, and naturally, boxes packed with consoles and games are already being delivered to retailers around the world. Recently, thanks to store employees, several images and even an unboxing-style video have surfaced online, showing that some lucky individuals have already gotten their hands on the handheld ahead of its official release.

Speaking of images, a great compilation was put together by Nintendo Soup, featuring shots of both the regular Nintendo Switch 2 consoles and those bundled with Mario Kart World. They also show physical – or rather, "physical" – copies of Mario Kart World and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, allowing us to preview the packaging, if not the games themselves, ahead of time.

As for the aforementioned video, it was originally posted by one a2dubai on YouTube and later shared widely across social media, only to be removed shortly after for no clear reason.

Lasting just seven seconds, the video showed the creator opening the box and revealing the console and its Joy-Cons still wrapped in plastic. Sharing the video here feels somewhat sketchy – after all, it's Nintendo we're talking about – but it may or may not have been saved by Stealth40k and may or may not be available by clicking this link.

Before the video got dumped down the memory hole, a2dubai mentioned that the console was nothing more than a bragging right at that point, as the Switch 2 required an update before any games could be played, and evidently, this update is not expected to arrive until June 5, the official release date.

Another individual fortunate enough to get the handheld a week earlier also told Wario64 that they couldn't boot up any games and received the "Please connect to the internet and update your system" message, reaffirming a2dubai's account.