Nintendo’s latest console is likely to be one of the hottest items this holiday season—but the ongoing chip shortage could make it a bit hard to come by. So if it’s something you’re planning to buy for yourself or a loved one, it’s best to jump when you can.
Your first opportunity to take that leap comes Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET, when pre-orders open up for the Nintendo Switch OLED.
Best Buy, GameStop, B&H Photo and other retailers have all set up order pages that will go live later today. The system will cost $350—a $50 premium over the existing model. The system will officially go on sale Oct. 8.
Officially designated the Nintendo Switch (OLED model), the new Switch will feature a larger 7-inch OLED screen and twice as much internal storage for game software. It will, however, use the same chipset as the existing model, meaning it won’t have any extra horsepower for developers to take advantage of.
That upset many gamers, but the system is still expected to face shortages. In May, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told investors the company was still contending with production issues.
Despite the high profile launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X last fall, the four-year-old Nintendo Switch is the video game industry’s best-selling game system in both units sold and total dollars year to date, according to The NPD Group.
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