Retailers Warn Against Mistaken Nintendo Switch 2 Purchases

May 30, 2025, 10:54 am | Read time: 3 minutes

Only a few days remain until Nintendo’s new console is released. However, the packaging of the Nintendo Switch 2 could become an issue.

The long wait for the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally over. Eight years after the release of its predecessor, the new hardware is set to launch on June 5, 2025. It’s not just avid gamers who are expected to make a purchase. Many parents will likely have to fulfill their children’s wishes—and be extra cautious in stores. The packaging of the Nintendo Switch 2 could indeed be misleading.

Nintendo Switch 2 Packaging Could Confuse

While the Switch 2 retains the basic hybrid concept of its predecessor, it expands on it with many new features. However, when it comes to marketing the Nintendo Switch 2, the manufacturer seems to want to maintain a consistent, recognizable identity. Influencer Wood Hawker has placed the boxes for the Switch OLED and Switch 2 side by side on X:

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He notes that the packaging of the Nintendo Switch 2 resembles the previous one too closely, which could be “a bit confusing for the general public.” Indeed, both boxes are red. And since both console generations share the same form factor, the hardware depicted on them looks strikingly similar. However, the large “2” should stand out, right? Still, the design could lead to mix-ups.

Retail Employees Warn

While many gamers reportedly have little concern for the warning, according to a report by “Polygon,” retail employees defend the assessment in the X post. And not just them: Celia Bee, marketing director at game studio Yacht Club Games, also considers the potential for confusion a “sad truth.” Another user agrees: “As a game designer and retailer who has seen the cognitive function in the brain of an average person, I can say he’s right.”

It’s not always the well-informed gamers who buy new consoles in stores. Especially when relatives want to shop for the kids and have little knowledge of consoles, a mistaken purchase can happen quickly.

Gaming Users should urgently switch Nintendo console back on now

Current information Will Nintendo do away with the docking station for the new Switch?

Manufacturer Warns What Nintendo Switch 2 Owners Should Never Do

Nintendo Wii U Already Highlighted the Issue

It wouldn’t be the first time a Nintendo console has caused confusion in stores. When the Wii U hit the market in 2012, it quickly became a colossal flop. There are several reasons for this. However, as the report states, Nintendo admitted back then that the name and marketing contributed to the failure. The average customer didn’t understand that it was a new console and why they should buy it.

Also of interest: How much the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to cost

Despite the similar packaging of the Nintendo Switch 2 compared to its predecessor, it is unlikely to share the same fate as the Wii U. Numerous pre-orders are already coming in, so Nintendo might even struggle to meet the demand.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.