A second UK retailer has revealed it’s holding a Nintendo Switch 2 midnight launch, as well as Smyths.
We’re officially only one week away from the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, with retailers stocking up on the console in preparation for all the pre-orders.
Although midnight launches aren’t much of a thing anymore, earlier this week Smyths announced it has events planned across all its stores. Stock will be limited but it does mean you can claim a Switch 2 first thing in the morning on June 5.
As it turns out, at least one other UK retailer is also holding a midnight launch, albeit at only one location.
Currys – who have been one of the go-to places for Switch 2 pre-orders, when it has the stock – has announced it will have a launch event for Nintendo’s new console.
However, it is limited to the Currys store in Oxford Street, London and only for customers who have already pre-ordered a Switch 2 with them. So, don’t rock up expecting to buy a console at the counter.
This would also explain why we can’t find any mention of the event on the Currys website. At the very least, this is an option for those who can’t bear to wait for their pre-order to arrive and want the Switch 2 set up ASAP.
It may be worth checking in your local Currys to ask if they’ll be holding their own midnight launch, since one Redditor on the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit claims the store in Edinburgh is holding one too.
As it stands, Smyths and Currys seem to be the only UK retailers holding midnight launches for the Switch 2, which just goes to show how much they’ve fallen out of fashion over the years.
Despite the launch not being for another seven days, several people have managed to get their hands on the Switch 2 early, with one sharing an unboxing video yesterday.
A Russian YouTuber also posted a nine minute video demonstrating the set-up process, as well as a look at all the Switch 2’s menus. Unsurprisingly, it’s been taken down from YouTube, but you can still find it on Reddit.
The video confirms that the console won’t work properly without a day one patch, with an attempt to connect to the Nintendo eShop demanding a system update that isn’t available yet.
While a mandatory internet connection is bound to be unpopular with some customers, this is clearly Nintendo’s way of counteracting this exact situation.
It’s unclear if this applies to physical games, but it does at least prevent digital games from being played, which explains why no footage of Mario Kart World – which is included as a digital download in certain Switch 2 bundles – has leaked yet.
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