Apple is to blame for your Nintendo Switch shortage

For months now, the Nintendo Switch has been difficult to find. Strong demand has resulted in restocks that sell out almost immediately, but we're learning today that demand may only be one part of the equation. A new report says that Nintendo may be competing with mobile phone makers for parts, making the Switch even rarer.

Yes, when it comes to not being able to find a Switch, that means companies like Apple and Samsung may be at least partially to blame. That's according to a report from The Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki, who points to shortages of three components in particular: NAND flash memory, LCD displays, and the motors that give the Switch's Joy-Con controllers their HD rumble feature.

Mochizuki talked to a spokesperson from Toshiba, who says that demand for NAND flash memory chips "has been overwhelmingly greater than supply, and the situation is likely to stay for the rest of this year." That doesn't paint all too pretty a picture for Switch stock in the near future – as GameStop has said in the past, shortages could continue for months to come, which could be a frustration for consumers as we head into the busy holiday shopping months.

This, of course, is just as big a headache for Nintendo as it is for consumers, especially considering that the company wants to ramp up production to 20 million consoles in fiscal year 2018. Make no mistake, the Switch has the potential to be a big hit, but if Nintendo is plagued by component shortages, those will serve as a major roadblock to that success.

Things are complicated by the fact that mobile phone manufacturers and data centers – companies that are snatching up Toshiba's NAND memory – often place larger orders than Nintendo, giving them priority. We'll see if Nintendo can figure something out, but for now, don't expect these Switch shortages to get better anytime soon.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal