Tech
Where to buy Nintendo Switch 2 online: Check every listing at Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and GameStop
The Nintendo Switch launch date is almost upon us. Starting on June 5, gamers can finally purchase the Switch 2 console for $449.99 and the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle for $499.99. (Some retailers list the price as $449 and $499, respectively.)
So, where can you buy the Switch 2 online? If you want to try your luck now, check the latest Switch 2 preorder stock at the My Nintendo Store and official Nintendo retailers:
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Nintendo
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Target
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Walmart
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GameStop
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Best Buy
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Costco
Like the PlayStation 5 before it, the Switch 2 is in short supply for preorders. That's left many Switch fans wondering how to buy the Switch 2 at launch. For the official June 5 release date, retailers like GameStop are bringing back the midnight launch event, so you can always try your luck at buying a Switch 2 in person. If you don't want to brave the crowds, then you'll have to go online.
Since opening for preorder on April 24, the Switch 2 has been sold out pretty much everywhere. So many gamers tried to place preorders on April 24 that they immediately crashed the GameStop, Target, and Walmart websites. And with tariff uncertainty and extremely high demand (Nintendo expects to sell 20 million consoles in the next year), there's a lot we still don't know. Besides a handful of blink-and-you'll-miss-it restocks, preorders have been hard to come by. We're hoping that changes once June 5 arrives.
Everywhere you can buy the Switch 2 online at launch
To avoid hoarding and price gouging, Nintendo and retailers have protections in place to limit orders per person. That means you'll need to make an account to successfully place an order with most retailers. We also recommend reviewing our tips for tracking restocks, such as signing up for inventory alerts with your retailer of choice. But the easiest way to track Switch 2 availability online? Keep checking this article, as we'll be updating it regularly in the days and hours to come.
Your best bet? Place an order with Nintendo.
You can't simply go to the My Nintendo Store and buy the Switch 2. To order the Switch 2, you need to log in with an active, paid Nintendo Switch Online account. Once you do that, you can choose either a Switch 2 standalone console or the Mario Kart World bundle and then hit the confirm button to "register your interest" in ordering a Switch 2.
Now for the weird stuff. Only Switch Online members who have paid for at least 12 months of service and registered at least 50 hours of gameplay on their Switch consoles can purchase through Nintendo. In other words, you better be a true Switch gamer if you want to buy the Switch 2 this way. If you're eligible and follow these steps, check your email for an invitation link.
How to order Switch 2 at Walmart
Unlike Nintendo, purchasing the Switch 2 online at Walmart is pretty simple. Technically, Walmart shoppers have been able to preorder Switch 2 consoles on Walmart's website since midnight ET on April 24. In reality, the console has been sold out consistently. However, this week Walmart confirmed that it would have new Switch 2 inventory available online soon, though we don't know exactly when. Our advice? Go to the Walmart Switch 2 listing and smash that refresh button at midnight.
We'll update this article as soon as we find Switch 2 consoles in stock at Walmart (or anywhere). Walmart also sells a lot of Switch 2 launch titles and accessories.
How to buy Switch 2 at Target
Target stores will open as usual on launch day, and according to a press release, Switch 2 hopefuls will be directed to a "designated queuing location" near the entrance. Target workers will reportedly give out reservation tickets to a lucky few, so we recommend arriving early and crossing those fingers. If you get a golden ticket, you'll be whisked off to the electronics department, where you'll finally be able to purchase either the Switch 2 or a Switch 2 bundle.
You'll have to wait a bit longer to buy the Switch 2 online at Target, as the company said it will start selling it online "beginning early morning" on Friday, June 6. For now, you can check the preorder pages at Target or sign up for alerts to get notified of Switch 2 restocks.
How to buy Switch 2 at GameStop
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GameStop is the one retailer of the four listed here that's doing things a little bit differently. If you were lucky enough to get a GameStop preorder, you can pick up your console at midnight on June 5. All GameStop stores will also be hosting midnight launch events (though supplies will be limited), and gamers will be able to participate in a "Transfer and Trade," where they trade in their original Switch and transfer their data to the new console.
You can also try your luck online or sign up to get updates when new inventory becomes available. You can also buy Switch 2 games and accessories at GameStop, including those all-important MicroSD Express cards.
How to buy Switch 2 consoles at Best Buy
Best Buy is joining GameStop in having Switch 2 midnight launch parties, and the company lays out all the details in this FAQ. To sum up, "Most stores in the U.S. will open Thursday, June 5, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time for pre-order pickup and walk-in purchases." (Central time stores open at 11:01 p.m., Mountain time stores open at 10:01 p.m., and Pacific time stores open at 9:01 p.m.) Participating stores will stay open for about two hours.
As a “high-demand item,” Best Buy customers have to follow specific steps to buy a Switch 2 online:
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Create a My Best Buy account and sign in
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Confirm your location
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Add the item to your cart
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Follow the on-screen prompts and check for available inventory
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If you get a Switch 2 console in your cart, you’ll have 10 minutes to complete the purchase
Can you buy the Switch 2 at Amazon?
You'll notice there's one major retailer conspicuously missing so far — Amazon. That's because Amazon is not an official Nintendo retailer, so any Switch 2 consoles you find there are likely listed by resellers of dubious legitimacy. However, Amazon shoppers can preorder some Switch 2 titles ahead of the launch.
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How to buy the Switch 2 at Staples
As we noted in our Switch 2 preorder guide, select Staples stores will sell the Switch 2 on a first-come, first-served basis starting June 5. Most Staples locations open at 8 a.m., but we recommend showing up bright and early. Staples will also be selling an unnamed Switch 2 game bundle, and we know it's not the standard Mario Kart World bundle. As with other retailers, Switch 2 consoles are currently listed as "Out of stock" at the Staples online store.
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How to buy the Switch 2 at Costco
Are you a Costco member? Then you may be able to secure your Switch 2 at the mega-retailer. Costco members can purchase the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle online starting June 5, though there's a limit of one console per membership (every seven days).
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Still want more information? Our first impressions of the Switch 2
Mashable reporter Alex Perry was lucky enough to play the Switch 2 at two Nintendo pre-launch events, and as of this writing, he's hard at work testing his Switch 2 review unit. You can read all about his first impressions and thoughts on Mario Kart World. After playing the Switch 2 for the first time, he had this to say:
From the first second I got to hold a Switch 2 unit, I instantly liked the way it felt in my hands. The 7.9-inch 1080p display (which supports HDR and 120Hz refresh rate) is substantially nicer than the 6.2-inch 720p display on the predecessor console. In addition to a bigger screen, the Joy-Cons also have some added muscle…Doing a cross-country race across Mario Kart World's gorgeous open world without even a hint of loading between tracks is awesome. Seeing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom run at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second is very convincing in person.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
You can also read all about the Switch 2 launch titles we're most excited to play.
And if you still haven't secured your preorder, keep checking this page for updates — and good luck!
"We don’t always get it right. Earlier this year, an update made the model too agreeable, sometimes saying what sounded nice instead of what was actually helpful. We rolled it back, changed how we use feedback, and are improving how we measure real-world usefulness over the long term, not just whether you liked the answer in the moment," OpenAI wrote in the announcement. "We also know that AI can feel more responsive and personal than prior technologies, especially for vulnerable individuals experiencing mental or emotional distress."
Broadly, OpenAI has been updating its models in response to claims that its generative AI products, specifically ChatGPT, are exacerbating unhealthy social relationships and worsening mental illnesses, especially among teenagers. Earlier this year, reports surfaced that many users were forming delusional relationships with the AI assistant, worsening existing psychiatric disorders, including paranoia and derealization. Lawmakers, in response, have shifted their focus to more intensely regulate chatbot use, as well as their advertisement as emotional partners or replacements for therapy.
OpenAI has recognized this criticism, acknowledging that its previous 4o model "fell short" in addressing concerning behavior from users. The company hopes that these new features and system prompts may step up to do the work its previous versions failed at.
"Our goal isn’t to hold your attention, but to help you use it well," the company writes. "We hold ourselves to one test: if someone we love turned to ChatGPT for support, would we feel reassured? Getting to an unequivocal 'yes' is our work."
Were you tricked by the video of a bunch of bunnies jumping on a trampoline on TikTok? Well, nearly 230 million people were — and plenty of those viewers had no idea that it was actually AI. In response, the creator who brought us the Punxsutawney Phil musical, Oliver Richman (or @olivesongs11), wrote and recorded a 30-second song about the AI video, also for TikTok. He wrote the song on day 576 of an ongoing project, where he writes a new song each day.
"That project has changed my life in so many ways," Richman told Mashable, adding that it brought him "back to the joy of creating." He scrolled across the viral video of the bunnies jumping on the trampoline and said he was "certainly fooled" and "thought they were real."
"So when I learned that they weren't, I was like, 'Oh, I think this is today's song."
The unknowing bunny song on TikTok now has over 3.8 million views, 600,000 likes, and hundreds of comments like, "Bo Burnham! At The Disco" and "Wait until you see the bear on a trampoline. Spoiler: also AI."
The song goes like this:
There were bunnies that were jumping on a trampoline
And I just learned that they weren't real
If a bot can inhabit
An unknowing rabbit
It might manufacture the way you make me feel
How do I know that the sky's really sunny?
Sometimes it feels like your love is as real as
An unknowing bunny
The video has inspired covers and renditions, stop-motion videos, reactions, and a variety of other really cool human-made art. As one creator wrote on a TikTok video using the sound, "The fact that this song written about AI is going viral is incredibly healing. Especially because us as artists and songwriters are being threatened of our livelihoods due to the use of AI. And AI could never create something this unique with this much feeling."
Richman said the response to his video has been "the most surreal thing ever."
"Every piece of art that I've seen, I like get emotional," he said. "It certainly made me feel connected to the beauty of the messiness of being a human. And the imperfections that AI tends to delete or perfect — seeing all of this human art has just been a very emotional and cool experience."
As Mashable's Tim Marcin recently wrote about the influx of faux surveillance footage of animals, it "seems to be a new genre of AI slop." But give the internet slop, and creators might make porridge (is that a saying?).
In the face of all the AI slop we see online, creators like Richman are staying positive. "Art is so cool. Human art is so cool, and that really excites me."
Updated on Aug. 4 at 3:00 p.m. ET — This story has been updated to include an interview with creator Oliver Richman. Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and grammar.
Verizon customers reportedly got double bad news this week: the phone carrier is raising fees and removing loyalty discounts.
According to users on the Verizon subreddit, several customers reported receiving an email from Verizon informing them their account discounts are ending. "We are writing to let you know that a discount on your account will soon end," the email said, according a redditor. "This discount will be removed no sooner than September 1, 2025." Several other redditors chimed in on the thread, saying they had a received the same email about losing loyalty perks offered to longstanding customers. Mashable has reached out to Verizon for comment and will update this story with a response.
A few days earlier, Verizon confirmed to Tom's Guide that the company is increasing fees for activations, phone lines, and tablet plans by Sept. 1.
Verizon customers are understandably unhappy about the changes. Some commented that they might change phone carriers to T-Mobile or AT&T as a result. "They just keep finding ways to crap on loyal customers," commented one redditor, underscoring the general sentiment of the thread that loyal customers are being penalized for their loyalty.
According to Tom's Guide, Verizon is reportedly trying to persuade customers on older plans to switch to its newer myPlan subscription. "We want to ensure you get the best value and experience from Verizon and encourage you to check out our myPlan options for the plan that works best for you," the email to customers reportedly said.
Cutting loyalty discounts and upping fees is a bold way to do that, since it seems to be alienating customers even more.
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