Nintendo wants to boost Switch supply by shrinking the size of the console's box

Nintendo is planning to shave 20% off the size of the Switch's retail box to help boost its shipment sizes

(Credit: Photo by PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny

• 🤏 Nintendo is reportedly shrinking the size of the Switch’s retail box by 20%

• 🛳️ The move should let Nintendo put more Switch consoles into each shipment

• 🔻 It’ll also reduce shipping costs, as Nintendo can shift more units at once

According to a new report, Nintendo will make the Switch console’s box 20% smaller to boost supply and reduce shipping costs.

Nikkei reported (translated by Vooks) that Nintendo is shrinking the console’s packaging to offset the increased shipping costs that continue to rise and ultimately get more consoles in the hands of consumers.

Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa recently told Nikkei that despite this, Nintendo Switch won’t get a price increase “at this point.” Furukawa admitted that costs have "increased for shipping not only by air, but also by sea” but that the company wanted to “avoid pricing people out.”

The original Nintendo Switch box is 14% larger than the new Nintendo Switch OLED box, according to Vooks, so a 20% reduction should let the company include more boxes per shipment and save money in the process.

The move should help Nintendo meet demand, which “remains stable” even though Nintendo Switch sales fell 23% in Q1 2022. The Kyoto-based company blamed the drop in Switch sales on the impact of the global shortage of semiconductor components, which continues to make finding a PS5 restock a challenge in the US.

Nintendo ruled out any new Switch hardware until at least April 2023. In November last year, Furukawa said: “With regards to the next game system, we are considering many different things, but as far as the concept and launch timing are concerned, there is nothing we can share at this time.”

However, a new Switch model is on the way in the form of a Splatoon 3 limited edition Nintendo Switch OLED. The colorful console releases on August 26 and costs $359.99, but doesn’t include a copy of the game, which releases on September 9. A Splatoon 3 Pro controller and Carrying Case are also coming out on September 9 for $74.99 and $24.99, respectively.