Random: Nintendo's Selling Empty Boxes Of The Animal Crossing Edition Switch
Just the box, no console...
by Ryan Craddock
If you've been anywhere near the internet over the past few hours, we imagine you've already seen the recently-announced Animal Crossing-themed Switch console. Isn't it just the loveliest thing you've ever seen?
Anyway, if you can't quite afford this latest model, or if you want to pretend you have one without having to pay for it, Nintendo seemingly has you covered. On its official Japanese site, Nintendo is offering a replica box without anything inside for 550 yen (approx. £4 / $5). As if we've suddenly been placed inside a weird, alternate, Ikea-based universe, you even have to assemble the thing yourself when it arrives; thankfully Nintendo provides instructions:
At first, you might find yourself wondering what on Earth has possessed Nintendo to do such a thing, but it does actually make quite a lot of sense. For collectors, owning pristine boxes to limited-edition consoles is a must - just check eBay to see how many empty boxes get sold every day - so why not cash in on that? Nintendo actually did the very same thing with Splatoon 2 in 2017.
Let's face it, we'll all buy pretty much anything with a Nintendo logo on it - and Nintendo knows it.
We should note that this box-only option has only been announced for Japan so far. Nintendo says that the replica box will not have any warranty info or barcodes on it, nor will it contain any of the leaflets found inside the real thing. Japanese fans will also be able to buy the console's Joy-Con and Dock separately, which makes considerably more sense.
What a world we live in, eh?
[via store.nintendo.co.jp]