If you’re still on the hunt for a Nintendo Switch 2, follow these expert tips we’ve learned from years of tracking hard-to-find consoles.

After a long wait filled with leaks, reveals, preorder stress, and hands-on events, the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch day has finally arrived around the world, including launch events at retailers like Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy, and Target.

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.

The Nintendo Switch 2 improves on one of the best consoles ever with smoother gameplay, a better design and some fun new tricks, but you can probably wait a bit to buy one.

From the looks of it, things won't be slowing down soon, as Nintendo has prepared well for the Switch 2's high demand, with preorder night out of the way and its biggest retail partners consistently restocking for in-store purchases and pickups.

There can be a bug with the console’s battery life display. If you’re dealing with what appears to be poor battery life on the Nintendo Switch 2, the company has a support document with steps you can try to fix it.

In the run-up to last week's Switch 2 launch, preview events and video presentations only answered so many questions about what to expect. Nintendo left one intriguing feature much more under wraps than you might expect for a "sequel" console: how it handles backwards compatibility.