Gamers flock to Utah stores as Nintendo Switch 2 officially launches

SALT LAKE CITY — The wait is finally over for gaming fans.  As of 10 p.m. on Wednesday, the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 is officially on sale — and it’s flying off the shelves.

At a Best Buy store in West Jordan, a line of people wrapped around the building.

“I’ve been here since one o’clock,” said one excited gamer to KSL TV.

At the GameStop in Taylorsville, eager fans enjoyed a little pre launch party outside the store were employees dressed up like Mario characters. For these gamers, this is the best day ever. It’s been eight years since the original Nintendo Switch was released, and this moment has been a long time coming.

“I’m super excited for it,” said CJ Raulli. “This one is supposed to be a lot more powerful, like a PlayStation in your hand.”

Earlier in the day Damir Krizanovic, managed to make it inside the store to snag the very last pre order.

“We stopped everything we were doing,” Krizanovic said. “We had one goal in mind — and it was to get a Switch 2.”

Related: Good luck breaking down the Switch 2 and tariffs with your kids

What’s new with the Switch 2?

The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be a major upgrade over its predecessor. Gamers are especially excited about its enhanced performance and redesigned controllers.

“Eight years is a huge gap, the specs and everything are much better than they were before. The controllers were always too small and fragile. These are better — bigger and fit in your hand nicely,” said Krizanovic.

Price Tag and What’s Next

The console, bundled with the new Mario Kart game, will set buyers back around $500. Additional games are priced at $80 each.

“Absolutely, I got work off tomorrow,” one gamer laughed, ready to spend the night immersed in the new system.