Nintendo Switch to be sold at Target without pre-orders

Target will sell the Nintendo Switch on its worldwide launch date — this Friday, March 3 — both in stores and online, a representative for the company confirmed to Polygon today.

“Although we sold through pre-order quantities last month, Target will have an additional wave of units available in stores and online beginning March 3,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Unlike Best Buy and GameStop, Target will not be holding any midnight launch events for the Switch. Instead, Target locations will begin selling the console, as well as games and accessories, on March 3 at 8 a.m. local time, according to the company’s current weekly ad. Because Target refreshes its website overnight, the rep said they could not be any more specific than “Friday morning” as to when the Switch will be available to buy online.

Most Target locations open at 8 a.m., and the retailer is advising that customers who are looking to pick up a Switch check with their local store for availability. The Target spokesperson could not confirm the number of consoles that each location will have, but they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so you should line up early if you want to snag one. The rep told Polygon that while stores are “always encouraged to use a ticketing system [...] where warranted,” they make that call “at the individual store level.”

For more on the Nintendo Switch, read our review of the console.

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