Following on from the news that coronavirus has impacted the planned shipment of Switch consoles from China to Japan, we've seen a new report that suggests that hardware shortages could well impact the North American and European markets in the next couple of months.
According to Bloomberg's sources, who apparently have knowledge of the supply chain, production bottlenecks caused by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak could impact the production and subsequent import of the Switch as early as April.
Apparently, Nintendo has the Switches assembled in a factory in Vietnam, and that partner company is facing a component supply issue which could start to impact on the delivery of consoles to suppliers in the west, with many Chinese factories closed for business while the dangerous coronavirus continues to spread. According to the outlet, the latest deliveries have already set sail, so any shortages would affect the shipments due to arrive in April.
"We do not see any major impact on the shipment to the U.S. currently, but we will remain vigilant and take steps if necessary," a Nintendo spokesperson said in a statement. "It's possible the supply would be affected by the virus if it becomes more widespread and prolonged."
The next big so-called system-seller for the Switch is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which is due to land on the console on March 20.