If Nintendo Switch Online’s Nintendo 64 controller piqued your interest but you haven’t purchased one just yet, expect to wait until 2022 for a chance to do so. And since “2022” is a rather nebulous range, the hope is that Nintendo is referring to January or February.
This update came from the official Nintendo online store. If you’re hoping Canada and the UK are exempt from this supply shortage, the answers to those questions are unfortunately no and no, respectively.
The controller is for use with the Nintendo 64 games available on the Nintendo Switch Online service. With so many Switch consoles in circulation and so many fans eager to revisit past gems like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, strong sales for the Nintendo 64 controller were inevitable.
It is unclear how many controllers Nintendo originally produced, but the assumption is that they were aware there would be unavoidable shortages. It is a classic case of supply not meeting demand — which has been a common refrain across the entire industry during this past year.
