Three colors of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are being discontinued in Japan. This may not impact gamers across the world, but maybe a hint that the controllers may be out of stock elsewhere soon. On the My Nintendo Store, these color sets have been changed to “Out of Stock.”
The colors going out of stock on the Japanese Nintendo website are Gray, Neon Yellow, and Red. The Neon Yellow option was sold around the time of the Arms release, while Red was released around Super Mario Odessey’s launch.
Players who want these colors should act fast before they’re gone for good. Nintendo Switch owners can still likely find these products in stores before they’re sold out. The Switch is a region-free console, so international games may attempt to purchase these sold-out colors.
Japanese players can purchase the individual Joy-Cons, but the price increase is quite large compared to buying them in a set. There’s no information if other colors are coming soon to replace these three colors in Japan. Nintendo hasn’t made an announcement regarding why these colors are being discontinued, or if this is only a manufacturing issue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After these colors are sold out, they will no longer be sold through Nintendo. Players who still want these specific Joy-Con colors may see an increase in price if purchasing through third-party sellers.
The Nintendo Switch has been making news recently for several other reasons. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players have been buying more of the consoles than ever. Finding one has been increasingly difficult since production stopped for a few weeks. Another game becoming more difficult to find is Ring Fit Adventure, a fitness-adventure game that requires an external thigh-strap and ring to use with the Joy-Cons.
The console itself has also seen some technical issues. The Joy-Con controllers have had various issues, from drifting to not responding properly. A class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 has now moved forward, despite Nintendo’s motion to dismiss the case.
As for now, Joy-Cons are an essential accessory for the main Nintendo Switch console released in 2017. If players want to avoid the Joy-Con issue altogether, the Switch Lite includes a one-piece design to combine the screen with the controls.
