Nintendo is giving more people an opportunity to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 directly from its main stores in New York City and San Francisco. Since demand is expected to be very high, getting one will require signing up for a “Warp Pipe Pass,” which gives access to special shopping times between June 5 and 9, 2025. While other stores will also sell the console, this is a way to buy it straight from Nintendo.

To register, you must have a Nintendo Account or create one, go to the correct registration website for New York or San Fransisco, log in, pick a shopping session date you want. After, you can fill out the registration form. Signing up does not mean getting a pass; winners will be chosen randomly in a drawing.

The Warp Pipe Pass registration starts today and ends on May 27, 2025. Registration for the New York City location is open from 12:00 PM Eastern Time on May 23 until 10:59 AM Eastern Time on May 27. For the San Francisco location, registration runs from 9:00 AM Pacific Time on May 23 until 7:59 AM Pacific Time on May 27.

Only one registration per person is allowed. To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years old, live in one of the 50 United States, and have a Nintendo Account. Nintendo employees, their family members, and people working for companies connected to Nintendo cannot take part.

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The drawing to pick who gets a pass will happen around May 27, 2025, in Redmond, Washington. The number of passes available depends on the date and location. Here are the passes for both:

• June 5, 2025 – New York and San Fransisco will have 600 passes
• June 6, 2025 – New York and San Fransisco will have 650 passes
• June 7, 2025 – New York and San Fransisco will have 650 passes
• June 8, 2025 – New York and San Fransisco will have 500 passes
• June 9, 2025 – New York will have 150 passes, and San Fransisco will have 100 passes

If you are chosen, you will get a digital QR code pass by email. You must show this QR code at the shopping session you picked. Only one pass per person is allowed, and passes cannot be given to someone else or refunded.

If you get a pass, you can buy either one Nintendo Switch 2 system or a Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle. You can also buy one of each Nintendo Switch 2 accessory, game, and amiibo, but availability may be limited.

The shopping sessions will be held from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time (Eastern Time for New York, Pacific Time for San Francisco) at Nintendo’s main stores: 10 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York 10020 and 331 Powell Street, San Francisco, California 94102.

In short, this is a lottery system that gives fans a special chance to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 directly from Nintendo’s main stores. This should keep scalpers from getting too many consoles too early, but if you were hoping to buy one without issue and you happen to live near a Nintendo store, now is your chance.

Source: Nintendo (San Fransisco), Nintendo (New York), 9to5Toys