So you know all those reports late last week about a Nintendo Switch exchange program? Yeah, turns out it was all a bunch of crap. The Verge published an official statement from a Nintendo rep on Sunday debunking the deal.
The unofficial (and now, unfortunately, confirmed untrue) offer was first noted on Reddit, where users claimed Nintendo officials agreed to swap out their current Switch for a new model so long as they purchased the console after the upgrade was announced on July 17.
One Youtuber even faked a recording of a Nintendo rep confirming this deal over the phone. This updated Switch has only been officially announced to have a longer battery life, but players who have gotten their hands on the model have reported its boasts an improved screen and CPU as well.
Gizmodo reached out to Nintendo at the time to ask about the deal, but its phone line appeared to be overwhelmed by others wanting to know the same thing. Then Sunday, Nintendo provided the Verge with the following statement denying there ever was a Switch exchange program:
We do not have a Nintendo Switch exchange program. We always want players to enjoy their Nintendo Switch systems, and if anything ever gets in the way of that, we encourage them to visit http://support.nintendo.com for support, or to contact our consumer support team.
Whomp whomp. Many Switch owners (myself included) have griped about how the console has entirely too short a battery life (roughly two and a half to six and a half hours) for what Nintendo originally marketed as a portable system, so the promise of a free upgrade seemed too good to be true. And, as it turns out, it was.