So you know all those reports earlier this 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 Saturday 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 posted a recording of a Nintendo rep supposedly confirming this deal over the phone. The 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 Saturday, 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.
As to whether Nintendo actually did any exchanges, it’s hard to say. Maybe contact customer support and see what happens?
Updated with new information
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that a YouTuber “faked” a call with Nintendo about the rumored exchange program. While Nintendo says it has no such program, we do not have evidence that the call was fabricated. We regret the error.