Switch console from leaked video was stolen, says Nintendo

Nintendo Switch. File Photo

The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch won’t be available in stores until next month. However, much to the surprise of internet users, a leaked footage of the console supposedly obtained by a user began circulating over the weekend.

READ: Nintendo Switch release date revealed, plus a few more surprises

Due to Nintendo’s pre-announced exclusive date of release, speculations ran wild that the Switch console was stolen and, on Monday, the Japanese gaming-giant confirmed the rumors.

“Earlier this week, individuals claimed to prematurely purchase a small number of Nintendo Switch systems from an unspecified retailer,” Nintendo officials clarified the issue in an IGN report.

“Nintendo has determined these units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a US distributor, with one system being illegally resold. The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges.”

The surprising clip—which has since been taken down—first appeared on video game forum NeoGAF, under a user named hiphoptherobot.

According to the uploader, he obtained the sought-after device two weeks prior to its official release from an “unnamed store” in the US.

The user did not reveal himself on the video, but proudly showed off the system’s user interface and slick design.

His Switch experience, however, was short lived, as he reportedly shipped the console back to Nintendo after finding out its dubious origins.

“I understand why they want it back and it sounds like that Switch might have been obtained in not the legalist of ways before I received it so them wanting it back is within their rights,” user hiphoptherobot wrote in a subsequent post in NeoGAF.

Despite its highly publicized release on March 3, several details regarding the features of the Nintendo Switch remain scarce—with multiple rumored specs neither confirmed nor denied by the company.  Khristian Ibarrola

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