Consumers Are Blaming A Free Bot Software For Lack Of Nintendo Switch Stock

We’re all dealing with the health pandemic right now. Thanks to coronavirus or COVID-19, whatever your choice of word is for this bug, it’s proving to change the world in a massive way. With this virus, quite a few people all around the world are being impacted. Jobs are on hold, we’re stuck indoors, and practicing our social distancing. For those that are hoping to take this opportunity at home and enjoy some entertainment in the form of video games, there may be one major obstacle consumers are having to overcome and that’s stock.

Because there are so many factories shutdown, supplies are running low, productions are halted, and consumers may have bought up the stock available in your area. This is especially the case for the Nintendo Switch and being such a hot ticket item, the urge to pick up a unit had only intensified with the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. So for those of you who don’t own a Nintendo Switch, there are two options readily available. On one hand you’re able to go out and pay quite a bit more from a reseller. However, if you’re not interested in throwing out hundreds of dollars more towards a Nintendo Switch, you can play the waiting game.

Here’s where the latter option is really taking a hit on consumers. It looks like there is a bot that’s become quite popular online. This free open source bot, known as Bird Bot, has been made to search available stock for Nintendo Switch units. From there, the user can program to purchase a unit or multiple units right away. Ultimately, this bot is a source for resellers to buy multiple units and flip them for a big profit meanwhile it’s also become a tool some are using just to buy a legitimate unit for their own leisure.

Right now, we’re not entirely sure what some retailers are doing to combatant the use of bots and buying multiple units online. This bot along with the lack of supply being able to ship from Nintendo is really putting a strain on those that are just looking to own their own console hybrid unit.

Source: Vice