Nintendo Fan Camps for 30 Days to Buy Switch Console

By Anthony Taormina 26 February 2017

• nintendo
• switch

While some Nintendo fans are waiting for the Switch console to arrive at their door via one of many online retailers, one fan is taking things old school. Much like gamers did in the old days, Alex Pekala is camping in front of the Nintendo store in New York City in the hopes of being the first to procure a Nintendo Switch.

In total, Pekala will have waited 30 days for the opportunity to buy a Nintendo Switch, an impressive feat considering he’s camping out in New York in the winter time. Then again the rights to (presumably) a World Record is likely enough immortality to make the effort with it. Even if it doesn’t lead to anything special, though, being the first to buy a console is a memory of a lifetime.

Speaking of those people that were first to buy a console, Pekala is a protégé (of sorts) of Isaiah Johnson, who found his own celebrity by being one of the first to buy the Nintendo 64 console back in 1996. Johnson then went on to hold numerous World Records for early console and game purchases. Now “retired,” Johnson reached out to Alex Pekala in the hopes that the 19-year-old can carry on his legacy with the launch of Nintendo Switch and potentially beyond.

Eurogamer has a lengthy write-up on Johnson’s passing of the torch to Pekala and it’s an interesting read about the nature of fanboy enthusiasm and aging. Johnson, now 40-years-old, no longer as much time to devote to gaming, let along waiting in line for a gaming console, but he also didn’t want to see his legacy fizzle out. So instead he recruited Pekala to continue on and capture his own piece of celebrity starting with the Switch.

With less than a week left until the Nintendo Switch release date, Pekala only has a few more days left to go before he, and the rest of the Nintendo fan base, get their hands on the latest console. Of course, not everybody is going to be lucky enough to buy a Nintendo Switch on Day 1 – supplies are limited – but those who are dedicated enough will likely come away with one, and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Look for more details on Alex Pekala’s story and whether or not he was successful in his endeavor next week.

The Nintendo Switch releases March 3, 2017.