Where to Buy Nintendo Switch in Singapore?

It’s been over two decades since I last had my own game console – and no, PC does not count as a game console. I had owned a Nintendo and a Sega previously, and that’s about it. Had some fun with the Super Famicon and Playstations, but those were temporary loans from friends and not my own.

The itch in me grew. So about two months back I decided to buy a new game console – the Nintendo Switch. And in this article, you will learn about where to buy a Nintendo Switch in Singapore, the cost and the caveats.

Why a Nintendo Switch and not a Playstation 4?

I had very specific requirements for the next game console and the Nintendo Switch ticked most of the boxes.

1. A secondary game console; not a primary.
   I have a PC at home which satisfies most of my gaming cravings. I am not invested in the latest AAA titles and so do not need a state of the art PC to keep up with the ever growing demands that these titles need in order to have a good gaming experience.
2. A mobile gaming device to replace my mobile phone on those long flights.
   I can never be satisfy with the type of games available on the Android platform. Of the games I had played before, they never really provide me the kind of experience I enjoyed. Either the storyline is too shallow, not immersive enough or they will need you to wait for hours for something to be built or to regain energy *face palmed*.
3. Availability of genres that I enjoy.
   Personally, i enjoy my action RPGs, JRPGs and SLGs. And they are all available on the Switch. Trials of Mana will be available soon, I am halfway through Octopath Traveller and then there are Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and Super Robot Wars T!
4. A game console that my wife and friends can all enjoy, together.
   There are a mountain of titles available on the Nintendo Switch right now, good “feminine” or party titles.

Update: 21 Jul 2019

Over a week ago, Nintendo announced the all-new Nintendo Switch Lite! The new Switch Lite is US$100 cheaper than the Switch but also lacks some of the existing Switch features. You may want to read more about the Nintendo Switch Lite and see if it fits your requirements.

So where can I buy the Nintendo Switch in Singapore?

There are, in fact, plenty of avenues to get your Nintendo Switch in Singapore.

My main considerations were around convenience (where to get them and when I can get them), cost and reliability (in the event that I have issues with my Nintendo Switch).

With the above considerations, I am happy to recommend the following:

1. War Games. Paid S$560 for the standard Nintendo Switch (local set with 12 months warranty by Maxsoft) with 2 games bundle. It is about S$440 for the Nintendo Switch console alone and S$120 for the 2 games. Their brick and mortar store can be found at 61, Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, #01-13, Jubilee Square (opposite S11) Blk 720 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 #01-4112 Singapore, Singapore 560720.
2. Qisahn. At the time of this post, the Nintendo Switch has a price tag of S$439 (local set). If you are wondering why I chose War Games over Qisahn, the reason is really simple. War Games is nearer to where I stay compared to Qisahn and I was quite anxious to get the switch and did not want to wait it out. Qisahn, similar to War Games, also have a physical store, their address is 545, Orchard Road, #05-11, Far East Shopping Centre.
3. Shopitree. Shopitree is another game store that is widely recommended by the gaming community in Singapore. The local sets with 12 months warranty by Maxsoft goes for S$459. Like War Games and Qisahn, Shopitree also has their own physical stores – one in Bukit Batok, one in Plaza Singapura and another at Bugis Junction. Details of their stores can be found here.
4. Lazada / Shopee. At Lazada and Shopee, you can find export sets for as low as S$390 and local sets around S$440. Do be warned that the export sets might have anything from 0-6 months warranty. I will prefer to go with the local sets and more specifically, sets with 12 months warranty from Maxsoft. If you can afford to wait, Lazada and Shopee can be a very economical avenue to purchase your Nintendo Switch. Wait for sales events and double down on the discounts with credit card promo codes!
   Qisahn and Shopitree also have their own Lazada (Qisahn|Shopitree) and Shopee (Qisahn|Shopitree) stores. Unless you are going for the export sets, it’s worth considering buying from reputable local stores instead, even if you are buying through Lazada / Shopee.

I had considered buying from the usual game shops in the shopping malls. However, more often than not, you need to pay a premium for the convenience, so it’s a no-go with me.

Does warranty really matters?

Usually it doesn’t. However for high-value purchases, I prefer not to take the risk.

I took the risk with a S$700 Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air laptop from Xiaomi’s official store on Tmall once. And that was a really really bad experience. The laptop had faulty RAMs and there was no shop in Singapore that can repair the issue. Finally found a shop in Singapore who tried their luck and returned me a dead laptop weeks later. In a last attempt to revive the dead piece of metal, I sent it to a laptop repair shop in Shenzhen. The technician told me the local shop (in Singapore) had damaged my motherboard and even replaced my processor with another processor (that was of a lower spec to the original). It was cheaper to get a new laptop than to repair it, considering the state it was in.

What I am trying to say is, warranty matters especially if you are talking about an expensive purchase.

Still can’t relate? Now let me quote you a Nintendo Switch example.

Nintendo Switch graphics artifacting

I will let the video above do the talking.

And long story short, the kind gentlemen at War Games gave me a 1-to-1 exchange the next day seeing the artifacts. I think this is fairly uncommon in Singapore – it’s the first time they experience such issues. Kudos to War Games for the positive experience. Imagine my horror to see a S$600 bundle artifacting minutes into testing the console.

Final words?

I hope this entry will help anyone who’s looking to get a Nintendo Switch in Singapore make an easier and quicker decision.

So now that you had decided where to get your Nintendo Switch, I am sure you will be thinking about games, peripherals and accessories next.
I will be penning down entries around them in the next few weeks!

Update: 17 Oct 2020

War Games moved from Jubilee Square to Blk 720 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 #01-4112 Singapore, Singapore 560720.

Update: 26 Jul 2020

Now you know where to buy your Nintendo Switch console in Singapore, perhaps you will also like to know what are the 5 must-have Nintendo Switch Accessories to get started with?