The gaming world was caught by surprise when an actual Nintendo Switch was leaked in a video. As it turned out, the console was stolen.
Nintendo released an official statement saying the Switch console used in the said video was in fact stolen. According to Nintendo's statement, more than one Switch units were stolen by a group of individuals from a U.S. distributor. Of the stolen lot, one was resold illegally. Nintendo has also identified the perpetrators who have since been terminated from their jobs and are facing criminal investigation. The Japanese gaming company also stressed that the incident was an isolated one.
A NeoGaf user who goes by hiphoptherobot posted the video showing the Nintendo Switch a few days ago. At first, it was claimed that the unit was sent out early as a result of a shipping gaffe. Supposedly the Switch in question was delivered by an anonymous retailer two weeks earlier than scheduled. The uploader later said that he has returned the console to Nintendo.
To the poster's defense, he explained that he was not aware that the Nintendo Switch he received was stolen. He only realized so after he uploaded the video to VidMe. Kotaku got hold of hiphoptherobot who detailed that Nintendo explained to him the circumstances behind the console and that he returned it because it was "within [Nintendo's] rights" to want it back. A bit of controversy surrounding the sudden return of the Switch surfaced with some claiming that hiphoptherobot was bullied into surrendering the console. He stressed that he wasn't comfortable keeping the console which is why he returned it. He also took down the video.
The video showed that the Switch required an initial set-up of putting it online and connecting it to a TV before the JoyCon controllers are configured. Once done, the user can create his or her account using a pre-selected avatar. One important detail revealed in the video is that the Switch only has 29.5GB of internal storage.
