More than 3.5 million units of Nintendo's top model Switch 2 video game console were sold by the company in the four-day span after it came out, with online stockpiles of major-box American retailers featuring "out of stock" messages.

The record Switch 2 console launch for Nintendo's first new console in eight years places Nintendo in a position to achieve its target of selling 15 million units of the Switch 2 console in the period ending March 2026.

However, experts still believe that expectations are modest and forecast the original strong demand to be sustained.

"The market was expecting a record from Nintendo, and, as it turns out, Nintendo did," said Serkan Toto, founder and CEO of gaming industry consultancy Kantan Games.

"Everything up until the launch suggested massive demand, and I believe we will keep seeing records fall in the weeks and months ahead," he said.

Toto has stood firm that Switch 2 will sell more than 20 million units in the first 12 months. David Gibson, a senior research analyst at MST Financial, said to CNBC he is forecasting 20 million sales for the year through March 2026.

The Switch 2, which launched on June 5, has also performed well, with people waiting out late night openings at Nintendo retail stores.

"Fans around the globe are sharing their enthusiasm for Nintendo Switch 2 as a next-level way to play at home and away," Nintendo of America President and Chief Operating Officer Doug Bowser said in a statement, responding to the reaction the company received.

Nintendo stocks traded in Tokyo, up nearly 30% so far this year, declined 3.5% on Wednesday, LSEG data showed. The company has had its shares increase nearly fivefold since the first Switch came out in early March 2017.

Whether the Switch 2 can repeat the stunt of the original, which had set a benchmark of 15 million unit sales within the first year, remains to be seen. It continued to sell more than 152 million units to become the second best-selling Nintendo console of all time, following the Nintendo DS.

The Switch's record-breaking initial sales were consistent with the high demand that analysts had anticipated. However, the frenzy raised questions as to whether Nintendo could keep up with demand.

Retailers like Walmart, GameStop, Target, and Best Buy were out of the consoles, their websites reported on Wednesday.

In April, Nintendo's Bowser, whom the company had been cooperating with "retail partners to make sure there's plenty of supply for not only launch weekend, but far beyond."

But, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa revealed in the same month that 2.2 million Japanese citizens had entered their names into the lottery to purchase the Switch 2 on release day, more than expected and what the company had originally planned to sell to retailers.

Kantan Games' Toto further stated that Japan's shortages would likely continue but with smaller effects elsewhere.

"Outside of Japan where demand for Switch 2 is very high, it appears that enthusiasts who badly want the console and are willing to go to the trouble of attempting to acquire one do," he said. "It may be a long wait, but to the extent that supply can be tracked, it appears to be stronger than it was at the launch of the first Switch in 2017."

President Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" against almost the entire world also pose threats to the Switch 2. In April, it said it would delay preordering of Switch 2 in the United States until consideration of the impact of tariffs. Switch 2 costs $449 in the United States, and it is the most costly console by Nintendo so far.

Nintendo's Bowser in April stated that the company was set to "watch where tariffs are headed" prior to deciding further price hikes. MST Financial's Gibson said a resolution of Trump's tariffs and lowered duty rates could cause the Switch 2 prices to fall in the U.S.

The Switch 2 is an upgrade of the original Switch, which has a larger screen and enhanced performance. The console also has the new feature of GameChat2, where players can voice or video call gamers online and share game screens.