Fans around the world queue up in long lines for the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 launch

TOKYO (AP) — Throngs of gamers stood in long lines outside of stores hours before they opened Thursday from Tokyo to New York City in hopes of snaring a long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 video game console.

Enthusiasts have been clamoring for an upgrade to Nintendo's eight-year-old predecessor for years. Nintendo, which is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales, has added new social features meant to lure players into online gaming.

The much anticipated Switch 2, being released around the world Thursday, is an upgrade to its eight-year-old predecessor with new social features meant to draw players into online gaming. Nintendo is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales.

In the U.S., a chaotic pre-order process in April left some fans frustrated after the consoles quickly sold out. People lined up early Thursday at stores in hopes of buying one.

“I'm just rolling the dice here,” said Edgar Huo, who was in a line of about 25 outside of a Target in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Many of those waiting for the store to open had ordered online, but a few like Huo hoped for a chance at purchasing any extra inventory the store had.

In Japan, the new consoles were sold through a competitive lottery system that Nintendo said got about 2.2 million applications.

Outside the official draw, some retailers offered their own lotteries to pre-order the devices.

Koji Takahashi was among those who missed out on the official draw but he was selected in the second round of a lottery held by a major electronics retailer in Japan.

He was first in line waiting outside the store, arriving four hours ahead of its opening. He hoped to secure a limited supply of Nintendo accessories to buy along with his pre-ordered Switch 2.

“I feel very sorry for those who weren’t successful in the lottery. But I also had tough time getting this far, so I hope they forgive me!” Takahashi said.

Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser told CBS Morning Plus today that the company is aware of the demand for its newest system and is working to get units into the hands of customers.

“We have a steady supply of manufacturing that will be coming in, and we believe we’ll be able to meet that demand all the way through the summer, through Father’s Day and then on into the holiday period also,” Bowser said.

The new console comes with a larger and higher resolution screen than its predecessor, with improved processing power, offering smoother and more vivid graphics. Central to its updated system is a new “C” button on its controller, which will launch a “GameChat” feature that requires a subscription to Nintendo’s Switch online service. It allows players to “communicate with friends and family while playing a game,” and lets them share their game screen with others. A built-in microphone will also allow chatting with other gamers.

Nintendo has said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026.

The company also rolled out new Switch 2 editions for two of its popular “Legend of Zelda” games. A Pokemon title and a Kirby game are also coming, as well as offerings from outside video game publishers.

The Switch 2’s rollout arrives at an uncertain time for much of the gaming industry due to new tariffs implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In the U.S., the Switch 2’s baseline launch price is $449.99 — significantly higher than the original Switch’s $299 price tag.

U.S. preorders for the Switch 2 were delayed for several weeks so the company could assess the potential impact of tariffs.

Nintendo Switch 2 devices are ready for sale at the Nintendo store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A Nintendo Switch 2 is sold at the Nintendo store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A stack of the Nintendo Switch 2 devices are handed off at the Nintendo store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A Nintendo store cashier places a Switch 2 in a bag for a customer at the Nintendo store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A stack of Nintendo Switch 2 devices is restocked at the Nintendo store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

People wait in line outside the Nintendo store in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A customer receives the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game console at a Target store on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A customer presents a pre-order ticket for the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game console at a Target store on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

People line up outside a Target store for the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Shawn Chen)

People line up outside a Target store for the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A customer receives the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game console at a Target store on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

People line up outside a Target store for the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Darren Stallcup, left, of San Francisco reacts as Nicholas Oehlberg, right, of San Francisco documents the event as they play the Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2 game with others at the Nintendo Store for a pre-launch event for the Ninentdo Switch 2 on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in San Francisco. (Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A customer purchases Nintendo Switch 2 at an electronics retailer in Tokyo, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Staff and members of the public try the Nintendo Switch 2 during a launch event at an electronics retailer in Tokyo, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

A customer purchases Nintendo Switch 2 at an electronics retailer in Tokyo, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

A customer purchases Nintendo Switch 2 at an electronics retailer in Tokyo, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Customers lin up to purchase Nintendo Switch 2 at an electronics retailer in Tokyo, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions Wednesday that would have put a check on President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela.

Democrats forced the votes using war powers resolutions as Trump has stepped up his threats against the South American nation and Congress has questioned how the U.S. military is conducting a campaign that has destroyed 26 vessels allegedly carrying drugs and killed at least 99 people, including an attack Wednesday. The legislation would have forced the Trump administration to seek authorization from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels that it deems to be terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere or launching an attack on Venezuela itself.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that Trump's aggressions in the region were really because “the president is coveting Venezuelan oil.”

They were the first votes in the House on Trump's military campaign in Central and South America. A majority of Republicans in the Senate had previously voted against similar resolutions, and Trump would almost certainly veto them if they were to pass Congress. But Democrats forced the votes as a way to bring up a debate about the military campaign and force Republicans to go on the record about supporting it.

Republican leaders have increasingly expressed support for Trump's campaign, even as it potentially escalates into a direct confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier Wednesday that he didn't know whether the Trump administration had “publicly stated” that they wanted regime change, but “I would certainly not have a problem if that was their position.”

“Maduro is a cancer on that continent,” added Thune, R-S.D.

Still, the Trump administration has not sought congressional authorization for its recent actions in the Caribbean, arguing instead that it can destroy drug-carrying boats just as it would handle terrorist threats against the U.S. That rationale, however, has led to deep scrutiny of the strikes, especially after it was revealed that a Sept. 2 operation killed two people who had survived an initial attack.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top national security officials briefed members of Congress on Tuesday. They defended the campaign as a successful counter-narcotic effort that has cut into the drug supply entering the U.S., but did not clue in Congress about its ultimate goals when it comes to Venezuela.

The Navy admiral who ordered the strike on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors was also back on Capitol Hill Wednesday for classified briefings with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

After viewing the video of the strike in question, lawmakers emerged with contrasting responses. Republicans mostly backed the decision-making that led up to the strike, saying it was based on exact intelligence and careful decision-making. Democrats said the sight of a missile strike on two people clinging to the wreckage of a boat was shocking and should be made public.

“I think there are serious questions about criminal culpability here, and there is certainly a need for more intensive federal investigation,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.

Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and former Marine who served in Iraq, said Wednesday’s briefing confirmed his concerns and led him to determine that the two survivors who were killed were “helpless” and that there was “significant evidence that they were not continuing their mission.”

GOP lawmakers, however, appeared ready to move on from investigations that had been opened under the Republican-controlled committees. Rep. Mike Rogers, the GOP chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said his panel’s investigation into the Sept. 2 boat strike is over.

He also said the video of the follow-up strike, which killed two survivors of the initial attack, should not be released to the public unless it’s “declassified to the level that we don’t compromise tactics, techniques and procedures.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters, “I think we know all we’re going to know as a matter of oversight.”

The resolutions Wednesday were brought under the War Powers Act of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war. And the debate in Congress showed there is still some hesitancy among Republicans to fully endorse an ongoing conflict.

Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who retired from the Air Force with a rank of brigadier general, said that while he believes the boat strike was lawful, the Trump administration should seek authorizations from Congress.

“I think the mission was right," he said after the briefing with Bradley. "But continued hostility does require congressional approval.”

Democrats also repeatedly challenged whether Trump's goals are in fact about halting drug trafficking and preventing overdose deaths. They stridently criticized the president for pardoning former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández after he was sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the U.S.

A few GOP lawmakers have joined them, noting the escalation of hostilities against Venezuela has failed to keep Trump's campaign promises to disengage from military commitments overseas.

“If it were about drugs, we'd bomb Mexico or China or Colombia,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, as he pointed out that those countries were actually where illegal drugs originate.

“This is about oil and regime change,” he added.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth walks to the auditorium to brief members of Congress on military strikes near Venezuela at the Capitol, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)