Nintendo says it can't make enough Switch consoles to meet demand.

The Japanese firm on Thursday (November 4) cut its forecast for sales of the device by 6%.

It now expects to make 24 million over the full year.

The slowdown comes as a global shortage of chips hampers production.

And Nintendo says there is no sign of the situation improving.

The firm said it could not give any estimate for how long the problem will last.

The Switch has been a smash hit for the firm, but is now in its fifth year on the market.

Analysts were already watching for signs of a sales slowdown.

Over the six months to the end of September shipments were down by a third.

Nintendo's second quarter operating profit tumbled by a similar amount, sliding to $880 million.

In October the firm launched an upgraded version of the Switch though, and early data indicate that it is giving sales a boost.

Nintendo is also banking on a series of high-profile game launches, including a new Pokemon title.