In addition to a new console and lineup of games, Nintendo also revealed some sticker shock at its Switch 2 event last week. The console will cost $449.99 â a big jump from the original Switch, which debuted at $299.99 in 2017. Some have speculated that the price hike was at least partly due to the ongoing confusion around President Donald Trumpâs planned tariffs. The timing was certainly awkward; Trump announced a fresh, wide-ranging wave of global tariffs the same day as Nintendoâs event.
But Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser says that tariffs did not directly impact the consoleâs original price tag. âPut [the April 2nd announcement] aside. Any previous tariffs were not factored into the price itself,â he explained, speaking to me the day after the event.
That may be true, but the impact of the April 2nd tariff announcement is already being felt. Just two days after its event, Nintendo announced that it was delaying Switch 2 preorders, which were originally slated to begin on April 9th, in order to âassess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.â Thereâs currently no new preorder date, and whether the price of the console will …
