Nintendo is reacting, just like the rest of us, with sheer horror to current chaos within the global economy. Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders have been delayed in the US and now Canada, so Nintendo can “assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions”. Nintendo hasn’t announced when or if its Switch 2 prices will change, but there is plenty of reason to worry for many budget-minded consumers. One thing we do know for sure is that those wanting a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order are kind of out of luck in major markets.
During the reveal of the console, Nintendo was very cagey about game and console pricing; something the internet immediately grew suspicious of. And now we know why. With that console itself being priced at USD 450 and $629 CAD, there were a lot of people already balking at the higher price point. Then the news of certain big-ticket releases being priced at USD 80 further russled everyone’s jimmies.
The statement, released to press, reads as follows, “pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”
The US Trump administration is squarely to blame here. Their decision to move ahead with roundly criticized across-the-board tariffs, faced stiff backlash. This is, of course, causing speculative game console price increases to be the least of our collective worries. Stock and bond markets were in full rout this past week as traders sought any kind of refuge from a full-blown market meltdown.
Nintendo hasn’t yet commented on the negative reaction to the overall price increases we’ve already seen. But one thing has a lot of people scratching their heads. During a media roundtable Q&A with the Switch 2’s hardware architects last week, a moderator shut down questioning about the price, saying the panel was there to answer questions about “the fun stuff” instead.
Nintendo leader Doug Bowser has now had his own moment in the spotlight. His statement over Switch 2 pricing has now draw significant pushback on social media. He said the following: “Some people […] may not be able to afford [the Switch 2’s] price point. That’s why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available.”
Bowser did offer a bit more clarity on Nintendo’s thinking with pricing, adding: “As we look at Nintendo Switch 2 and you think about the feature sets that I talked about … we believe that the pricing is appropriate for the value of the machine and the gameplay experience overall,” he said.
The prescient callback to a time when the Xbox One launch, where the call of “stick with 360” became a rallying cry against always-on DRM in the console. Which is something Nintendo was also criticized for with it’s new Game Key Card scheme to tie physical cards to digital downloads.
All these announcements and chaos follow a week of absolute madness in global markets. J.P.Morgan said it now sees a 60% chance of the global economy entering recession by year end, up from 40% previously. Whether even more madness from scalpers trying to snipe every Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order in existence will follow is uncertain.
