By The Switch 2 is set at $450 in the United States, rising to $500 for a package that additionally includes a copy of Mario Kart World. Following Nintendo’s reveal of the pricing during a Nintendo Direct presentation this week, many individuals expressed their opinions about it—and now brands have begun to respond.
Duolingo, the language-learning company, tweeted this week, “Gamers, study Japanese to save $133!” This message refers to how Nintendo will introduce a “Domestic Only” console that will be priced at ¥49,980, equating to about $340. This console is region-locked and only features Japanese as the default language. Duolingo saw a chance for a humorous take here, while promoting its own services.
The inaugural Nintendo Treehouse Live event this week for the Switch 2 commenced with viewers flooding the comments, urging the company to lower the console’s price. Nintendo, of course, is unlikely to do this, and some analysts believe that there may not be any price reductions before 2030 at the earliest.
The Switch 2, which comes with a higher price tag than the original Switch ($300 USD in 2017), was always anticipated, and the price point reflects the impact of tariffs and increased component costs. Nintendo may have felt encouraged to proceed with a pricier model after observing Sony launch the PS5 Pro for $700, according to some sources. Another analyst believes Nintendo set the price of $450+ for the Switch 2 simply because they can.
“Nintendo is setting this price because they believe they can and that consumers will pay,” analyst Serkan Toto mentioned.
The Switch 2 is expected to sell exceptionally well in its first year due to pent-up demand and the tendency for new products to launch with a buying demographic that is less sensitive to price. However, in the second year and beyond, the Switch 2 might attract a more mature and/or affluent audience, analysts suggest, partly due to its price. Overall, the Switch 2 is not expected to surpass the original Switch, which has sold over 150 million units globally.
Switch 2 games are also being criticized for their pricing, particularly concerning Mario Kart World. Its digital edition will retail for $80, which is $10-$20 higher than the current average for AAA games. Nintendo has provided no explanation or justification for the increased price, although one retailer noted that video game prices must rise to offset increasing development and production costs.
For further details, check out GameSpot’s hands-on previews.