As a result of "market conditions", Nintendo has decided to increase the price of a number of products. Starting August 3rd, all original Nintendo Switch models (including the OLED and Lite) will see a price hike, in addition to the Alarmo, amiibo, and other Switch and Switch 2 accessories. The Nintendo Switch 2 and its games will not see any price changes, at this time, though Nintendo does state that price adjustments to those items might still happen in the future. Nintendo did not specify what the new prices will be in the United States--at the time of writing, a Switch OLED Edition retails for $349.99, a Lite retails for $199.99, and the original Switch model is priced at $299.99.

[UPDATE] American retailer Target has already changed the prices of the Nintendo Switch units on its website, ahead of the date Nintendo specified. Currently, the original Switch has an MSRP of $339.99, the OLED is $399.99, and the Lite is $229.99.

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[Uninstallme]

The price hike is to make people buy the switch 2, people will pay $50 more for a new console than an old one. It's Nintendo's marketing scheme

True, they no longer want to sell Switch...making the Switch 2 base stronger it becomes more attractive for companies to produce games for it.

 

[dalmatian666]

Responding to both here since this relates to both, but it says quite a lot when even mid-high range computers can't run games like Dragon's Dogma 2 or Monster Hunter Wilds well (due to being so poorly optimized that only high-end PCs have any hope of brute-forcing their way through that), and some newer games can't even run on a Steam Deck well (I have a Steam Deck myself, so I'm well aware of this). It's funny how people are so eager to parrot the "Steam Deck is the Switch killer" vibes, yet completely ignore the fact that the thing was already showing its age once the hype for it died down. And even that's ignoring the fact that the only real advertising it has outside of Steam is word of mouth.

Correct, i mean if you want to go on the handheld hill to play modern pc games, you would be better off spending a bit extra and getting the ROG Ally X. Blows the Steam Deck out of the water, you can still easily run steam, emulators and other shit on it, plus you have the added bonus of being able to run your xbox collection on it. Let alone the fact that it also natively supports directx, unlike the steam deck.

 

[ChronosNotashi]

Correct, i mean if you want to go on the handheld hill to play modern pc games, you would be better off spending a bit extra and getting the ROG Ally X. Blows the Steam Deck out of the water, you can still easily run steam, emulators and other shit on it, plus you have the added bonus of being able to run your xbox collection on it. Let alone the fact that it also natively supports directx, unlike the steam deck.

Pretty much, yeah. Main benefit of Steam Deck is being able to play Steam games without being tied to Windows, but trust me when I say that the "Verified" tag can be misleading. I always have to double-check with protondb and other sites to make sure of what games will actually work and/or any adjustments that may be needed for optimal performance.

 

[balemoc]

A reminder that Chinese manufactures/producers just label their goods using other countries i.e. 'Made in Vietnam' to avoid US tariffs and ship away anyway.

Post automatically merged: Aug 4, 2025

True, they no longer want to sell Switch...making the Switch 2 base stronger it becomes more attractive for companies to produce games for it.

So Nintendo, to attract more Switch 2 sales, are screwing over retailers that stocked up on the Switch 1 ...??? or is there some kind of cost offset for brick and mortar stores (I've never worked in sales)

I will be keeping an eye out for cheap 'NEW/Bxoed Unpatched Switch 1 (-01) units

 

[CobaltMN]

So Nintendo, to attract more Switch 2 sales, are screwing over retailers that stocked up on the Switch 1 ...??? or is there some kind of cost offset for brick and mortar stores (I've never worked in sales)

I've heard that retailers actually like these kind of price hikes, because they get more money from their markup. The product may not move as many units, but at EOL, they probably aren't ordering that many new consoles anyway.

 

[Citizen_404]

My take on this: the tariffs are affecting the Switch 2 profit margins, but Nintendo doesn't want to raise the Switch 2 retail price now (they want to wait until after Christmas).

So, they are raising the price of everything else, just to compensate. They know this isn't going to bring in much, and it won't last (how many Switch 1's are they gonna sell at this point), but they have to do something to avoid losing money.

 

[SonicMC]

"Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser said: the company recognize there are some people that may not be able to afford [the Switch 2's] price point. That's why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available, so [people] still have an opportunity to come into our gaming universe, be a part of these characters in these worlds, and see value, if you will, in whatever rung of the platform they come in."

Actually we really want you to buy the switch 2. If we wanted you to buy a switch 1 because you couldn't afford the switch 2... We would of lowered the price of the switch 1 products... but we raised them. Have a nice day.

 

[balemoc]

Actually we really want you to buy the switch 2. If we wanted you to buy a switch 1 because you couldn't afford the switch 2... We would of lowered the price of the switch 1 products... but we raised them. Have a nice day.

Right? Like, I want to see the parent's reaction upon hearing that reasoning of Doug Bowser on the price increase of the older Gen, yet the newer one didnt increase.

"oh, that's already marked up to our current projection" ~Doug Bowser, Nintendo for sure

Post automatically merged: Aug 4, 2025

I've heard that retailers actually like these kind of price hikes, because they get more money from their markup. The product may not move as many units, but at EOL, they probably aren't ordering that many new consoles anyway.

i feel like that's preying on the older grandparents not knowing the Switch 1 will be 9-years old, yet priced closer to the Switch 2

If I was branch manager or franchise owner, I'd want my staff to throw out that caution for the uninformed

The savings signs during Christmas will look better, but it's not like the current price was priced for a loss (EBGames, AU)

 

[Samus12345]

This is how you kill a console. Look at Octopath Traveler. It’s not even going to be available for Switch.

I assume you're talking about Octopath Traveler 0? It is going to be on the Switch 1, and the physical cart will have the whole game on it, unlike the Switch 2 version.

EDIT: I looked it up and saw the first game was temporarily removed for sale on Switch 1, so that might be what you were referring to. It's back now, though.

 

[spectral]

Correct, i mean if you want to go on the handheld hill to play modern pc games, you would be better off spending a bit extra and getting the ROG Ally X. Blows the Steam Deck out of the water, you can still easily run steam, emulators and other shit on it, plus you have the added bonus of being able to run your xbox collection on it. Let alone the fact that it also natively supports directx, unlike the steam deck.

The thing is steamos is just a nicer experience out of the box. Windows on a handheld can be a buggy pain in the arse. The steam deck is still the best option if you dont want to play mostly AAA games. Sure its easy to say windows is fine but this is an enthusiast site, we're biased and generally much more tech savvy and willing to tinker/mod than your average consumer.

I picked a steam deck because I wanted OLED, its fast enough for what I need it to do and the price is reasonable. Anything it can't run I'm happy to run on my much more powerful desktop PC.

 

[dalmatian666]

The thing is steamos is just a nicer experience out of the box. Windows on a handheld can be a buggy pain in the arse. The steam deck is still the best option if you dont want to play mostly AAA games. Sure its easy to say windows is fine but this is an enthusiast site, we're biased and generally much more tech savvy and willing to tinker/mod than your average consumer.

I picked a steam deck because I wanted OLED, its fast enough for what I need it to do and the price is reasonable. Anything it can't run I'm happy to run on my much more powerful desktop PC.

Steam OS is just running a custom fork of Linux, nothing special. Which then severely limits what you can and can't play on it because a lot of PC games either don't support linux full stop or they don't support OpenGL/Vulkan which is pretty much the same thing. Since the ally runs like a portable version of windows, if you have to have it like the deck you could always set up a dual boot with linux/windows and have a toggle when you wanted to use either windows/gog games or steam games/steamos in the bios bootup. I don't own either, only a switch 2, but the Ally is what i would be buying if i had the money atm to get another handheld.

 

[spectral]

Steam OS is just running a custom fork of Linux, nothing special. Which then severely limits what you can and can't play on it because a lot of PC games either don't support linux full stop or they don't support OpenGL/Vulkan which is pretty much the same thing. Since the ally runs like a portable version of windows, if you have to have it like the deck you could always set up a dual boot with linux/windows and have a toggle when you wanted to use either windows/gog games or steam games/steamos in the bios bootup. I don't own either, only a switch 2, but the Ally is what i would be buying if i had the money atm to get another handheld.

I looked at all of them and for me the Deck is what made more sense. Not saying its the answer for everyone. To say Steamos is nothing special is unfair. They have made a great UI specifically suited to the form factor of these devices, regardless of what it is actually running underneath it. I'm sorry but those windows devices dont come close in that regard. You are right it has some major downsides which I am sure for some peoples needs would be a deal breaker. For me personally I got it because it was a good price, I didn't want an LCD screen and it can run everything I need it too.

 

[dalmatian666]

I looked at all of them and for me the Deck is what made more sense. Not saying its the answer for everyone. To say Steamos is nothing special is unfair. They have made a great UI specifically suited to the form factor of these devices, regardless of what it is actually running underneath it. I'm sorry but those windows devices dont come close in that regard. You are right it has some major downsides which I am sure for some peoples needs would be a deal breaker. For me personally I got it because it was a good price, I didn't want an LCD screen and it can run everything I need it too.

I mean your right about the price thing. The steam deck, especially the base and middle models are incredibly fairly priced and affordable. When you see the retroid and high end emulator portables selling for 80% of the price of the base steam model it tells you that either the steam deck is selling for less than it should, or the retroid handhelds are way overpriced. I'm leaning towards the latter. Just feel that for me personally, if i wanted a portable pc handheld i'd rather get the ROG Ally (personally). I do see the appeal of the deck though, none of what ive said has refered otherwise. Recently though when i was wanting a handheld i only had the money for either a switch 2 or base deck and chose the deck. Mainly for the nintendo exclusives, nearly 100% backwards compatibility with switch 1 titles, actually being able to own your games physically unlike pc (except gog) and the fact that the chance of a switch 2 emulator like yuzu, ryujinx or sudachi being made anytime in the near future is next to zero. Still there is definately a debate to choose any of these options and it make sense for you (apart from the overpriced retroid pocket 5).

 

[Deleted member 702243]

Steam OS is just running a custom fork of Linux, nothing special. Which then severely limits what you can and can't play on it because a lot of PC games either don't support linux full stop or they don't support OpenGL/Vulkan which is pretty much the same thing.

games dont need to support opengl or vulkan to work on linux

 

[dalmatian666]

games dont need to support opengl or vulkan to work on linux

Well directx is made by microsoft and afaik, the steam deck doesn't natively support it. So developers on PC would have to rework their products game by game to work on it.

 

[spectral]

Well directx is made by microsoft and afaik, the steam deck doesn't natively support it. So developers on PC would have to rework their products game by game to work on it.

There is Proton for that and especially over the last year or two it has gotten really good. The only things linux really has a problem with now are Game Pass, which is artifically locked to windows by MS and games that use Anti Cheat software. Technically the Anti Cheat could work as all the major players have a linux version of it available, but devs seem very reluctant to support it so far.

 

[BeniBel]

Why the heck is everyone increasing their prices? I recall Microsoft or/and Sony doing the same, it's insane, especially for such old models!

 

[The Real Jdbye]

A reminder that Chinese manufactures/producers just label their goods using other countries i.e. 'Made in Vietnam' to avoid US tariffs and ship away anyway.

Post automatically merged: Aug 4, 2025

So Nintendo, to attract more Switch 2 sales, are screwing over retailers that stocked up on the Switch 1 ...??? or is there some kind of cost offset for brick and mortar stores (I've never worked in sales)

I will be keeping an eye out for cheap 'NEW/Bxoed Unpatched Switch 1 (-01) units

Retailers that already stocked up on consoles actually benefit. Because they get to increase their prices while the cost of the stock they already had is fixed. They might choose to sell out of their remaining stock at the existing prices, and increase the prices when they get new stock, but odds are most will probably increase their prices immediately.

 

[dalmatian666]

Why the heck is everyone increasing their prices? I recall Microsoft or/and Sony doing the same, it's insane, especially for such old models!

Unless you are buying a switch 1/2 for portability and the exclusives on it, buying a console makes ZERO sense anymore. When i was growing up consoles got CHEAPER as time passed, and after a short period of time, their best selling games got either greatest hits or "platinum" versions of their best games, where Sony/Nintendo/Xbox halved the RRP of them. Even the Wii U not long ago did this. Most worse selling games apart from limited print JRPGs and cult niche games got cheaper even quicker than that. Now they not only keep the prices high years after release, they don't even give you a physical copy that you can play without an internet connection anymore. With all the deserved backlash Nintendo has had over the Switch 2 carts, at least all the games they are involved with are 100% playable offline. Also with all the monitoring and how easily you can get your account banned on XBOX/Sony or Nintendo your digital collections existance is tenative at best. Since they can take that off you if you say the wrong words or say "hate speech" (Sony/M$) or have the nerve to use a MIG cart to dump your own games onto to save storage space on your switch 2, so you dont have to keep changing them everytime you wanted to play a different game you own. You can argue that Steam can do the same thing but ive never heard of anyone having their games taken from them completely from their platform for saying racial slurs (i dont agree with them, but you can't just steal away peoples titles because you said a horrible thing to someone). They might "ban" you in extreme circumstances on steam for saying something extreme, but the difference is that ban only extends to blocking you from FUTURE purchases. Hell, even if you were foolish enough to buy a third party key from a dodgy website, steam just takes THAT game away, it doesn't screw with the rest of the stuff you bought. Also, it doesn't prevent you from logging in and redownloading all the games you already own. The only exception to this rule is if someone uses a VPN to get new releases for pennies to the dollar because of regional pricing, thats the only time your library is in danger and easily avoidable.

Honestly if the other three console makers want to continue to push these stupid game prices, and not put them fully on the physical discs they sell either, they need to implement a system similar to steam to safeguard what you have already bought. If any other industry did this to there customers they would be looking at multi billion dollar lawsuits. I do not see this happening though, in fact its just getting worse. MicroCrap have now made it so you have to give them you're social security details just to play age restricted games you have already bought on their console (Already happening in the UK, soon to be implemented in Ireland, EU, US, Canada and Australia soon. So the next time they get hacked, you are not only going to lose your credit card and residental information, they are going to have all the other information the hackers need to completely steal your identity from you potentially making you an illegal citizen in your own birth country if you happen to have lost your birth certificate. Gaming is going to die very soon (not completely, you will see an explosion in people returning to retro games) but for modern games i can't see this lasting much longer. FOMO, Ultimate editions that only include 1 season pass of DLC out of 4 of them, Scumbag 100 page EULAs that noone does or will ever read which they can change as often as they like, overinflated prices on gaming hardware and software, DEI brainwashing injected into games without any disclaimer of them doing so, them wanting much more personal information off you than they have any right to, physical copies becoming paperweights, Sony/MS/Nintendo having the ability to lock you out of your digital library for any reason they wish, game costs never decreasing in price over time (consoles) and companies that wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. Gaming is going nowhere fast and as far as im concerned, these companies (along with the EAs/Ubislop/Activision's/Bandai Namco's etc) deserve the financial losses that are coming their way in the very near future. And they will all only have themselves and their own greed to blame.

 

[doorbell8423]

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