After much speculation, Nintendo has finally followed their competitors in announcing price increases for their hardware.

You can find a breakdown of what's changing below:

Nintendo Switch 2

• United States: $449.99 ➜ $499.99 (11% increase)
• Canada: $629.99 ➜ $679.99 (7% increase)
• Europe: €469.99 ➜ €499.99 (6% increase)

Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese-Language System

• Japan: ¥49,980 ➜ ¥59,980 (20% increase)

Nintendo Switch OLED

• Japan: ¥37,980 ➜ ¥47,980 (26% increase)

Nintendo Switch

• Japan: ¥32,978 ➜ ¥43,980 (33% increase)

Nintendo Switch Lite

• Japan: ¥21,978 ➜ ¥29,980 (36% increase)

Of note here is the fact that it's only the Switch 2 going up in price outside of Japan for the moment, with Nintendo's home turf getting hit harder both in the products that are affected and the amount they're going up. The price of Nintendo Switch Online will also be going up for Japanese users to better align with other regions, as well as the playing cards Nintendo continue to make and sell in the region.

These price changes will come into effect at different times based on both the region and the products in question. The Nintendo Switch 2 price increase for western regions is set to happen from the 1st of September, with the changes for the Japanese consoles and playing cards coming into play later this month. Japanese Nintendo Switch Online price increases will begin in July.

It should also be mentioned that this is likely not the last we've heard on the topic, with the press release mentioning price increases to follow for South Korean Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions, as well as price revisions for other regions not specifically touched on. You can find the full press release linked below.

Source

 

[IC]

It's a bit weird to see that even Nintendo had to resort to raising prices. It used to seem normal, that the price of new hardware would be lowered after some time, rather than increased...
But I guess this is just the current world of extreme inflation that we're living in. The current world situation is simply a huge shame.

 

[LightyKD]

Holy shit! I was just telling my wife, this past Wednesday, that there was a chance of a price increase and it fucking happened.

 

[Xzi]

Sucks, but was also something most people saw coming from a mile away. To Nintendo's credit, they held out the longest.

 

[pustal]

It's becoming a harder and harder sell for me. And honestly I don't know where the sales figures come from. I know a grand total of 1 person IRL that owns one. I don't even know parents who bought for their kids. My wife's a teacher and she also doesn't hear their kids talking about it, only the OG Switch.

 

[Skelletonike]

Honestly, given the current state of things, this was expected. Long are the days of waiting for a system to get a price drop.

It's becoming a harder and harder sell for me. And honestly I don't know where the sales figures come from. I know a grand total of 1 person IRL that owns one. I don't even know parents who bought for their kids. My wife's a teacher and she also doesn't hear their kids talking about it, only the OG Switch.

I'm in the same country you are (assuming the flag is correct) and I know quite a few people with Switch 2 systems (granted, most of them are friends that share the same hobbies, but a co-worker also bought one for himself). Unlike the original Switch, the Switch 2 customer base seems to be older people, the main factor for that is most likely the price of course.
While I take mine to work on a daily basis (and the Steam Deck), most people probably do not carry a 500€ gaming device around with them.

 

[Xzi]

It's becoming a harder and harder sell for me. And honestly I don't know where the sales figures come from. I know a grand total of 1 person IRL that owns one. I don't even know parents who bought for their kids. My wife's a teacher and she also doesn't hear their kids talking about it, only the OG Switch.

I'd say they were trying to make Pokopia the killer Switch 2 app for kids, but if that was the case, releasing Tomodachi Life for Switch not long after probably wasn't the smartest move. Provides a similar creative sandbox experience, just minus the Pokemon IP. And of course Minecraft is also available on Switch.

With Kirby Air Riders and now Star Fox, it's almost like their primary target audience is instead millennials who grew up with N64 and GameCube. It's kind of a moot point though when necessities cost so much, the cheapest console costing $500 (or more in other regions) is a non-starter for most.

 

[lightwo]

It's becoming a harder and harder sell for me. And honestly I don't know where the sales figures come from. I know a grand total of 1 person IRL that owns one. I don't even know parents who bought for their kids. My wife's a teacher and she also doesn't hear their kids talking about it, only the OG Switch.

Maybe it isn't very popular in Portugal? I know Switch 1 is pretty unpopular in my country, and I can't even imagine who would buy a Switch 2 in this economy when everyone still obsesses with PS4/PS5. At the same time, I am extremely unfamiliar with how things are in my country, so this may be a shallow conclusion based on what I heard and observed over the years.

 

[Reploid]

RIP

 

[Skelletonike]

Maybe it isn't very popular in Portugal? I know Switch 1 is pretty unpopular in my country, and I can't even imagine who would buy a Switch 2 in this economy when everyone still obsesses with PS4/PS5. At the same time, I am extremely unfamiliar with how things are in my country, so this may be a shallow conclusion based on what I heard and observed over the years.

While there are no specific numbers, it was the most successful release of a Nintendo system ever in Portugal (which had previously been the original switch).
Portugal was more of a Sega country in the 90s and after that it was more Playstation focused although Nintendo handhelds were always popular (in primary school most kids in school had a GB or GBC).

 

[tech3475]

Looks like I made the right call to buy mine when i had that discount code, managed to get the last MKW bundle in my local area from that retailer.

I think Nintendo could potentially offset this a bit by either continuing a similar bundle or maybe include a years NSO or something.

 

[Xzi]

While there are no specific numbers, it was the most successful release of a Nintendo system ever in Portugal (which had previously been the original switch).
Portugal was more of a Sega country in the 90s and after that it was more Playstation focused although Nintendo handhelds were always popular (in primary school most kids in school had a GB or GBC).

Been a very fast-selling system overall, nearly 20 million already. Sales may turn out to be heavily front-loaded in light of this announcement, though.

 

[Jayro]

As soon as I heard the first rumor of price increases for Switch 2, I went out and bought one. After all the discounts and buying it in a state that has no sales tax, I got my Mario Kart bundle Switch 2 for just $472.

 

[Flame]

I see no UK. so stays the same right... RIGHT!?

 

[Jayro]

I see no UK. so stays the same right... RIGHT!?

You guys are still part of Europe, like it or not.

 

[Darth Meteos]

anybody speculating about low sales for the console should remember the 3ds
it seemed that was going to do badly for a while, too, then pokemon x and y dropped and that was a thing of the past
likewise, wind and waves will spike the switch 2 like crazy, hopefully with a price drop after the ram situation improves

 

[emigre]

Honestly the percentage increase is somewhat modest.

Not going to buy one regardless.The price of hardware and games add up and I don't even have the time to play all those games so no point in buying a Switch 2 especially with my backlog. It took me 5 weeks to play through Ghost of Yotei!

 

[Jayro]

anybody speculating about low sales for the console should remember the 3ds
it seemed that was going to do badly for a while, too, then pokemon x and y dropped and that was a thing of the past
likewise, wind and waves will spike the switch 2 like crazy, hopefully with a price drop after the ram situation improves

With RAM prices coming down, they sure did choose a shitty time to raise prices. Feels scummy, honestly. RAM prices could be fully back to normal by the time these price hikes kick in, and that's just a scam at that point.

 

[AndorfRequissa]

wont be good for their christmas sales numbers. the gaming industry is just going to get smaller. people will resort to playing stuff on their smart phone instead of this type of handheld.

nintendo isnt thinking very strategically.

 

[RedBlueGreen]

It's a bit weird to see that even Nintendo had to resort to raising prices. It used to seem normal, that the price of new hardware would be lowered after some time, rather than increased...
But I guess this is just the current world of extreme inflation that we're living in. The current world situation is simply a huge shame.

They don't have to do this. Standard practice before this generation was to underprice and take a loss on hardware. From what I've heard they're already struggling to sell, this is just going to make it worse.