If you were planning to pick up a Switch 2, do it before September 1. That's the day Nintendo bumps the US price from $450 to $500, a straight $50 rise on hardware that's barely a year old.
Nintendo confirmed it on its own site, framing it as a response to "changes in market conditions." President Shuntaro Furukawa was more specific on the earnings call: the main culprit is a permanent jump in memory-chip costs, driven by the AI-fuelled memory shortage squeezing the whole electronics industry. Exchange rates and oil prices got a mention too. Nintendo pegs the combined hit from component costs and tariffs at around ¥100 billion, roughly $638 million, for this fiscal year.
Why this one stings
Consoles usually get cheaper as they age, not dearer. A mid-generation price rise is rare, and it lands right as the Switch 2's software slate gives people reasons to buy in, with Oblivion Remastered already on it and Elden Ring's Tarnished Edition due on the 28th. The demo kiosks in shops are reportedly already advertising the increase, so this isn't one you can wait out.
No word on price changes outside the US for now. If you've been on the fence, the fence just picked up a $50 toll.
Comments · 0