The Nintendo Switch 2 Pricing Problem
James Oatis
He/Him
Staff Writer
4/15/25
On April 2nd, legendary video game company Nintendo held an online presentation to announce more information on their follow-up to the juggernaut Nintendo Switch console. Many new games including “Mario Kart World,” “Kirby Air Riders,” and “Donkey Kong Bananza” were advertised at the event. Other features, such as classic GameCube games, better graphics and frame rates, and voice chat via Discord were announced for one of the biggest developments in an otherwise quiet gaming landscape. One other thing that was mentioned in the presentation was the price of the new system and its games.
The prices were seen on Nintendo’s website and quickly ignited controversy, as “Mario Kart Tour” was advertised for $80 for a digital copy, and the console itself is going for $449.99 MSRP. Nintendo has a history of accusations of being unfair to consumers with their pricing and service, but the increase of $10 for games compared to competitors, Microsoft and Sony, has further developed an image of Nintendo as anti-consumer or greedy.
With the original Switch retailing for $299 and eventually being offered as $200 for the Switch Lite, it has become one of the best-selling video game systems of all-time, shipping 151 million units. The switch’s success,much like its predecessor, the Wii console,offers a fun and affordable gaming experience to customers, as Nintendo has dominated the console market since 2017, compared to PlayStation and Xbox. Despite this, Nintendo is now likely in for a rude awakening, as families and general consumers are probably not going to pay for a Nintendo Switch 2 in an economy fearing a recession.
It was also announced by Nintendo, that pre-orders have been delayed amid the controversial Trump tariffs, meaning the price for the system and its games could continue to rise. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has also stated the company will continue to support the original Switch, meaning there is no urgency to buy a Switch 2, which has been described by many as simply a hardware revision of the original Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5th of this year, but its second showing displays warning signs, as the console may repeat the mistakes of the infamous Wii U.