Why Nintendo can get away with a $450 Switch 2 price

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2 would cost $450, my initial reaction was disappointment. âWhy does it cost so much more?â I thought to myself. âWhy does Japan get it cheaper?â my brain jealously added, once I learned that Nintendo would sell a Japan-only model for the equivalent of just $333. It felt like Nintendo […]

Apr 11, 2025 - 13:21

Why Nintendo can get away with a $450 Switch 2 price

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2 would cost $450, my initial reaction was disappointment. âWhy does it cost so much more?â I thought to myself. âWhy does Japan get it cheaper?â my brain jealously added, once I learned that Nintendo would sell a Japan-only model for the equivalent of just $333.

It felt like Nintendo was about to overcharge the entire rest of the world for a modest improvement to its original $300 console, one that doesnât come with an OLED display or anti-drift magnetic sticks. Surely it canât cost Nintendo that much more to make, especially seeing how itâs selling the exact same hardware for so much âlessâ in Japan?

But while Nintendo might be charging more than Iâd like to spend, particularly with its $80 games and its button that makes you pay extra, I no longer think the companyâs being distinctly unfair to gamers outside of Japan. The $450 price makes more sense when you consider whatâs happened to the dollar and the yen.

Since its March 3rd, 2017, debut, Nintendo basically hasnât changed the price of the original Switch in either the US or Japan. The portable console cost $300 USD or Â¥32,378 in 2017; it costs the same $300 …

Read the full story at The Verge.