Last week, Nintendo in its upcoming new Gaming system The Switch 2 with a series of live streams in the lead of the new device together with excited upcoming games went through how to go through Mario Kart World And Donkey Kong Bananza.
However, gamers had something else in mind. The Live Chat next to the YouTube Livestream was flooded with people who publish “Drop the Price” for hours.
The US dollar price of 449 US dollars in Canada is a difficult pill for swallowing. The original switch was introduced in 2017 at $ 299 US (399 US dollars).
Nintendos US website was added to the concerns Mario Kart World With $ 80 US dollars, which is 10 US dollars higher than normal for current flagship games. The Canadian Nintendo business is currently not listing the manufacturer’s proposed retail price (MRSP), but a straight conversion would start at $ 110 or more.
Then on Friday, two days after the Switch 2, Nintendo showcase in the USA, pre-orders for the console “in order to evaluate the potential effects of tariffs and further developed market conditions,” said a press release.
“Nintendo will update the timing at a later date. The start date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged,” continued the explanation.
Although US President Donald Trump did not mention it by name, the use of the word “tariff” alone is a strong departure from the preference of the Japanese player, far beyond current events or politics in his products or messaging.
Industry analysts and supporters have taken care of that the unpredictable tariff situation could lead to price increases across the board, which means that the Switch 2 – and playing in general – is less accessible, which is accessible to a broader affordability.
The United States currently only seems to be influenced by the break before ordering. A representative of Nintendo of Canada confirmed CBC that the pre -orders in this country should start on April 9.
Switch 2 price ‘appropriate’, says Nintendo America Chef
Nintendo has not yet commented on the negative reaction to the Switch 2 price. During a media round table -Q & a with the hardware architects from Switch 2 last Wednesday, a moderator quickly distracted a question about the price and said the panel was there to answer questions about “fun stuff” instead.
The President of Nintendo from America’s President Doug Bowser (no relationship with Mario’s archenemy) was a bit more upcoming that day.
“When we look at Nintendo Switch 2 and think about the functional rates that I talked about … We believe that the pricing for the value of the machine and the gameplay experience is appropriate as a whole,” he said.
Bowser, who spoke to CBC before the break of the US pre-order, found that the previous generation of switch devices will continue to be supported, including a selection of new games that were published later this year.
“We realize that there are some people who may not be able to afford the price (Switch 2S). Therefore we wanted to provide the other Switch platforms. Therefore (humans) still have the opportunity to come to our gaming universe, to be part of these characters in these worlds and to consider value if they come into the platform in which they are.”
Bowser would not share the goals, but he said Nintendo believes that the Switch 2 can be as successful as its immediate predecessor. This is a high bar because the original switch has sold more than 150 million units worldwide, making it the third best game console of all time.
“Sure, there are mild external circumstances that could have a positive or negative impact. And we cannot necessarily control them. We can control that we believe that we have a device that will bring more developers to the platform, that we can support ourselves as a developer, or a publisher. And as a result, we bring a big smile with people with a smile,” he said.
About these “external circumstances”
Speak before the pre -orders pause, Analysts said GameSindology.biz They believed that the high price was likely to be determined in anticipation of the global announcement by Trump’s global tariffs.
“The higher costs for the console in the USA compared to Japan are probably a calculated step by Nintendo’s part, which is powered by collective bargaining effects, the weak Japanese yen and the local market conditions.” said Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights for Niko Partners.
“The mutual tariffs in Vietnam and Japan are higher than expected, and Nintendo will feel the effects if the tariffs work in full.”
Nintendo moved part of his switch 2 production from China to Vietnam to partially avoid the effects of US tariffs. But Trump’s 46 percent Vietnam tariff came higher than predicted market observers and may have completely deleted the advantages of moving.
Nintendo doubled this week in his mega popular switch by unveiling a continued Switch 2-in New York. We got the new console in our hands.
A spokesman for the entertainment software associated in the USA the gaming site Ign Ign told They expect Trump’s tariffs to have a major impact on the entire game industry and beyond, although it was “unhappy and by chance” that Nintendo’s Switch 2 appears to be unveiled by Trump’s “Liberation Day” of the tariff announcements.
Paul Fogolin, President of the Canada Association of Entertainment Software Association from Canada, told CBC News that “the global tariffs announced by the Trump administration will have real and harmful effects on our industry and the millions of Canadians who like to play games.”
Fogolin found that similar to other consumer goods, game consoles and other consumer electronics, the games use to play games from several countries and could say goodbye to several boundaries that are affected by tariffs during the construction.
A price of more than 600 US dollars in Canada is one of the new details of Nintendos upcoming Switch 2 console as well as a start date from June 5 and some of the available games. Will this deter the costs of buyers?
“The industry is based on affordable consoles because the goal is to offer the latest technologies for the latest games. So we expect tariffs to cause a wave effect that influences players and companies in the entire ecosystem,” said Fogolin.
Nintendo is located in a narrow point that is not exclusively from its own production. Competitors such as Microsoft and Sony undoubtedly observe the tariff situation and how this can affect the future hardware releases.
For players of all ages Jonesing for the next goal of Mario card or MetroidSwitch 2 may not be: “Is it worth it?” But just: “Can I afford it?”
