TOKYO, May 10, 2026, 23:04 JST
- Nintendo is bumping up the price of the Switch 2 in the U.S. to $499.99 from $449.99 starting Sept. 1, with similar hikes coming to Japan, Canada, and Europe.
- Switch 2 hardware sales are forecast to drop 16.9% to 16.5 million units for the year ending March 2027, though software sales are still seen climbing.
- Higher memory-chip prices and new tariffs are starting to hit consoles. Sony has flagged concerns over PlayStation hardware, while Microsoft logged a drop in Xbox hardware revenue.
Nintendo Co. is bumping up the U.S. MSRP of its Switch 2 console to $499.99 from $449.99 starting Sept. 1—a $50 jump right ahead of the holiday shopping rush. Nintendo of America attributed the higher price to “changes in market conditions” they anticipate will stick around over the medium to long term. Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Timing’s key here. Nintendo is heading into the Switch 2’s sophomore year aiming for 16.5 million units sold by March 2027, trimming its sights from the 19.86 million units it just logged. And a September launch doesn’t give much margin before the crucial holiday stretch—prime time for console bundles and fresh titles to drive up sales.
Nintendo’s outlook already factors in a hard 100 billion yen blow from pricier components, with memory standing out, plus tariff costs. Memory chips handle the data that the console juggles when games or software are running.
The price hike isn’t limited to the United States. In Japan, starting May 25, the Switch 2 Japanese-language model jumps to 59,980 yen from 49,980 yen. Canadian buyers will pay C$679.99 instead of the previous C$629.99, and in Europe, the price climbs to 499.99 euros from 469.99 euros effective Sept. 1.
Nintendo’s Shuntaro Furukawa said during an online press event that the company can’t keep taking on increased costs indefinitely. “We thought that shouldering rises in costs by our company for a long period would make our businesses difficult,” Kyodo cited the president as saying. BERNAMA
This wasn’t a soft year for the company. Net sales shot up, almost doubling to 2.313 trillion yen for the fiscal year ended March, with net profit climbing 52.1% to 424 billion yen. Nintendo now projects net sales of 2.05 trillion yen for the current year, with net profit expected at 310 billion yen—a drop of 26.9%.
Nintendo’s betting on its lineup of games for support. Last year, Switch 2 software moved 48.71 million units, with Mario Kart World pulling in 14.70 million and Donkey Kong Bananza following at 4.52 million. For this year, Nintendo’s aiming for 60 million Switch 2 software sales—even as hardware numbers slip.
Analysts weren’t impressed by the forecast. “Nintendo typically starts the year with conservative guidance, but even so, this feels unusually soft,” Toyo Research Advice’s Hideki Yasuda told Bloomberg. He cautioned that a price hike could hit sales, leaving doubts about how well Switch 2 will resonate with buyers. The Star
Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, told CNBC the sales drop is striking, especially since consoles usually see gains in their sophomore year. “The impact is quite dramatic,” he said. According to Toto, Nintendo faces pressure to deliver hit first-party titles fast to spark demand. The Times of India
Nintendo isn’t the only one feeling the pressure. Sony is now projecting a 6% drop in annual gaming revenue, citing softer PlayStation 5 demand and pricier memory chips. PS5 hardware sales came in at 1.5 million units for the latest quarter—a sharp 46% slide compared to the same period last year. Microsoft also saw its Xbox hardware revenue shrink by 33%, according to figures referenced by The Verge.
But there’s risk on either side. Raising prices might help margins, but it could just as easily make fence-sitters hit pause—particularly if the software lineup doesn’t convince current Switch owners to make the jump. Nintendo’s roster includes Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Star Fox, and Splatoon Raiders. Still, with the new price, every launch starts looking like a test for the hardware itself.
Tokyo trading didn’t open Sunday. Nintendo shares jumped 3.6% following Friday’s earnings release, according to AP, but the real test is still ahead—will U.S. consumers accept $499.99 as standard pricing, or balk at the sticker?
