Nintendo explains why Switch 2 hardware and software cost so much
1 min read
Summary
Nintendo’s Switch 2 was unveiled last week amid much excitement, but also significant pricing controversy, particularly in relation to the first-party game titles that will be available for it.
In interviews since the unveil, Nintendo’s Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America, and others sought to justify and defend the pricing, even while conceding that the recently-announced Trump tariffs on Chinese imports were causing the company to reassess its launch plans.
Bowser confirmed that some units are already on US soil, suggesting that this may mitigate the tariffs’ impact, but the company remains clearly in the difficult position of attempting to preserve already-slim hardware margins in the face of potential further disruption stemming from Trump’s trade war.
Notably, some observers have suggested that Nintendo is positioning the Switch 2 as a more premium product than the original Switch.
