As US tariffs hit, PC hardware is joining the Switch 2 in pre-order delay limbo
1 min read
Summary
US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on imported goods from China and Taiwan have caused much disruption within the global technology industry.
This is already apparent in the gaming industry, where Razer has paused sales of its Blade 16 and Blade 18 gaming laptops in the US, and pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 have been delayed.
Although Razer has not directly attributed this decision to the tariffs, it is likely to be a result of the hefty taxes imposed on China and Taiwan, where the firm’s factories are based.
The tariffs pose a dilemma for hardware manufacturers, as they must decide whether to absorb the additional costs themselves or pass them onto consumers, the latter of which would result in considerably higher product prices.
This could create a difficult few years for US PC owners looking to upgrade their devices, as even American companies such as Nvidia rely heavily on Taiwanese semiconductors.
