Nintendo says Switch 2 price increase doesn’t cover all costs, hopes its upcoming games will help to ‘overcome this barrier’
President Shuntaro Furukawa says the aim is for Switch 2’s lifespan to last as long as Switch
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa says the recently announced Switch 2 price increase doesn’t cover all the extra costs incurred.
Last week Nintendo confirmed it will be raising the price of Switch 2 consoles in the United States, Europe and Canada on September 1.
On that date, the price of Switch 2 consoles in the US will increase by $50 to $499.99. In Europe, Switch 2 hardware will increase by €30 Euros to €499.99, and in Canada, the console will increase by $50 to $679.99.
Before that, on May 25, Japan will see similar price hikes, with all of Nintendo’s hardware – including the original Switch – increasing by around ¥10,000.
During the company’s latest financial results presentation, Furukawa reportedly stated (as translated by Nintendo Patents Watch) that the new pricing “does not fully account for all cost increases”, implying that the price increase could have been higher but Nintendo didn’t want to risk affecting the momentum of Switch 2 sales.
“We sincerely apologize to our customers for the considerable inconvenience and trouble this will cause,” Furukawa reportedly said of the price increase. “While we wanted to prioritize a wide adoption, it was challenging to bear the rising costs over a long period.”
As reported by Reuters, Furukawa explained that Nintendo had come to the conclusion that a number of changes in the market environment – including the rising cost of memory, the weak yen and rising crude oil prices – were going to remain for the medium to long term, and that the price increases were made with this in mind.
Furukawa also said that while the new console prices may increase the barrier to purchase, he’s hopeful that a solid and growing line-up of Switch 2 games will eventually encourage more players to buy a Switch 2.
“We will prepare a robust software line-up to enhance the Switch 2 ownership value,” he reportedly said. “We will work diligently to overcome this barrier.”
The global economic situation has piled further pressure on game console manufacturers, which historically have reduced prices over time. Last summer, Nintendo announced that it was increasing the price of the original Switch console in the US due to “market conditions”.
Both Sony and Microsoft previously raised the price of their game consoles last year, then, in March, Sony announced a massive $100 price increase for PlayStation 5 consoles, citing the “global economic landscape”. The cheapest Digital Edition PlayStation 5 console has swollen by 50% ($200 / £200) since the platform launched in 2020.
