Switch 2 could face 2026 price increase amid RAM and tariff pressures

Kotaku reports that video game insights firm Niko Partners says Nintendo may have to raise the price of the Switch 2, even though the console is currently outselling the original Switch in its first year. Niko Partners notes Nintendo kept the Switch 2's $449 entry price at launch in June 2025, but now expects the company may need to match industry price hikes in 2026 because of high import taxes, increased memory costs and other market conditions.

The report also cites warnings from Amazon’s CEO about companies passing tariff pain to consumers, and recalls comments from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa that the company could keep the system at about $450 “for the time being unless there are significant changes in external factors.” Furukawa has said the firm is monitoring the RAM situation and did not rule out a future price change.

Niko Partners suggests Nintendo might instead sell a $500 Switch 2 bundle exclusively rather than raise the standalone SKU price. Despite the Switch 2’s rapid early sales — Bloomberg and Niko Partners say it had the fastest sales of any Nintendo console and is outselling the original in Japan by almost 2:1 in its first 30 weeks — the device’s second half launch year has been uneven.

Key Topics

Business, Nintendo, Niko Partners, Shuntaro Furukawa, Ram Costs, Tariffs