(Credit: Nintendo)
UPDATE 4/4: Nintendo is delaying preorders for the Switch 2, citing President Trump’s tariffs. “Preorders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the US will not start April 9, 2025, in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,” the company says. “Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”
Original Story:
After a long wait, we finally have price and launch date information for the Switch 2, but does President Trump's tariff plan mean you'll pay more than $449.99 for the gaming handheld?
A baseline 10% tariff on any products coming into the US (except semiconductors) takes effect on April 5, while varying country-specific tariffs start on April 9. According to the Financial Times, over half of Nintendo's hardware comes from Vietnam and Cambodia. Trump's revised policy imposes a 46% tariff on goods from Vietnam and 49% on goods from Cambodia.
It's unclear if Nintendo priced the Switch 2 with the tariffs in mind; its $449.99 cost is a big jump from the Switch 1, which is $300 (or $350 for the OLED version). But if the tariffs are imposed on top of that base price, a Switch 2 could cost $657 if imported from Vietnam and $670 if it comes from Cambodia. If you plan to get the new first-party Mario Kart World game, you'll have to pay $117 and $119, respectively, instead of the announced price of $79.99.
Don't despair just yet. The tariffs haven't taken effect, and Trump has gone back and forth on tariff implementation and rates over the past few months. Nintendo has also not confirmed any potential hikes and could eat the cost itself.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has been importing Switch 2 units into the US since the beginning of the year, according to data shared by analyst David Gibson with the FT. Around 383,000 units from Vietnam made their way to the US across five days in January. The number could have gone up significantly in February and March. "I suspect this occurred to test the distribution system and get ahead of the risk of tariffs," Gibson says.
Switch 2 preorders start on April 9 at third-party retailers like Best Buy and GameStop. But longtime gamers can also register with Nintendo to get an invite to order in early May. To keep scalpers at bay, priority will be given to users who have "purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025."