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UPDATE 8/1: Sorry, it's an increase. Nintendo has increased prices on the Switch 1 hardware and some Switch 2 accessories in Canada, and will do the same in the US starting Aug. 3.
Original Story:
Nintendo is preparing to make price changes to the Switch 1's hardware and games in Canada, but are prices going up or down?
On Monday, the company announced that "pricing for the original Nintendo Switch family of systems and products in Canada will change based on market conditions." The vague language prompted many Nintendo fans to brace for the worse.
The changes will apply to the original Switch 1, the Switch 1 OLED, and the Switch Lite, in addition to physical and digital games and accessories, and "other Nintendo products, including amiibo and Nintendo Switch Online memberships."
Nintendo plans to reveal the new pricing on Aug. 1 via its Canadian web store.
The company didn’t explain why it's adjusting prices. If it’s an increase, it might be a way to push more consumers to adopt the Switch 2 hardware. (The Switch 2 is compatible with Switch 1 games and some accessories.)
That said, it would be strange for Nintendo to increase the price of the Switch 1, an 8-year-old console, when older console hardware usually gets a price cut or is discontinued.
In some good news, Nintendo says its price changes won’t affect the Switch 2 system, accessories, or software. The console retails for $629 CAD (US$ 461).
In the US, Nintendo decided to keep the Switch 2’s pricing at $449, despite tariffs that prompted it to delay preorders in the US and Canada for several weeks. But it did increase the price on some Switch 2 accessories. Some Switch 2 games also cost $80.