Nintendo Switch 2 price update is not what we expected

The price of the Nintendo Switch 2 has caused some unrest with gamers, but an unexpected price update might explain some things.

Nintendo officially unveiled the Switch 2 on 2 April 2025, which sent a lot of fans into a frenzy of excitement for the Japanese giant’s latest console. However, this unveiling was not without some unrest.

At launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 will be available for £395.99 for the base console or £429.99 bundled with Mario Kart World. Regardless of the version you pick up, the Switch 2 is the most expensive Nintendo console at launch.

Check out the Mario Kart World trailer below!

Even the prices of the Nintendo Switch 2 games are more expensive than ever, costing as much as £80 for a base game, resulting in gamers saying that Nintendo is “out of touch”.

Worst still, following US President Donald Trump’s imposed tariffs on imported goods into the United States, there are growing concerns that Nintendo could use this as an excuse to increase the price of the Switch 2 worldwide.

I will never be in favour of unjustified price hikes, whether it's related to PC, PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo. However, there could be a genuine reason as to why the Nintendo Switch 2 carries such an inflated price.

As reported by Gameranx (via Financial Times), it’s been suggested that it costs around $400 (about £300 in the UK) for the materials alone to produce the Nintendo Switch 2.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is mostly being produced in China, with a portion of that being produced in Vietnam. David Gibson of the Financial Times says that the cost to manufacture and produce the Switch 2 from Vietnam is an estimated $338 (£253), and with additional costs thrown in, it’s claimed that Nintendo is only making about $4 (£3) profit on each Switch 2 unit sale.

It’s long been known that most major consoles make little profit, with the likes of Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony making much of the additional revenue from video game sales, accessories, subscription services and whatnot.

So could this be a decisive factor as to why games such as Mario Kart World have an RRP of £80? Perhaps.

Thankfully, at least, if you look for the best price online, there’s a good chance that you can pick up Nintendo Switch 2 games lower than the RRP.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on 5 June 2025.