Ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2 price hike set to take place later this year, Nintendo is taking on scalpers seeking to take advantage.
As global ram shortages plague the tech world as it gets wasted on AI slop production facilities, we're seeing price increases on pretty much everything. Do you want a PS5 Pro? Cool, that'll be $900 please. What about one of those AYN gaming handhelds like the Thor? You'll be glad to know that's getting another price increase after just getting one about two months ago. And, come September, the Nintendo Switch 2 is getting a price increase of $50, bringing the console up to $500.
And, ahead of this next price increase, scalpers have seemingly been taking advantage of the yen, where the Japanese multi-language version of the Switch 2 is still cheaper to import (the UK price for a Switch 2 is £395, whereas ¥69,980 is roughly £326, while in the US the $450 price gets a slightly less substantial drop down to $436 on import). In a post on Twitter (via machine translation) Nintendo states that it has identified multiple orders suspected of scalping consoles, leading to a suspension of sales.
On top of that however, the Japanese multi-language version of the Nintendo Switch 2 now has a list of conditions to purchase it. These include having 50 hours of playtime on Nintendo Switch as of the end of May 2026 (this excludes demos and free games) and limiting purchases to one console per Nintendo account.
Notably, these terms are quite similar to ones put into place when the console first launched. But after the disastrous early years of the PS5 and – to a lesser extent – the Xbox Series X, it's nice to see Nintendo put some effort in to make sure consoles end up in the hands of people who actually want them as opposed to an "as long as it sells" attitude.
If you are planning on getting a Switch 2, be sure to check out the list of the best Switch 2 games and Upcoming Switch 2 games for 2026 and beyond.
