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The Nintendo Switch 2 is priced at $450, 50% more than the Switch was when it first launched. Mario Kart World is also an eye-watering $80. But why is it all so much more expensive now?
IGN spoke to several industry analysts who attribute the price hikes to a number of things from tariffs, general global economic uncertainty, inflation, and Nintendo simply believing it can charge more now.
Joost van Dreunen, an NYU Stern professor, calls the price a "strategic balancing act" that had to walk the line between increased manufacturing costs and US tariffs, saying, "Nintendo appears to be building in a buffer against these potential trade barriers while ensuring they maintain their traditional positive margin on hardware."
However, Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis says, "My view is that they probably had a range of pricing for the US market in play up until the last minute due to the uncertainty on import tariffs," and that's why we didn't see the console's price tag during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct itself.
Other analysts, such as Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, and James McWhirter, analyst at Omdia, suggest the high price of the PS5 Pro and the fact that the Xbox Series X is selling better than the cheaper Series S in the US are reasons for the price hike.
Japan does have a cheaper variation of the console that only supports Japanese as a language option, and McWhirter believes this is to keep the cost down in Japan, which accounted for 24% of Switch sales in 2024. McWhirter adds that this will help prevent it from becoming a "grey import" in other regions.
As for Mario Kart World's price, Mat Piscatella, analyst at Circana says, "While pricing for a product can always be lowered over time, it's extremely difficult and painful to raise pricing on a product once it has been announced or released. This is purely my own speculation, but this pricing is most easily explained by trying to be conservative given the current chaotic market conditions."
Players really aren't happy with the cost. During today's Treehouse livestream, all the gameplay has been overshadowed by the constant barrage of a single message: drop the price.
Toto's explanation for the price is likely to only enrage players further: "Tariffs could play a role, but I think it is much simpler: Nintendo is charging this price because they feel they can and that people will pay."
Mario Kart is a flagship franchise for Nintendo. It's a system-seller, so the console maker thinks people will buy the game no matter the cost. It helps that it comes in a $500 Switch 2 bundle, which makes it a more reasonable $50. I bought a 3DS just so I could play Pokemon X and Y, and it seems Nintendo believes a lot of people will buy a console just for the new racing game.
Luckily, other upcoming Switch 2 games are cheaper, but gamers are worried about what this means for the industry at large, with many now believing GTA 6 will cost $100.
Catch up on all the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news you may have missed.
