Despite a price increase, customer spending on the Nintendo Switch 2 has increased by only 2% compared to last year.
During September 2026, average console spending was naturally higher across the board due to price increases driven by ongoing global RAM shortages (thanks to AI slop farms!). Xbox prices went up by £130 for the 512GB Series S and £170 for 1TB models of the Series X|S; Sony increased prices by $100 for the PS5 and $150 for the PS5 Pro; and the Switch 2 got a $50 price bump.
Per Circana's Mat Piscatella on Bluesky, the average price paid for a PS5 was up 17% from $551 to $646; Xbox was up even more significantly, by 33%, from $497 to $663, while Nintendo was up… 2%? Yes, despite the price increase, Nintendo spending only increased from $486 to $498.
During September 2026, the average price paid per hardware unit sold, and the change from September 2025 (Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service): PS5 - $646, +17% vs YA ($551) XBS - $663, +33% vs YA ($497 SW2 - $498, +2% vs YA ($486) But wait, didn't Nintendo implement a price increase? Yep, but
— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-10-22T16:27:21.304Z
So how does that happen? Piscatella explains that Nintendo "transitioned away from the Mario Kart World bundle" to a standalone Switch 2 console this year. So "while the buyer gets less value in the box than they used to," the average price paid has managed to remain pretty firm. He adds, "Pretty smart cookies over there at Nintendo."
Nintendo Switch 2 is going into its second holiday season this year, and with the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake introducing a new Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2 console that is $20 more expensive than the base console, which means that percentage will probably increase next month… if anyone can get one that is.
