Nintendo revealed this week that the Switch 2 will cost $450 in the US, and although that might seem like a lot at first blush, one prominent industry analyst argues that it's a fair price considering market conditions.
Joost van Dreunen, NYU Stern professor and author of SuperJoost Playlist, told IGN: "With the PlayStation 5 Pro at $700 and premium gaming handhelds in the $549+ range, Nintendo's pricing looks relatively reasonable by comparison."
Of course, it's worth noting that the PS5 Pro is likely considerably more powerful than the Switch 2, whose full technical specs have yet to be confirmed.
Other analysts talking to IGN had different opinions, with Ampere Analysis' Piers Harding-Rolls attributing the higher-than-expected price to the uncertainty around the Trump administration's import tariffs. Meanwhile, analysts including Kantan Games CEO Dr. Serkan Toto and Omdia's James McWhirter speculated that the commercial success of more expensive consoles like the PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X, particularly compared to the more affordable Series S, gave Nintendo the confidence to price the Switch as high as it did.
Toto also argued that the Switch's price tag won't be a significant factor in its success in the console's first year because people will buy it "no matter what."
"What I am a bit worried about is if Nintendo will again be able to reach the mainstream audience at scale later, i.e. families that might have much tighter budgets for entertainment in today's economy," said Toto. "Nintendo is clearly betting on people accepting higher prices as a new normal by then."
As someone very much not in the business of analyzing financial stuff, I have to admit to being ever so slightly bewildered by the shock reaction to the Switch 2's pricing. The price is right in the middle of what industry analysts had been predicting, and although I would love for the Switch 2 to be more affordable, I did a mental shrug when I first saw its price tag as $2000 graphics cards floated through my head. I dunno, maybe I'm just desensitized to everything being ridiculously expensive these days.
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