The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally nigh with pre-orders beginning on April 8 ahead of a release date on June 5. Nintendo also revealed an increased price compared to the original Switch, which might be why the company didn’t reveal the price directly during the event.
The Nintendo Switch 2 starts at £395.99/$449.99 If you want a bundle with Mario Kart World it’ll cost £429.99/$499.99
Both bundles come with some standard accessories. Joy-Con 2 controllers (L+R), Joy-Con 2 Grips, Joy-Con 2 Straps, a Nintendo Switch 2 Dock, an Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable, Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter and USB-C Charging Cable.
However, given the new tech like a better and bigger screen, an improved design, an improved dock supporting 4K and better innards that support those improvements it might be justified. does that compare to previous systems from the Japanese gaming giant?
Let’s take a look at previous mainline Nintendo consoles (the ones that connect to a TV and date back to the NES) and try to glean whether fans are getting a good deal this time around.
We’ve also figured out the equivalent pricing for each console to account for inflation and, even accounting for the rise in prices, it appears the Switch 2 is the most expensive Nintendo console ever.
Switch 2 vs Switch (2017) price
The original Nintendo Switch cost $279.99/$299.99 minus a game, so the Switch 2 will be available at a significant £116/$150 increase over the predecessor. Games consoles generally improve the technology from generation to generation which increases the cost, while other components get cheaper. Sometimes that leads to a price increase, other times it retains the status.
- Nintendo Switch 2025 equivalent pricing: £389.91 / $388.78
Switch 2 vs Wii U (2012) price
The basic Nintendo Wii U package, which featured the connected console and the handheld and would eventually amalgamate to form the Switch, cost £249.99/$299.99. This was well over a decade ago, mind, but it’s worth considering the Switch didn’t come with a big price increase over the Wii U.
- Nintendo Wii U 2025 equivalent pricing: £377.25 / $415.07
Switch 2 vs Nintendo Wii (2006)
It’s a similar story here. The groundbreaking Nintendo Wii which was the company’s first big hit of the 21st century arrived at around the same price as the Wii U and original Switch. The famously hard to get console cost just $249.99 in the US and in the UK it was much cheaper at £179.99. That was a different time for the humble pound sterling though.
- Nintendo Wii U 2025 equivalent pricing: £332.82 / $393.92
Switch 2 vs Nintendo GameCube (2001/2)
The first mainline Nintendo console of the 21st century will be reborn as part of the Switch Online proposition with the Switch 2. Back in 2001 it arrived for $199, which was $100 cheaper than the original Xbox and the PS2.
Incredibly, from 2003, Nintendo dropped the price to $99.99. In the UK, Nintendo launched the console a few months later into 2002 for just £129.99.
- Nintendo GameCube 2025 equivalent pricing: £270.40 / $356.95
Switch 2 vs Nintendo 64 (1996/97)
Back into the 20th century we go now to look at the legendary N64. It arrived in 1996 for $199.99 in the United States while in 1997 Brits forked over £249.99 initially before the system dropped to £149.99 months after launch following a backlash. You can see below with the inflation based figure why £249.99 was a reach for Nintendo initially.
- Nintendo N64 2025 equivalent pricing: £581.45 / $404.91
Switch 2 vs Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991/92).
Ah the 16-bit SNES. The dawn of Mario Kart and, for many, the most beloved games console of all time. It was the summer of 1991 when Nintendo unleashed it in the United States for $199.99 It arrived in Britain in the spring of 1992 for £149.99. It came with Super Mario World bundled in at no extra cost.
- SNES 2025 equivalent pricing: £464.14 / £396.68.
