Two weeks after Nintendo delayed Switch 2 preorders in the US due to new tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump, the company confirmed the price and when gamers in the US can preorder the next Switch. There are, however, some items that will go up in price.
The Switch 2 will continue to start at $450, Nintendo posted on Friday on its site. Also staying the same price is the Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle for $500. US gamers will also be able to preorder their Switch 2 starting April 24.
Game pricing will remain the same, with Mario Kart World still at the $80 price, while Donkey Kong Bananza, which releases July 17, will be priced at $70. What will change is the price of accessories, with some increasing by $5. This includes:
- Switch 2 Pro Controller (originally $80, now $85)
- Joy-Con 2 Pair (originally $90, now $95)
- Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip (originally $35, now $40)
- Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set (originally $20, now $25)
- Nintendo Switch 2 Camera (originally $50, now $55)
- Joy-Con 2 Strap (originally $13, now $14)
- Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set (originally $110, now $120)
- Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector (originally $35, now $40)
- Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case (originally $80, now $85)
- Switch 2 AC Adapter (originally $30, now $35)
Watch this: We Played Nintendo Switch 2: Mario, Donkey Kong, Mouse, Camera and a Lot More
Nintendo had a bit of a rough time winning over gamers when it revealed the Switch 2 on April 2. The Switch successor does have a big jump in power, with some analysts suggesting its graphical power is between a PS4 Pro and a PS5, but there were other concerns.
Most notable was the price of Mario Kart World. At $80, the popular kart racing game would be the highest-priced game without any extras or downloadable content. New games across all platforms cost $70. Nintendo has yet to explain why Mario Kart World warranted the higher price, but analysts suggest it could be due to the increase in costs of the storage used in Switch 2 cartridges.
To help save publishers money, Nintendo instituted what it calls Game-key cards. These cartridges will use a minimal amount of storage and will allow owners to download the entire game straight to their Switch 2. This means when someone buys a physical cartridge, there is a good chance that the entire game won’t be on that cartridge.
Another issue related to price is having to pay for a Switch 2 version of an already owned Switch game. While this did happen with previous generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles, some Switch 2 upgrades for Nintendo games will cost $10, others will cost $20, and there will be a few that are free. This lack of uniformity with pricing and the non-specifics about how much improvement there will be on the Switch 2 versions is leaving some gamers less than happy.
