After Nintendo dropped a Switch 2 teaser video earlier this year, dozens of questions have been on my mind. How much will the system cost? When will it be available? When can I get my hands on one? This week’s Nintendo Direct answered those burning questions, though I’m not sure I’m happy with what Nintendo revealed. Staggering prices for games and accessories, new SD card requirements, and a lackluster exclusive game lineup have taken the wind out of my sails, forcing me to step back and ask a new question: Is the Switch 2 having a Vita moment?
The High Price Starts With the Hardware
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, a “Vita moment” refers to the PlayStation Vita, Sony’s second and last attempt at a handheld console. It was an ambitious device that suffered many problems. In fact, you might be tempted to say the Vita was never good. The Vita largely failed due to a few key factors: a lack of must-play games, a $249 starting price (exorbitant for a handheld released in 2012), and the decision to rely on expensive, proprietary memory cards (a 32GB memory card cost $119 at launch, nearly half the price of the system!). Much to my chagrin, the Switch 2 shares these pitfalls.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Before discussing the Switch 2’s price, I must acknowledge President Trump’s trade war. The PC industry is already grappling with Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports. Vendors and customers face another cost increase thanks to separate tariffs on aluminum-based goods, including PC cases and graphics cards. On the same day as the Switch’s reveal, the President announced a “reciprocal tariff” plan that imposes tariffs on Taiwan, Vietnam, and India—key markets outside China that produce tech components.
Could this be why the Switch 2 has a $449.99 price tag? No one besides Nintendo executives knows for certain. However, the company was so unusually dodgy about the system’s price leading up to the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct that I suspect the cost was in flux until the last minute. Even now, things still seem to be up in the air, as Nintendo just announced that it’s delaying preorders due to the new tariffs.
Game prices have slowly grown more expensive in recent years, but $80 is a bridge too far.
Likewise, the Switch 2’s accessories received price hikes across the board, with the standalone dock being the worst offender. It’ll cost $109.99, up from the $59.99 for the Switch 1 dock. Joy-Con 2 controllers are $89.99, a $10 increase. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller will set you back $79.99, another $10 boost. The new Switch 2 camera costs $49.99. Admittedly, many accessories feature new functionality. That doesn’t ease the cost burden on consumers, though.
(Credit: Nintendo)
MicroSD Express Cards Are Expensive, Too
The Switch 2 is a massive power upgrade (4K output, 1080p/120Hz screen), but its $449.99 price is far from the original Nintendo Switch’s $300 cost. In addition, Nintendo has changed the microSD requirement for the Switch 2. The original Nintendo Switch uses microSD and microSD Express cards, but the Switch 2 only uses the latter. MicroSD Express cards are faster at reading and writing data than microSD cards, which explains the change. But they’re expensive.
As of this writing, a 1 TB Lexar microSD Express will run you an extra $200. Even the smallest card (256GB) will set you back $59.99, the price of many video games. Although they’re not the proprietary memory cards that doomed the Vita, the similarities are close enough to give me pause.
It’s not something you can avoid, either. The Nintendo Switch 2 has just 256GB of internal storage. Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular titles, demands more than 100GB of space. Higher resolutions and textures lead to bigger game files, so you should expect even Nintendo’s traditionally small file size to grow.
Are You Ready for $80 Games?
Even uncertain global economic changes can’t explain why Nintendo is charging $79.99 for Mario Kart World. And that’s just in the United States—some retailers in other regions have listed Mario Kart World at 90 Euros. There’s no price difference between the physical or digital versions, either. So, no matter your format, you’re paying close to $100 for Mario Kart, which is wild.
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Game prices have slowly grown more expensive in recent years, but $80 is a bridge too far. Plus, if you consider that first-party Nintendo games seldom go on sale, the situation feels hopeless. Nintendo’s unexpectedly high pricing is uncharacteristic and again feels like Sony-level hubris. PlayStation Vita games were also highly priced for a handheld, coming in between $39.99 and $49.99.
I’m as mad as Donkey Kong looking at these game prices. (Credit: Nintendo)
Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World look fun, but the other exclusives don’t move me. There’s Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, the obvious game-that-should-have-been-a-pack-in title; Drag X Drive, a unique wheelchair-based basketball game that utilizes the new Joy-Con mouse functionality; Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the third Legend of Zelda Warriors title with hardly any recognizable Zelda characters; and Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to 2003’s Kirby Air Ride.
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Many high-quality third-party ports are on the way, such as Elden Ring, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, and Yakuza 0. Still, there’s no doubt we’ll pay a “Switch tax” for games that have been heavily discounted on other platforms for years. Jan Rosner, CDProjekt Red’s vice president of business development, confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will cost $70! It’ll also take up 64 GB of space, about 25% of the Switch 2’s internal storage.
One of Nintendo’s big 2025 releases is coming to both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. (Credit: Nintendo)
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, two of Nintendo’s biggest releases of 2025, are also coming out on the original Nintendo Switch. In fact, Nintendo is relying on its existing library to bolster the Switch 2’s release, offering Switch 2 exclusive upgrades to already released games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. But you must pay a small fee of $10 to $20 to access the Switch 2 features, even if you already own the game for Switch 1. In some cases, like with Super Mario Party Jamboree, you need the Switch 2 Camera to access new game tech. As the saying goes, there are no free lunches.
Die-hard fans fondly remember the PlayStation Vita, but many who owned it ultimately used it as an emulation or streaming device. Even if the Switch 2 exclusives disappoint, there are still a tremendous number of excellent Nintendo Switch exclusives, thanks to backward compatibility. But I buy a new system for new experiences, not to revisit my favorite games from yesteryear.
I’m Not Sold on the Switch 2…Yet
I’m not ready to commit to the Nintendo Switch 2. I love the original and don’t hate what the Switch 2 offers. I’m just not wowed, and high prices across the board will give me plenty to think about before the system drops on June 5. Right now, Nintendo is displaying a PlayStation Vita level of hubris that threatens to ruin the Switch 2’s party before it starts. The Switch became one of the best-selling systems of all time due to accessible pricing and excellent software; I hope Nintendo doesn’t lose sight of what made it great.
About Zackery Cuevas
Analyst, Hardware
