It may not seem obvious to us because Nintendo sells things in Malaysia via distributors rather than directly, but the Switch launched at a price point that’s a fair bit lower than the conventional console competition. But that may not be the case for the Switch 2, as a report cites analysts pinning its price as above US$400 (~RM1,779), and possibly going all the way to US$499 (~RM2,219).
The report comes via Bloomberg, who claims that the price range predictions come from “analysts who regularly communicate with the company and its software and hardware partners”. They also mention US tariffs complicating things further, but is otherwise confident that Nintendo “will sell boatloads of the Switch 2 in the first months in particular, almost regardless of price”.
One analyst mentions specifically the cost of the chipset within the Nintendo Switch 2 as a reason for the massive price jump. The original made use of the NVIDIA Tegra X1, which was pegged at US$80 per unit. The new handheld console hybrid will use silicon costing between US$130 and US$150, currently rumoured to be the Tegra T239.
Circling back to the subject of the US tariffs, the report also notes that the Switch 2 will be assembled in Vietnam and China. One analyst notes that this diversified manufacturing footprint can help lower the risk for Nintendo. Which is probably a fair assessment, but even if the new device is spared the volatility of the US tariff situation, it remains to be seen what sort of cut local distributors will be asking for a slice of the new pie.
(Source: Bloomberg)
