The Nintendo Switch 2 was officially unveiled with a price tag of US$449.99 (~RM1,995), which is pretty high compared to its predecessor. Some may argue in its defence that once docked it is 4K and 60fps-capable, which justifies the price somewhat. For those who aren’t buying that line of reasoning, analysts have provided one that’s both familiar and probably more palatable – the pricing may have been affected by the US trade tariffs.
The Financial Times cites analyst Serkan Toto as saying the price of the Switch 2 “suggested Nintendo was building a buffer in case tariffs hit supply chains harder than expected”. Previously, other analysts were quoted by Bloomberg as predicting the price of the Switch 2 as being priced between US$400 and US$499.
Both reports mention the Japanese company assembling the device in Vietnam in addition to China. FT also says that “Nintendo has already shipped hundreds of thousands of Switch 2s to the US from factories in Vietnam”. In a prior report, FT cites MST Financial analyst David Gibson as saying that the move was “to test the distribution system and get ahead of the risk of tariffs”.
With all that being said, it’s still up in the air as to whether the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 can be blamed on the erraticness of the sitting US President. The same probably applies to the increased prices of Switch 2 games, if Mario Kart World is of any indication.
(Source: FT)
