Nintendo president is 'carefully considering the situation' as research firm predicts Switch 2 price hike
In response to the rising prices of RAM and storage in 2026, the Nintendo Switch 2 may be set to become more expensive.
This is according to research firm Niko Partners (via VGC). In its 2026 prediction post, Niko Partner says, "We believe the Switch 2 is set to follow in Sony and Microsoft’s footsteps with its own price hike driven by the impact from tariffs, increased memory costs, and broader macroeconomic conditions."
The report goes on to point out that Nintendo chose to keep the $449 price point last year, despite tariffs impacting production, and it suggests that Nintendo may instead choose to remove the cheapest Switch bundle. This would make buying a Nintendo Switch 2 more expensive, but only for those looking for a console by itself. If you buy the console in a bundle, it could cost the same, according to this prediction.
Tied to potential price hikes, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa spoke to Kyoto Shimbun last week (thanks again, VGC, for the spot). In that interview, Furukawa said (machine translated) "We procure from suppliers based on our medium- to long-term business plans, but the current memory market is very volatile." Adding to this, he says, "there is no immediate impact on earnings, but it is something we must monitor closely".
Furukawa doesn't confirm or deny those predictions either way but does say, "While it’s difficult to accurately gauge the future impact, our basic policy is to recognize tariffs as a cost and pass them on to prices as much as possible, not just in the US".
However, Furukawa also argues, "On the other hand, this is a crucial period for our game business as we promote the adoption of new hardware and maintain the momentum of our platforms. We are working on this while carefully considering the situation."
The volatility Furukawa gestures at is naturally being considered, but pricing is so important to a console, especially so early on in its life. The Nintendo Switch 2 only launched last June, and given the relatively budget price of the OG Switch and the Steam Deck, it felt like a lot of money for a console with few exclusives.
My first six months with the Switch 2 have certainly been positive, but paying even more for a device that can still get stick drift hurts the hardware nerd in me. And the Nintendo kid, too.