Nintendo has announced a significant price rise for the Nintendo Switch 2 console, taking effect around the world from 1 September.
The price difference changes between regions, with the average increase being around AU$70. That said, there are some regions where the price hike is more significant, including in New Zealand and Japan.
Nintendo Switch 2 price increase – quick links
‘Market conditions’ behind Nintendo Switch 2 price increase
As announced, Nintendo has moved to increase the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 ‘in light of changes in market conditions’ and ‘after considering the global business outlook’.
The price of hardware, including essential memory chips, has been increasing exponentially in recent years. There are a multitude of factors that’ve also contributed, including the knock-on impacts of Covid-era production bottlenecks, but perhaps the most impactful is the rising interest in AI, and particularly generative AI.
Companies around the world are making significant investments into this technology, which requires costly and hardware-heavy data centres to run. With these data centres relying on memory chips, demand for this hardware is at all-time high, making it more difficult and more expensive for companies to get their hands on them to manufacture any other hardware.
While Nintendo did not specifically outlining memory chips as being the limiting step in manufacturing, it’s likely increased demand is a major cause of this price revision.
Fellow gaming companies including PlayStation have recently made similar moves to offset the rising cost of manufacturing.
Newer gaming fans now have to contend with much higher prices, despite the age of consoles. Where previously, the trend was that consoles would become less expensive over time, now they are more expensive than they were several years ago.
How much the Nintendo Switch 2 will soon cost in Australia and around the world
From 1 September, the Nintendo Switch 2 will be priced at the following:
- Australia – AU$769.95 (was AU$699.95)
- New Zealand – NZ$969.95 (was NZ$799.95)
- Japan – ¥59,980 (was ¥49,980)
- United States – US$499.99 (was US$449.99)
- Canada – CA$679.99 (was CA$629.99)
- Europe – €499.99 (was €469.99)
Notably, Japan will also get price increases for the original Nintendo Switch console line-up, for those still looking to purchase this last-generation hardware. Going forward, you can expect the following prices in this region:
- Nintendo Switch OLED Model – ¥47,980 (was ¥37,980)
- Nintendo Switch – ¥43,980 (was ¥32,978)
- Nintendo Switch Lite – ¥29,980 (was ¥21,978)
The price of Nintendo Switch Online will also be increasing in Japan and other select regions, in an effort to ‘support appropriate alignment among regions’. Basic 12-month memberships in Japan will now cost ¥3000, up from ¥2400, and 12-month memberships with Expansion Pack will now cost ¥9900, up from ¥8900.
For now, Nintendo has only confirmed this Nintendo Switch Online price rise in Japan and South Korea. It appears membership prices in other countries will remain the same.
Regardless of this caveat, Nintendo’s announcement will likely be a frustrating one. In recent years, the price of gaming has risen considerably, with many consoles and gaming subscriptions now more expensive for players, without offering any real added benefit.
As inflation and manufacturing prices continue to rise, we could still see further impact on the hobby.
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PlayStation has confirmed significant price rises for the PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles, as well as the PlayStation Portal remote player, as a result of economic pressures and the increasing cost of complex manufacturing.
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