The Nintendo Switch 2 price seemed too expensive until it really didn't

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2's $450 price in April 2025, many saw trouble. The company said it had factored in tariffs, but the console still cost 50% more than the original Switch at launch, matched the base PlayStation 5, and became Nintendo’s most expensive console entry.

A few weeks later some accessories rose in price, and critics questioned whether Nintendo had abandoned its advantage of affordability. Early demand suggested those critics were premature. Fans eager for the better-specced hardware snapped up consoles at an unprecedented pace, though concern remained about how the Switch 2 would perform beyond early adopters.

As the year progressed, other systems got more expensive and a shortage of fast memory chips driven by AI datacenter expansion pushed prices higher. Xbox raised prices multiple times, the ROG Xbox Ally launched with a $1,000 premium model, and the base PlayStation 5 reached $600.

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