Switch 2
Everyone has been attempting to guess what’s going to happen to the price of the newly announced Nintendo Switch 2 as a result of Donald Trump’s massive global tariffs, including significant ones on Japan and Nintendo manufacturing partners Vietnam and Cambodia.
Now the experts are starting to chime in. Top analyst firm DFC Intelligence has issued its first Switch 2 report in the wake of its pricing, and while it’s mostly positive about the console’s prospects, the tariffs are the less-than-good-news part of it.
While DFC says it believes the $450 price is still a good value, and it was less than the $500 they predicted before the pre-tariff global economic conditions, the tariffs now complicate things.
They believe it will lower the overall sales of the Switch 2. Because of pricing concerns, their estimates for 2025 are now 15 million, down from 17 million. Those pricing concerns? They say it’s possible there could be a 20% increase in the price of the Switch 2 over the next two years if these tariffs are maintained. That would put it at $530 in the US. Of course, there is easily the possibility, if not likelihood, PlayStation, Xbox and PC gaming prices could go up for the same tariff-based reasons. DFC says they will continue evolving their forecasts as things change on the ground.
Switch 2
That’s the problem, there are so many unknowns, as the current, fluctuation tariff situation is impossibly hard to predict in terms of what happens next. The tariffs could go away tomorrow, stay the same, or increase as a trade war escalation. Here’s what DFC says:
“The lower forecast are directly related to supply and pricing. With tariffs and uncertain pricing Nintendo may choose to scale back its manufacturing. If prices increase substantially due to tariffs, a significant portion of prospective buyers are likely to hold back on a purchase until prices come down. This situation is changing and will be closely monitored as DFC regularly updates its forecast throughout the year.”
Despite all this, the overall conclusion is the somewhat predictable one that the Switch 2 is likely to be a huge hit, even if sales forecasts are lowered, and it may be the fastest-selling console ever. The first Switch is the third best-selling video game system of all time, and will likely be the second-best soon enough. It’s not clear if the Switch 2 will reach those highs, but it’s certainly possible. But a big price jump? That could easily throw a blue shell down the track.
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