Research firm DFC Intelligence said Monday that it will “model a 20% price rise over the next two years” for Switch 2. However, the updated guidance sent to passthecontroller from the company’s CEO David Cole said, “Looking at rising hardware prices, the hardware side is generally applied not only to the switches.”
“For Switch 2, we think that much of the 20% increase is already burned to a price of $450,” Cole said. “Nintendo probably won’t raise prices. If so, I don’t expect it to be 20%. And the majority of that increase is in the form of not discounting prices. So, it’s not necessarily a price increase, but when modelling a 20% price decline next year, the price is stable.”
Nintendo announced the Switch 2 launch price last Wednesday at $449.99, before Trump outlined “mutual tariffs” in dozens of countries, including the regions in which Nintendo manufactures hardware. Trump hit China on Wednesday with an additional 34% mandatory duty, with Vietnam moving some of its production at 46% tariffs. Trump also hit Japan, where Nintendo is headquartered, with 24% tariffs on Japanese goods.
Trump’s move has pushed Nintendo’s pause switch 2 pre-order in the US, which is scheduled to open on April 9th.
A DFC Intelligence report said that the launch price for the Switch 2 could sneak past the previously announced $449.99 asking price, but that hardware prices could rise in response to the costs associated with tariffs. While gaming consoles have traditionally been priced down, the latest console generation has defied that trend. Nintendo is still selling the Switch at the original launch price of $299.99. Both rivals Sony and Microsoft have raised prices for current comfort consoles in certain regions.
“We expect that Nintendo will be even more clear when it releases revenues in May,” analysts said in the report.
According to a report by DFC Intelligence, tariffs and uncertain pricing have led Nintendo to shrink its manufacturing industry, with researchers reducing their 2025 Switch 2 sales forecast to 17-15 million units.
Even if there is a possibility of price increases in the US, the company is bullish on Nintendo’s outlook. Switch 2, DFC Intelligence said “we will continue to expand Nintendo’s growth between PC gamers and the core adult market” and “there is a possibility to rebuild the video game market.”
update: DFC Intelligence clarified the modelling of the report to passthecontroller, saying it concluded that Switch 2 would not increase prices as a result of tariffs. This story has been updated to reflect this clarification.
