Nintendo apologizes for Switch 2 price hike, touts strong software lineup

Nintendo is asking buyers to swallow a $50 price increase on the Switch 2 while promising that a stronger game pipeline will make the hardware feel worth more. The company said Nintendo of America will raise the U.S. suggested retail price from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1, 2026, a sharp move for a console that launched in the United States on June 5, 2025.

At a financial results briefing, president Shuntaro Furukawa apologized for the increase and said Nintendo would “prepare a robust software lineup to enhance the Switch 2 ownership value.” That is the heart of Nintendo’s defense: if households are paying more for entertainment hardware, the company wants them to believe the payoff will come through a steady stream of games, not just the box itself. Nintendo said the pricing change reflects market conditions it expects to persist over the medium to long term.

The hike is not limited to the United States. Nintendo said the Switch 2 price will rise in Japan from 49,980 yen to 59,980 yen on May 25, 2026, while pricing changes will also apply in Canada and Europe. Latin America pricing will be announced later. Nintendo also said pricing for the original Nintendo Switch family is not changing in the United States, even though it previously raised U.S. prices on original Switch models and accessories effective August 3, 2025.

The timing matters because Nintendo is raising the Switch 2 price less than a year after launch, forcing consumers to judge whether the machine’s early momentum justifies the higher tab. The company reported fiscal-year Switch 2 hardware sales of 19.86 million units and software sales of 48.71 million units for the year ended March 2026. It is forecasting 16.5 million Switch 2 unit sales and 60 million Switch 2 software sales in the next fiscal year, a sign that Nintendo expects software to carry more of the value story even as hardware gets more expensive.

Behind the scenes, the pressure is broader than Nintendo alone. Reuters has reported that memory prices are surging as the artificial intelligence boom constrains supply, and Sony is facing similar strain. That leaves Nintendo navigating a market in which component inflation, tariff pressure and wider consumer-electronics price increases are all tightening the screws on console economics. For Nintendo, the question is whether a richer game lineup can persuade buyers that a $499.99 Switch 2 still feels like a fair deal.