Nintendo revives Star Fox 64 as Switch 2 price hikes loom

Nintendo jolted the Switch 2’s second year with a Star Fox 64 remake, then quickly reminded buyers that the hardware itself is about to get more expensive. The company said the game will arrive on June 25, while the Switch 2’s U.S. price will rise to $499.99 on September 1, up from the $449.99 launch price set on June 5, 2025.

The price increase is not limited to the United States. Nintendo said Canada and Europe will see similar increases, and Japan’s Switch 2 price will rise to 59,980 yen on May 25. The company said the changes reflect various changes in market conditions and added that the revisions could extend to other regions.

The timing gives Nintendo a split message to send into the summer. On one hand, the company is leaning on one of its best-known series to keep interest alive. Star Fox, an action-packed adventure based on Star Fox 64 for Nintendo 64, now sits on Nintendo’s upcoming-games page alongside Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on May 21, Rhythm Heaven Groove on July 2 and Splatoon Raiders on July 23. On the other hand, the hardware price hike suggests Nintendo sees enough pressure in costs and margins to pass more of the burden to consumers even after a strong early run.

That tension matters because Nintendo is entering the Switch 2’s second year with 19.86 million units already sold worldwide as of March 31, 2026, but with a more cautious outlook ahead. The company forecast sales of 16.5 million Switch 2 units in the fiscal year ending March 2027. Reuters reported that Nintendo’s operating profit forecast of 370 billion yen was well below analyst expectations.

For American buyers, the sequence points to a console market that is getting harder to sustain with price alone. A $50 jump in the U.S. comes after an already premium launch price, and Nintendo is responding by putting more weight on recognizable software rather than a deep flood of new hardware reasons to buy in. The Star Fox remake is a nostalgia play, but it is also a sign of how much Nintendo may need proven franchises to defend demand as the traditional console model faces higher costs, slower software pipelines and more competition for each entertainment dollar.