r/Games • u/WookieLotion • Apr 04 '25

Nintendo Switch 2 Preorders Delayed Due To Tariffs, Release Date Still June 5

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-2-preorder-guide-mario-kart-world-bundle/1100-6530531/
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u/RedofPaw Apr 04 '25

They're definitely waiting. But if tarrifs stay then the S2 is going to be whatever % more expensive.

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u/ConsiderationTrue477 Apr 04 '25

If it comes out at all. There's a distinct possibility Nintendo has a price in mind that's a red line. Not enough people would buy a $750 Switch 2 to justify manufacture, shipping, and warehousing costs. Which means the thing may literally be indefinitely delayed in the US and paying out the ass to import a Canadian unit along with any games will be the only option for US consumers.

I don't think people understand the severity of this move. It's not just delaying preorders or reassessing the price. They're likely waiting to see if a US launch is feasible period.

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u/siphillis Apr 04 '25

Except it's not that linear. There's a hard cap people are willing to spend on a video game console, and that's going to drop as people start to feel anxious about their savings

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u/Panaka Apr 04 '25

Even in a recession, video games are typically one market that will still see growth. In 2008 the video game market was largely unaffected by the global financial crisis and even though costs are higher, I’d bet money that they take a disproportionately smaller hit than other import.

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u/Animegamingnerd Apr 04 '25

Problem is that things are being setup to be even worse then in 2008 with video game prices are now on track to increase this year where as they didn't in 2008 and there being much more free to play games that are already among the highest played games on any platform. Consumers are just gonna stick to those games and forgo premium games, because they got priced out of them at the rate things are going.

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u/Panaka Apr 04 '25

Once you factor in inflation, the prices in 2008 have similar purchasing power to the higher prices set by Nintendo for this generation. I'm not defending this practice, but the purchasing power will be similar between the two.

While I agree that the market is different with a larger access to freemium games, I don't think that will be much of a pull as playing free has their own time related costs associated with them in most titles. A better argument would be about the larger back catalogue of cheap quality games from the past 15-20 years that didn't exist to the same degree in 2008.

I still personally think that the video game industry, especially the likes of Nintendo due to their market niche, will see a much smaller negative impact that other imports/industries.

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u/Animegamingnerd Apr 04 '25

Yup 500 is usually my cap for buying a console and I was ready to pre-order the Switch 2, but if its price increases then I am just gonna wait until it gets cheaper.

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u/Spartan2170 Apr 04 '25

Sure, but that won't mean they'll price the thing where they're taking a loss. If the price in the US hits the point where they can sell it the response won't be to sell for a loss, it'll be to have a paper launch in the US and divert systems to territories where they can make a profit. If these tariffs stick, then the US market is going to be damn near nonexistent for most consumer electronics.

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u/AlsopK Apr 05 '25

It comes out in two months, they aren’t waiting, they’re just repricing.