Nintendo considering Switch 2 price increase and you can blame AI
Could the Switch 2's lofty asking price go up in 2026? Nintendo is reportedly considering it.
If you were waiting for a great deal on the Nintendo Switch 2 console, you might be better off abandoning that pursuit and striking now.
A new Bloomberg report says Nintendo is considering raising the price of the Switch 2 console released in 2025, due to the rising costs of producing the hybrid machine – specifically the spiralling price of obtaining RAM.
In a report about Sony potentially holding off on a PS5 successor until as far away as 2029(!), Bloomberg drops the bombshell about Nintendo’s internal thinking.
The report says:
“Close rival Nintendo Co., which contributed to the surplus demand in 2025 after its new Switch 2 console drove storage card purchases, is also contemplating raising the price of that device in 2026, people familiar with its plans said. Sony and Nintendo representatives didn’t respond to requests for comment.”
The launch price of the Switch 2 already raised eyebrows among gamers. Nintendo is asking $450 / £396 for the new machine, which offers new game modes, a faster processor, new gameplay modes, and magnetic Joy-Con controllers.
Nintendo isn’t big for price cuts anyway, so it’s unlikely there’d be a big downward price adjustment in the next couple of years. However, the idea the console could actually go up following the launch should hasten the thoughts of anyone wanting to upgrade on their original Switch as the Switch 2 game library improves. Our advice? If you know you’re going to buy a Switch 2, make every effort to get it now.
The RAM shortage behind the potential increase is due to the need for memory to power AI servers. Try to remember that the vast majority of consumers are not actively asking for this onslaught of generative artificial intelligence, are overwhelmingly concerned about its potential to damage society and is based entirely on the tech industry’s need to win the arms race.
Chris Smith
