Nintendo has released statements about the launch price of his next console, Switch 2, in response to speculations that connected the $ 449 requested for the console in the USA to the US commercial rates. Although the company denied that the first tariff measures have influenced the determination of the retail price in the United States, it recognized that the recent duties introduced by the Trump administration represent a problem to be addressed. Doug Bowser, head of Nintendo of America, has attributed the price of the new console to its renewed and improved technical characteristics, including a larger LCD screen and the red-receded Joy-Con controllers. Bowser underlined the company’s intention to offer an accessible device that consumers perceive as an integral part of their entertainment experience, with a perspective of longevity. Bowser specifically stated that the duties were not considered in defining the price, highlighting Nintendo’s efforts in the diversification of their production locations in Vietnam and Cambodia as a preventive strategy compared to the early tariff phases.
However, the new rates imposed on Vietnam and Cambogia have been defined by Bowser as a “challenge” that the company will have to manage. Nintendo said he was actively engaged in evaluating the situation and potential impact. This declaration echoes to the decision, defined as unusual, to postpone the start of the pre -orders for Switch 2 to the United States for a permanent period, initially scheduled for April 9, citing the need to analyze the possible repercussions of the rates and the evolving market conditions. It is not yet clear whether the launch of the console in the United States, scheduled for June 5, will take place at a higher price. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which represents the main companies in the videogame sector in the United States, has expressed concern for the negative consequences of duties on industry, underlining that multiple components of a single product purchased by consumers could be subject to these impositions, with a cumulative effect.