Nintendo Switch 2 price leak suggests affordability in Canada — but what about the U.S.?

The Nintendo Switch 2 is coming soon and we may have just gotten a glimpse at the final price.

A leak from a Canadian Costco listed the Nintendo Switch 2 as $499 CAD, which translates to roughly $349 USD (via Nintendo Wire). That's a great price, especially considering that the original Nintendo Switch started at $299. For an additional $50, we may see a massive improvement.

However, even if the leak about the Canadian pricing is true, there are a few issues with that speculation. There’s the Nintendo Switch OLED and then there's the potential for more U.S. tariffs.

With those factors in mind, can we really count on an affordable Switch 2 in the U.S.?

Will the Nintendo Switch actually be affordable?

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First, let’s work with what we do know. The Nintendo Switch OLED currently retails for $350 USD. If you’re wondering what the price in Canada is, it’s $450 CAD. Yes, there’s no direct conversion in pricing. So since the Nintendo Switch 2 may be $499 CAD, that means it’ll likely retail for $399 in the U.S.

That’s still not bad considering the current console market. But I’m a little concerned about Nintendo going all-in on production. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told investors “We are taking the risk and proceeding with production to meet as large a demand as possible,” (via GamesIndustry.biz).

What happens if the U.S. slaps major chip makers like Taiwan with tariffs? Trump just announced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports. Who knows how that will affect products that use steel and aluminum? And if chips get a similar 25% tariff, what will the tech industry do as a response?

I am not going to pretend to be an expert on the price-to-component ratio per technological product. But I will imagine a worst-case scenario in which these products become up to 25% more expensive, which could see something like the Nintendo Switch 2 costing $100+ more in the U.S. So if Nintendo spends all this money pumping out units in anticipation that they're going to sell like hotcakes, and then they don't sell because of pricing, what happens to Nintendo?

Award-winning Taipei-based journalist Tim Culpan writes that the threat of tariffs is designed to get TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.) to invest more in the U.S. (via Focus Taiwan). President Trump did say in a speech to Republicans on January 27 that, "The incentive is going to be they're not going to want to pay a 25, 50, or even a 100% tax."

The problem with strong-arming the TSMC is that it’s the largest contract chip maker in the world. The U.S. relies heavily on its production of semiconductors, which are used in computers, cell phones, cars, and medical devices.

If the TSMC calls Trump’s bluff, what happens? That potential 100% tax could be seen in our consumer products, skyrocketing the prices of tech while tanking sales.

It’s a dangerous game of chicken I’d rather not see play out. So as we’ve said before, if you’re interested in the Nintendo Switch 2, maybe buy it sooner rather than later.