"I'm really excited — but not about the price": As tariff threats loom, Nintendo fans at exclusive NYC event are torn over the Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 has entered a complicated world.

As hundreds of Nintendo fans packed into an airy event space in Midtown Manhattan last week to be among the first in the world to play the Switch 2, excitement was high. So too were concerns about the price.

While some of the attendees didn’t know it then, the threat of tariffs would add to questions about the cost of the Switch 2, inargably the biggest video game console debut of the year.

"I'm really excited — but not about the price. I'm OK with the price of the console, but the games, especially Mario Kart being $80, is kind of a bit much," a gamer named Kade from Staten Island told Laptop Mag during the event, which was mostly populated with winners of a lottery to attend.

That sentiment about cost has echoed across the internet over the past week since Nintendo finally unveiled the details of the Switch 2. At $450, it has the highest sticker price ever of any Nintendo console. Game prices went up to $80, as well, which several fans at last weekend's event, like Kade, were worried about. The original Switch, released in March 2017, cost $300.

Tariffs add to questions about Switch 2 price

The preview event took place on Friday, April 2, the same day that Nintendo announced that it would be delaying pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the US indefinitely in response to President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign-made goods.

Less than a week later, on Wednesday, Trump announced a 90-day pause on the tariff plan, except for goods made in China. The Nintendo Switch is produced in China and Vietnam.

For now, the console is still slated to launch on June 5, but preorders for US customers that were supposed to go live on Wednesday have been delayed. (It is available for preorder in the UK.) “Eligible Nintendo Account holders will receive an email when it's time to purchase,” reads a message on the Nintendo website once one registers interest in buying a Switch 2.

Games bring excitement — and more questions about price

This developing situation created a dark cloud over an otherwise enthusiastic event, where ecstatic gamers wandered glowing halls of red and white filled with demo stations where they got hands-on previews of the Switch 2 and some of the first games for it, like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bonanza, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and a slew of third parties titles like Hades 2 and Split Fiction.

As exciting as those games are, many fans are worried they'll be too expensive across the board, particularly first-party Nintendo games. Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza seem to be the start of a new standard $80 price tag for Switch 2 games, meaning it's possible that some of the biggest titles, like the next 3D Mario game, could end up being even pricier.

Nintendo has finally begun trying to address these concerns over the past few days, but it sounds like the level of outrage over Switch 2 pricing came as a surprise. Initially, many fans assumed the Switch 2's high price was due to the ever-shifting tariffs in the US, but it sounds like that's not the case.

Bowser: “We felt that was going to be the right price point.”

Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America (his last name is coincidental), said in an interview with CNBC that the company "didn't consider tariffs into that equation" and explained, "We felt that was going to be the right price point for our consumers and the right value proposition, if you will, for the device that we're creating."

Bowser highlighted Mario Kart World in his defense of the Switch 2 pricing and the pricing for its first-party games and dove into all of the console's hardware improvements, which are legitimately a significant upgrade.

Unfortunately, even if fans can overlook the price of the Switch 2, the pricing of the games could have far-reaching repercussions.

When asked if he was concerned about the pricing, Jordan, a Nintendo fan from Queens, nodded, telling Laptop Mag: "Absolutely, because, I mean, I'm from New York, right? So, everything's expensive here. It's even worse because if Nintendo is doing this, other game companies can follow, which is also the other problem."

By the sound of it, though, that might not deter gamers who are itching to get their hands on this console. Even Jordan admitted he will probably still get the Switch 2, adding, "I feel like everyone's going to do it anyway, eventually."

"Eventually" might end up being the keyword, especially with pre-orders indefinitely on hold. Many fans might wait for sales or price drops before buying a Switch 2, even if they're as excited about the new console as the lucky gamers who won tickets to last weekend's event.

This has happened before

This wouldn't be the first time gamers held off on buying premium-priced consoles, opting to hold onto older or lower-end models instead. For instance, the Xbox Series X didn't begin outselling the more affordable Xbox Series S until October 2024, nearly four years after both consoles' release date. A similar trend could happen with the Switch, where many fans may wait years for the chaos of tariffs to resolve and more price drops to start cropping up for the Switch 2 before finally buying one.

Based on our first impressions and the reactions of fans, the Switch 2 is a stunner and the games are a blast — but the excitement about this launch may not be able to overshadow price hikes.

As Jordan said, "I saw the prices, but we can get through that. I think, we can get through that."

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