A $50 increase in the US. Further increases rolling out in Japan, Europe, and Canada.
You know what? I’m gonna not buy it even harder.
As if I needed another reason to not get one…
I remember getting the 3DS on launch day. It was considered expensive at the time, people complained, sales were sluggish, it got a price cut within six months, and I was given various digital goodies to make up for it.
Now, people buying the console more than a year after launch are getting a price increase instead. What an insane time to live in.
Video game console prices have never gone up like they have in the last decade. Never since video games were invented.
While some consoles have been more expensive on launch when adjusting for inflation, they usually plummeted in price shortly thereafter.
It’s a uniquely bad time in history to be a console gamer.
There’s never been a time where it’s been so easy to disillusion investors to the extent that you convince them that buying the entire world’s supply of hardware, even when you have nowhere to plug it in, is a great decision.
On the other hand it’s never been a better time to be a PC player. I pick up multiple free games every day. I have decades of classics I can emulate. I have vast choices of the hardware I can use. I use Proton to run games flawlessly on an OS they were never designed for, and I can even use something like GameNative to run them on the phone I’ve already got in my pocket!
Yeah, except all the parts to build even a midrange PC have become unaffordable.
I am still on my GTX 1080 Ti (an EVGA FTW3 which I actually got on discount for $400 about a year after it launched) waiting for hardware I can actually afford that gives an upgrade worth spending the money for it. Nearly $1000 USD for even just a 70 series card isn’t worth it at all.
I’ve never tried a game I couldn’t play on my Steam Deck, or even on the desktop I built a decade ago. I don’t really play brand-new games, but I’ve got so many unplayed classics that I don’t need new hardware.
As gaming becomes more and more expensive I’ve found myself going back to retro. Just ain’t enough money left after everything else has gone up to spend on gaming anymore.
Not like Nintendo games are exactly cheap or becoming cheaper 2nd hand
Same here. I’ve been emulating some old PlayStation 1 games lately and man I forgot how fucking awesome Breath of Fire 3 was.
stuck with old pc games, RS i used to be members but i stopped due to the slop they put out, plus burning out. and they use the excuse of inflation to increase the prices last time, this time was due to them removing mtx with no replacement, due to whining of osrs players.
Nothing like paying even $50 more to play games that you’ve already played for the last 15 to 20 years and also repaying for those games, spending between $50 and $70 fucking dollars US for the privilege.
Nintendo have lost their goddamn minds.
Don’t bother buying a Switch or a Switch 2 if you’ve already got a gaming PC. Just emulate that shit.
I’m not buying anything Nintendo. I would love for you to tell me how and where to emulate switch 2.
I don’t believe there is anything that requires something unique about the Switch 2 to run, so emulating the original Switch should get you all the games already.
Well, except for all the Switch 2 exclusives like Mario Kart World and the new Kirby Air Ride.
Although, to be fair, there are still a good number of first-party games still releasing on both systems.
Pokopia is at the top of my wishlist. Going to be waiting a long time, I think…
it’s called the Switch 2 because people who aren’t rich have to Switch 2 a different hobby
With this economy I just wait until this shows up in a pawn shop somewhere. Or more likely fuck buying that have plenty of PC games to play.
Their games never drop in price, and they are priced higher than anyone else. Don’t buy this shit ever. If you really want, emulate it. That’s the closest you should get to it. (Even then, is there anything worth it? There are too many amazing PC games already. I don’t need to play the fairly generic stuff Nintendo makes.)
Another option if you already own the console is the library. I was shocked at how niche some of the games they have are.
A few titles actually went in clearance at Costco which is somewhat rare:
https://kotaku.com/costco-sale-switch-2-games-cheap-pokemon-2000688792
Prices ending in 97 at that store indicate they wanted to get rid of the inventory to make room for other items, not sure the reasoning for it though, could be just newer games for the same system (since it also varies by location).
Edit: Looks like Walmart had a similar sale ($35-$40) for even more titles including bananza, so something is definitely different when compared to previous Nintendo pricing deals with retailers.
+$50 so they can sell you starfox for a THIRD time
This is relevant.
I was looking at the exclusive titles for Switch 2… and it’s beyond me to understand why I need another Mario Kart or Smash Bros, especially with that dumbass entry price.
I haven’t played StarFox since the SNES, so I’m actually stoked for this. I’m probably a rarity though.
I’m in the same boat. Loved the original SNES game but never played SF64. I might just end up getting the new one if it reviews well
I’ve played StarFox64 but I never owned it or got very far. My only complaint is that it’s a remake of an old game.
Oh you sweet summer child. 3th? I think youre missing a few :p
- starfox ( snes )
- starfox 64 / lylat wars ( n64 )
- stargox assualt ( gamecube, counts partly )
- starfox command ( ds )
- starfox 3D ( 3ds )
- starfox zero ( wiiu, we dont talk about starfox zero )
… And i will probably get this one too 😅😂
What about Starfox 2?
I forgot it was officially released on the mini snes, so with that release one could add it to the list ye. In my head its still an unreleased game xD
They didn’t say no other games came out. They just said that they haven’t played them.
I explicitly left out starfox games that were not like the original starfox for a reason haha
The biggest surprise is they gave people an almost 4 month heads up. Still won’t be getting one, not enough games I’m interested in and they seem to be losing their touch with the string of mediocre titles they’ve been releasing.
Perhaps they’re betting on people that were holding out on a Switch 2 will see this as their only opportunity to grab one, since it ain’t getting cheaper.
They’ll get a bump in sales from the announcement, for sure, though it will mean less sales in the long run. They really needed a killer app to push more people to buy it before the price hike. Perhaps they have one coming before Sept., but I kinda doubt it.
Given that it’s been literally the best selling console in history so far, I’m not so sure they needed a killer app, which they already have in both DK Bananza and Pokopia.
Thanks, Trump.
/s aside,
Trump had as much as an effect of GPU/RAM/SSD prices as Biden had on inflation.
Which was none.
You don’t think unpredictable tariffs and rampant deregulation across the entire economy have had an effect on prices?
Plus oil prices going up due to blocking the Straight of Hormuz, which in turn increases transportation costs
Okay, lets be real. The companies were frothing at the mouth just looking for an easy scapegoat excuse whether it fits or not. They were going to increase the prices regardless of world conditions as they pull in record profits quarter after quarter. Its just easy for them to blame tariffs or other things to take the heat off of the reality that they are just immensely greedy.
If the tariffs were entirely cancelled tomorrow, prices would absolutely not come down to pre-tariff prices.
They were going to increase the prices regardless of world conditions
All of them, at exactly the same time?
Sure, price fixing is a thing that happens all the time even though it’s illegal.
Why do you guys defend corporations? They’ve shown time and time and again they’re pure evil motivated only by profit. They don’t get the benefit of the doubt.
The big 5 in DRAM chips manufacturers literally got fined by the FTC for price fixing in 2002. They admitted to price fixing from 1998-2002.
Verdun Oil and XLC Resources just got fined in 2025 for purposefully shutting down EPs crude oil drilling plans prior to a merger notification to antitrust authorities (called gun-jumping) which caused a massive crude oil supply shortage whcih was intentional to keep prices high.
Medical companies got fined this year for price fixing on insulin.
The prices were always going to go up regardless of the economy or the current US president, because the prices aren’t effected by those nearly as much as they are effected by shareholder greed and demand for short term profit at the expense of everything else.
The big 5 in DRAM chips manufacturers literally got fined by the FTC for price fixing in 2002. They admitted to price fixing from 1998-2002.
Don’t forget they essentially did the same from 2016-2018, though that case was dismissed and they got away with it, even though there was seemingly obvious collusion. Weird how even though the case was dismissed, RAM prices utterly tanked for a while after.
Why wouldn’t they? Once a few start increasing their prices, others will either have to (such as small businesses when their suppliers increase prices), or will follow suit out of immense greed (GPU manufacturers already made huge net profit, they didn’t need more). All it takes is for a few businesses at the bottom to start turning the valves and the whole system falls apart, regardless of economy.
This is why when prices go up during a bad economy, once the economy is good the prices never ever go back to the amount they were before. Ever. The prices go up and always stay up.
Yeah, I’m not sure how US tariffs and US regulations have any effect on Japan, or UK, or Aus, or every other country in the world that also suffered inflation and high GPU/RAM/SSD prices.
how much you paying for gas?
Thank COVID / Putin for Inflation…
Thank Trump for High Oil Prices…
Thank general global demand for high GPU/RAM/SSD prices…
Other than Trump in the Middle East recently, US President doesn’t have that kind global effect.
Only Dingbat American’s think their struggles is a ‘US Only’ thing, and therefore has to be because one of their two parties is screwing up.
Oh come on, not even you believe that.
Trump literally put tariffs on everything. How could he not have an effect?
Oh yes… please explain how American’s paying high prices for items they import somehow made the rest of the world pay more as well.
I’d love to know how US Tariff’s affected a Canadian company importing something from China. or how US Tariff’s affected India importing stuff from Japan.
Please explain…
A lot of product to Canada comes up through American trade routes.
Yeah, this definitely isn’t connected to the shareholders demanding price increases “to protect margins.” No, its market conditions, obviously! Nothing to do with the shareholders!
What if we sell just a couple dozen really expensive devices. . ?
Yeah, that will fix things.
It’s already ridiculously expensive for what it is. $700 in store here in Australia
$700 AUD is about equivalent, given its $449 USD (before sales tax, their version of the GST).
449 x $1.38 ForEx ~$620. +10% GST = $682.
The only way you could get it for a better price would be to buy it directly from Japan, where it’s only ~¥49,980 ($440 AUD).
…with the caveat that you’d need to know Japanese to use it.
With the added shipping and tax on bringing it into the country, plus postal insurance on an international package like that. Really not worth the time, money and downsides compared to just buying local
僕はウィーバーです!
woulndnt it still be expensive, if you are an australian trying to import one from japan or flying there to get one.
Costs can widely vary, but if you know someone locally who can buy and ship it for you - you’re only out of pocket the cost of the unit ($440), shipping ($20-30?), and GST if customs flags you (~$45).
Still a lot better overall than $700inc locally - but you will be stuck with a JP language only model and any other restrictions that come with it.
Fuck that. First Nintendo console in a long time that I don’t give a shit about.
Put fucking games on the carts and we will talk.
12GB DDR5 for just 50€ extra? Sounds kind of ok if we could get half of the RAM out and put it into PCs…
But maybe they should consider reviving the 3DS as it only used 128MB (they could produce 90x 3DS for a Switch 2)
New New 2DS
Market conditions: Xbox and Sony already did it in anticipation of GTA 6
In response to component price increases.
That’s what they claim, of course.
RAM and HDD and SSD prices have like quadrupled in the last year because datacenters have bought up future production going out a few years. So, yeah… That’s exactly what’s going on.
It’s extremely easy to see that that’s what’s going on, if you’ve tried buying your own memory or storage lately. They’d love to lower the prices of their hardware, all three of these console manufacturers, so that you end up spending more in their high-margin ecosystem, but this is the reality of the situation. Too many companies are bidding on the same parts right now, at least until the AI bubble fully pops.
Component prices have increased though.
