The Nintendo Switch 2 certainly made a splash when it was revealed earlier this year. Partly because of how much fun it looks like being, but also because of its high price point.
The base console comes in at $449/£395 — $150 more than the first Switch — and also has had the misfortune to launch during the ongoing tariff disputes between the U.S. and other countries. Nintendo has acknowledged it's a costly purchase, but has doubled down on its claim that the tariffs didn't impact its pricing for the console.
"We are forecasting Nintendo Switch 2 hardware sales of 15 million units for this fiscal year," company president Shuntaro Furukawa said in a new Q&A published today.
Nintendo Switch 2 is priced relatively high compared to Nintendo Switch, so we recognize that there are corresponding challenges to early adoption.
Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo
Furukawa was responding to questions from investors on why the company was targeting a lower sales forecast than some analysts were expecting.
"We set this figure with the aim of reaching the same level of sales we achieved with Nintendo Switch in the roughly 10-month period between its launch in March 2017 and December that year."
He goes on to point out that, "Nintendo Switch 2 is priced relatively high compared to Nintendo Switch, so we recognize that there are corresponding challenges to early adoption."
However, the belief from Nintendo is that backwards compatibility and software bundles will mean more sales in the latter half of the year. Furukawa goes on to say that tariffs "did not affect our sales volume forecast either."
But prices could go up
This seems somewhat at odds with earlier comments Furukawa gave, where he said: "Our basic policy is to recognize tariffs as a cost when determining sales prices in any country or region and to incorporate them into the price."
He added a little more context this week: "On the other hand, the fiscal year ending March 2026 is the launch period for our first new dedicated video game system in eight years. If the tariff assumptions change, we will consider how to handle the situation while keeping in mind the importance of platform momentum and growth of the hardware install base."
Nobody is quite sure what will happen over the next twelve months, but Nintendo consoles (and games) rarely drop dramatically in price. So pre-ordering a Switch 2 is one good way to lock in a purchase at the current price.
Meanwhile, if you want to know whether or not the gamers here at Tom's Guide are planning to buy a Switch 2 at launch, you can find our thoughts here.
More from Tom's Guide
- Should you buy a Nintendo Switch 2 at launch — our experts give the arguments for and against
- New Nintendo Switch 2 leak suggests Game-Key Cartridges might be preferred by publishers
- Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders live: latest stock updates and retailers to check now
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