The president of Nintendo of America makes his opinion on the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 clear: “We want to make sure that this is a device that is approachable”

Undoubtedly, one of the main workhorses around the Nintendo Switch conversation is the price, both of the platform itself and of the games. In an interview with The Verge, Doug Bowser, president of Nintendo of America, has come forward to defend the company’s strategy, which has gone from selling the original Nintendo Switch at an (immovable) $299, to make a leap with Switch 2 to place it at $449.99 ($499.99 with a digital copy of Mario Kart World).

When asked why the Switch 2 is so expensive, Bowser listed a number of new console features, including a larger LCD screen, more powerful internal components, Joy-Con controllers that have been “enlarged and redesigned for durability,” and a social layer called GameChat built into the console (though we note here that the camera is sold separately for $59.99 and that “integration” is dependent on paying the monthly fee for a Nintendo online account). “We want to make sure that this is a device that is approachable, that consumers will see as part of their overall entertainment experiences and will understand that it has longevity to it,” Bowser said. “And all of those factors really go into the consideration of the price.”

When asked about the trade war unleashed by Donald Trump, the executive clarified that the tariffs did not directly affect the console’s original price. “Any previous tariffs were not factored into the price itself,” Bowser explained. The impact of the tariffs is already being felt, however, as Nintendo has decided to delay the opening of Switch 2 pre-orders in the US and Canada, originally scheduled to begin on April 9, in order to “assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” There is currently no new date for pre-orders, and it’s unclear if the console’s pricing will change. “The news is fresh, and like many companies right now, we are actively assessing what the impact may be,” Bowser added.

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In addition to the console, some Switch 2 games have also received a price increase. Mario Kart World, for example, will cost $69.99 ($79.99 physical) when it launches on June 5, up from the standard $59.99 for first-party games on the original Switch. Speaking generally about the pricing of the games, Bowser said that “each game, we believe, is a unique experience,” and therefore prices can vary accordingly. This is the so-called “variable pricing” that has the community up in arms.

Bowser even went so far as to justify making a product like the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a title that teaches players details about the Switch 2 and offers tech demos highlighting its key features (similar in concept but not execution to the PS5’s Astro’s Playroom, which is actually free), a paid product. “As this game was being developed, what’s been packed into it is a depth of minigame experiences,” Bowser explained. “They’re very deep, they’re very repeatable. And so, as we looked at that depth of play experience and opportunity, we felt that $9.99 was a fair price to ask for that.”

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