The Nintendo Switch 2 will almost certainly be more expensive than its predecessor, and initial suspicions thought this price would end up at $399, but a new prediction from industry analysts suggests that the price could be even higher.
It’s worth noting that whatever the Nintendo Switch 2 costs, it will probably still sell well. Nintendo fans are fiercely loyal, and with how successful the Nintendo Switch family of consoles has been, it seems unlikely that Nintendo won’t come out of the gate strong with the follow-up. That is, of course, pure speculation on our part.
Nintendo hasn’t confirmed the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 yet. Nor has it revealed anything major about the console other than the design. However, it does have an official Nintendo Direct live stream scheduled for April 4. This live stream is entirely dedicated to the Nintendo Switch 2. So, it’s during this event that we’ll probably hear about details like the price, features, release date, and launch titles.
Nintendo Switch 2 launch price prediction suggests it could be as high as $499
According to a new report from Bloomberg (via Android Authority), industry analyst for Toyo Securities Hideki Yasuda says he wouldn’t be surprised if the price was at $499. “The original Switch’s Nvidia chip is estimated to cost $80 per unit, while the Switch 2’s chip is likely to be in the $130-$150 range. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo goes ahead with $499,” Yasuda said.
If Nintendo did price the Switch 2 this high, it would put it right in line with the launch price of the PS5. It is entirely possible the price will be neither $399 nor $499, and instead could be somewhere in between. Another analyst, Hiroshi Yamashina at Macquarie Capital, believes it could be somewhere between $399 and $449. Given the console’s rumored specs, this seems like a more reasonable launch price that Nintendo would try to hit.
Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa also stated in February that he would need to consider the price consumers are expecting for the Switch 2 before deciding on what the price should be. Consumers are almost certainly not expecting the price to be $499 or more. So it wouldn’t be surprising if the cost ended up being well below that.
Nintendo expected to launch the console in June
There have already been several rumors about when the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released. This includes Nintendo launching the console in June, while others have speculated an April release. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu believes June is the month Nintendo will go with. Zhu also notes that he believes Nintendo will have anywhere from 6 million to 8 million units on hand for launch day inventory.
It’s not mentioned how much of that inventory Nintendo is expected to sell. However, initial predictions are that Nintendo will “sell boatloads” in its first months. Back in January, analyst Mat Piscatella predicted that Nintendo would sell around 4.3 million units in 2025. While no features are known about the Switch 2 yet, several are rumored. Some rumors suggest that the Joy-Con controllers will be usable as a mouse. It’s also suspected that the console may have built-in voice chat.
