You Might Want to Buy a Switch 2 Now: Analysts Are…

With a RAM crisis steadily mounting on the horizon and global market volatility leading to rippling economic impacts across consumer sectors, gaming fans who have been on the fence about springing for a Nintendo Switch 2 console may want to pull the trigger, as the latest financial predictions are expecting a price hike on Nintendo's latest hardware to hit sometime in 2026. The Nintendo Switch 2 will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on June 5, but if early marketing analysis is any indication, the party may be less than joyous for those looking to finally bring the console home in the coming months.

There was already plenty of hubbub surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 launch price, which many felt was too high for the hardware capabilities, especially when compared to competitors like PlayStation and Xbox. However, the portability of the Switch 2 and Nintendo's powerhouse first-party IPs, which it has long kept locked to its own console releases, helped to massively play in the Switch 2's favor, pushing it to become the fastest-selling video game console of all time. While early sales for the Switch 2 have maintained a fairly steady momentum, broader changes in the technology market and political influences on economic trends could prove a daunting hurdle for the Switch 2, particularly if key factors force Nintendo's hand on a price hike.

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Nintendo is Reportedly Ramping Up Switch 2 Production

Just months after launch, Switch 2 sales are soaring past major milestones, with Nintendo reported to be ramping up console production.

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By Charming Holiday

Will the Nintendo Switch 2 Get More Expensive in 2026?

Trusted market data and consumer insights firm Niko Partners released its 2026 business predictions, which included a rather unfortunate expectation for the Nintendo Switch 2 to receive a price increase in response to "the impact from tariffs, increased memory costs, and broader macroeconomic conditions." Niko Partners acknowledged that Nintendo previously chose to maintain its $449 entry price throughout 2025, but the firm predicts the increased demand from AI data centers to drive the cost of RAM and storage to go even higher, which may leave Nintendo without much choice in the matter. Alternately, Niko Partners believes Nintendo could opt to simply discontinue the $449 console-only Switch 2 and instead push the $499 bundle with a digital edition of Mario Kart World, though this latter option may also be hit with limited availability and a price increase down the road.

Hideki Kamiya criticizes Switch 2 Joy-Con for no D-pad

It is worth noting that Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has spoken about the issue of rising RAM costs and stated that there would be no immediate Nintendo Switch 2 price increases, though he avoided any mention of the long-term impacts of the RAM issues. For those unfamiliar, Micron Technology, one of three major consumer RAM manufacturers, announced in 2025 that it would be ending direct sales of consumer RAM and SSDs, choosing instead to focus on manufacturing for and selling to artificial intelligence data centers and enterprises. This means supply will drop while demand remains high, driving costs even higher. For video game consoles and PCs that rely on this hardware, those costs either need to be eaten by the companies themselves, such as Nintendo, or passed on to consumers, as Niko Partners predicts is inevitable.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Delay Canada Bundle Box

Gamers have already seen the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 hit with price increases, and while Nintendo has managed to hold a steady Switch 2 price for now, it would not be unexpected to see the Japanese powerhouse having to bow to broader economic and technological forces in the near future. As it stands, the Nintendo Switch 2 is still available at its $449 price point, and with rumors of the $499 bundle set to be cut, now may be the best time to snag a Switch 2 before consumer-facing price increases rear their ugly and expensive head.

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