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The Switch 2 debuted to a roller coaster of feedback, hot takes, and mixed emotions. The presentation was generally received well if you judge the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in a vacuum. Once that press release dropped, indicating the price tag of the console and the increased price of software, the momentum train slowed. Sticker shock and questions about the value proposition presented by Nintendo for their next console generation leave many things uncertain. One truth, however, is that this results from a changing games industry undergoing major shifts to its foundation.

The Nintendo Switch 2, as of April 2025, will cost $450 USD and $500 for a Mario Kart World bundle. The aforementioned game will cost $80, with other Switch 2 games like Donkey Kong Bananza costing $70 USD. The new Pro Controller 2 is $80, a set of Joy-Con 2s will cost $90, and the Nintendo-branded camera to engage in GameChat will cost $50. These prices — which were held back from the Nintendo Direct presentation, likely due to anticipated backlash — are a shock to many people. However, they tell us something about where console gaming is heading, or already exists, in 2025.

Like its predecessor, a massive perk of the Nintendo Switch 2 is the ability to hold a powerful gaming console and play handheld. This was a novelty in 2017 at the Switch’s launch, but since then, the handheld PC market has exploded. At $450, a Nintendo Switch 2 is still cheaper than the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and high-end MSI Claw 8 AI+. Its Steam Deck competitor, the 256GB LCD model, comes in at $50 cheaper. The Nintendo Switch 2 is not a handheld PC, but it is suddenly a console and company competing on both the PC and home console markets.

Is there any correlation to the Switch 2’s mouse controller mode? At its launch, the Nintendo Switch was seen as an indie game powerhouse, hosting many of the top games in its eShop. Switch 2 now finds itself alongside handheld PCs that connect directly to the Epic Game Store or Steam Store, which run indie game sales daily. Is the hope that by allowing players to play the Switch 2 in a way that is similar to both a desktop PC and the new handheld models, they’ll keep folks from making the full plunge away from the home console giants?

The rumor is that Nintendo never sells a console at a loss, and following hardware sales drops as they milked the last bits of life out of the Switch, they’re likely keen to keep that tradition alive. With an expanded way to play thanks to mouse mode, and most of the handheld PC market either at or above the price point for the Switch 2, Nintendo is looking competitive in its pricing of the Switch 2, regardless of online sticker shock. Nintendo’s modus operandi has always been its exclusive games, beloved by all ages. The thing is, that love is being tested thanks to higher software prices.

Fans continue to joke that Grand Theft Auto VI will cost $100 USD, given the anticipation for Rockstar’s next game. Rockstar can likely get away with a move like that because people want, and borderline seem to need, a new Grand Theft Auto experience. When an $80 price tag was announced for Mario Kart World, however, many couldn’t believe their eyes. Nintendo’s history of relying heavily on its exclusives has worked because people know they can’t find these games elsewhere – legally, at least.

As of April 2025, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the fifth best-selling game ever. Even years after release, its attach rate to Switch consoles has stayed healthy in the 50-60% range, continuing to sell despite a slowdown in new Switch hardware purchases. Given the Mario Kart franchise’s synonymy with its related consoles, Nintendo, like Rockstar, probably knows that an extra $10 isn’t going to stop most people from buying this game. Just because it’s true doesn’t mean it’s consumer-friendly.

Despite online backlash, Nintendo is in a position it knows well. Its exclusive games are the selling point of its hardware, a concept now abandoned by Xbox in the wake of its latest marketing strategy. While leaning into the trend of more gamers seeking PC or handheld PC experiences, Nintendo is simultaneously staying true to its value proposition that not only are its first-party games worth buying a Switch 2 for, but they’re worth more than you’re used to paying. It’s not exactly an easy sell for Nintendo’s PR team.

As the Switch’s sales declined in 2023, Nintendo promised 10% pay hikes for its employees to retain talent and keep up with inflation. In the last few years, most headlines related to a gaming company and its employees have included a percentage tied to layoffs, not raises. In 2024, the company made a net profit of $1.5 billion USD, despite Switch sales dwindling and a lackluster software lineup. So, with a pricier Switch 2, more expensive games, and an eight-year wait for the next Switch console, they stand to see some hefty revenue in the future.

At the risk of sounding like an apologist for Nintendo, I’ll note explicitly here that no consumer market exists without consumers. Nintendo’s pricing of its consoles and games is simply a proposition, and consumers who refuse to pay up for more expensive products can reject it. I don’t see that happening with the Switch 2, at least not in a calculable, observable way. Nintendo’s value has never been higher than it is now, even amid the sticker shock following the Switch 2 Direct.

As Mat Piscatella shared on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, the games market is a mature market, meaning we will not continue to see exponential growth in the number of people seeking to buy a console. More and more people play games on devices they already own, like phones or smart TVs, so we end up with a “This is an Xbox” strategy from Microsoft. Nintendo would be foolish to believe that more people will suddenly convert to video game consumers upon the Switch 2’s release than they did after the cheaper Nintendo Switch release.

Looking ahead, Nintendo will rely on the power of its first-party franchises, innovative game design, and all-ages appeal, as it always has. It’s easy to simultaneously understate and overstate how powerful it is to say you sell the only console where you can play Super Mario and Pokémon games. As the market share of consoles wanes to new approaches like “play-anywhere” connectivity and handheld PCs, Nintendo has decided that a more powerful console that plays the games you know and love is worth an increase in both hardware and software pricing.

Exclusivity and several well-beloved series will prove whether or not Nintendo’s past can continue to drive growth for the future. While adapting slightly for the moment, the present for Nintendo, like most game industry companies, is slightly murky. Fans will need to accept the gambit of a more expensive entry point to play Nintendo games after years of receiving a less powerful console in exchange for favorites like The Legend of Zelda or Super Smash Bros. It’s important to mention that both series are at all-time highs in terms of fans and acclaim, thanks to massive entries on the Switch.

My prediction is that we see acceptance, albeit not without lamentation, of the more expensive Nintendo ecosystem. It’s also my view that we were heading this direction as it was given the market’s maturity and everything in life becoming more expensive. Everyone has a take based on their view of money, hobby investments, and socioeconomic situation. I’d love to hear yours heading into the June 5 launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. Share your thoughts about the Switch 2 price in the comments.

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