Nintendo Switch 2 price rises to $499.99

Nintendo’s Switch 2 now costs $499.99 in the United States after a price increase took effect on September 1, according to Nintendo’s U.S. news page and store listing. Nintendo of America said on May 7 that it would raise the console’s MSRP from $449.99 to $499.99, citing “various changes in market conditions” expected to persist over the medium to long term. Pricing for the original Nintendo Switch line was unchanged, the company said. Nintendo’s U.S. store now lists the Switch 2 at $499.99. ### When did the higher U.S. price actually start? September 1 was the effective date Nintendo gave in its May 7 notice. The company said the revised MSRP would apply to the Switch 2 system in the U.S. beginning that day, lifting the base price by $50. Nintendo’s current store page reflects that change. The listing for the Nintendo Switch 2 system shows a $499.99 price, confirming that the increase is now live rather than only announced. (nintendo.com) ### What explanation did Nintendo give? Nintendo of America said the increase was “in response to various changes in market conditions.” The company did not spell out those factors in its U.S. notice, but it said the conditions were expected to extend over the medium to long term. (nintendo.com) Reports cited in recent coverage have tied the increase to memory costs and a higher bill of materials, but Nintendo’s own public statement in the U.S. stops at the broader market-conditions explanation. (nintendo.com) ### Was this only a U.S. move? Canada and Australia were included in Nintendo’s previously announced revisions. Nintendo’s Canada site said on May 7 that the Switch 2 price there would rise from C$629.99 to C$679.99 on September 1. (nintendo.com) Nintendo Australia said on May 8 that the suggested retail price in Australia would move from AU$699.95 to AU$769.95 on the same date, with New Zealand rising from NZ$799.95 to NZ$969.95. Recent market coverage has also described corresponding September 1 increases in Europe, including a U.K. price of 419.99 pounds. Those figures were reported by gaming outlets, not confirmed in the Nintendo U.S. materials reviewed here. ### Did Nintendo change anything else about the hardware? Nintendo’s U.S. price notice did not announce new hardware features, a revised model or bundled changes. (nintendo.com) The company’s statement addressed price only and said pricing for the original Nintendo Switch system was not changing. The current U.S. store entry likewise presents the Switch 2 as the existing system offering, with no mention of a new display or refreshed version tied to the September 1 price move. (gaming.net) ### What is this Sharp display report? September 2 reports from Nintendo-focused outlets said a Sharp-made LCD panel for the Switch 2 appeared to be entering mass production. (nintendo.com) My Nintendo News reported that a new Sharp screen with improvements over the original had surfaced on Chinese reseller sites and said that suggested a larger production run was under way. (nintendo.com) Those reports describe the panel as another LCD rather than an OLED screen. Nintendo has not announced a revised Switch 2 model on its official U.S. site, so any fall hardware update remains unconfirmed by the company. ### What should buyers watch next? Nintendo said pricing for the Switch 2 system in Latin America would be shared later. (mynintendonews.com) The company has also left the original Switch family’s current U.S. pricing in place for now. September will be the next test of whether the higher $499.99 U.S. price holds and whether Nintendo follows the Sharp panel reports with an official hardware announcement. (mynintendonews.com) For now, the company’s U.S. store lists the existing Switch 2 at $499.99, and its last formal notice remains the May 7 price-revision statement. (nintendo.com)