Nintendo raises Switch 2 price to $499.99, announces two fall bundles

Nintendo of America has raised the U.S. suggested retail price of the Switch 2 to $499.99, up from $449.99, effective Sept. 1, according to a company notice. Nintendo said the change applies to the standalone system and cited “various changes in market conditions” expected to continue over the medium to long term. Pricing for the original Switch line is not changing, the company said. Nintendo also used the past week to outline two new fall bundles built around the higher-priced hardware. The company said each package includes a Switch 2 console, a full game download and a 3-Month Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership. ### Why did the price move now? (nintendo.com) Sept. 1 was the date Nintendo had already set for the increase when it announced the revision in May. In that notice, Nintendo of America said the U.S. MSRP for the Switch 2 would rise by $50 to $499.99 and said Latin America pricing would be shared later. Nintendo did not announce a broader hardware repricing for the older Switch family in the same update. (nintendo.com) The company said “pricing for the Nintendo Switch system is not changing,” limiting the confirmed increase to the newer console in the United States. ### Which bundles did Nintendo announce for fall? Nintendo said on Aug. 25 that it would release a Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle and a Nintendo Switch 2 + Nintendo Switch Sports Resort Bundle. (nintendo.com) The company described both as fall offers aimed at players who want a console plus a game and online access in one package. The Mario Kart World package is priced at $549.99 and includes the console, a digital copy of the game and a 90-day Nintendo Switch Online Individual Membership. Nintendo said that bundle is scheduled to arrive in late September. The Nintendo Switch Sports Resort package is priced at $529.99 and includes the same 90-day online membership alongside a full game download. (nintendo.com) Nintendo said that bundle will be available the same day customers can buy it, though the announcement did not give a separate calendar date in the excerpt surfaced through Nintendo’s news page. ### What do buyers actually get in the box? Nintendo’s bundle announcement said each offer includes the Switch 2 hardware and a download code rather than a physical game card. The online component is a 3-Month Individual Membership, which Nintendo lists separately as part of its Switch Online service lineup that supports online play and cloud-save features for supported games. (nintendo.com) Nintendo’s store pages also show the company continuing to sell other bundle configurations, including a “Choose Your Game Bundle” and a Pokémon Legends: Z-A Switch 2 bundle. Those listings indicate Nintendo is using software bundles as a regular part of its Switch 2 retail strategy, not a one-off promotion tied only to this price increase. (nintendo.com) ### How much are the bundles saving versus buying items separately? Nintendo said the Mario Kart World bundle represents a savings of $37.98 compared with buying the console, game and membership separately. The company said the Nintendo Switch Sports Resort bundle saves $27.98 on the same basis. (nintendo.com) The 3-Month membership is not separately priced on the comparison page surfaced in Nintendo’s online materials, but Nintendo lists the annual Individual plan at $19.99 in the United States. ### What should shoppers watch next? Late September is Nintendo’s next dated milestone for this story, when the Mario Kart World bundle is due to arrive. (nintendo.com) Nintendo said both bundles will be sold through participating retailers, while the standalone Switch 2 system remains listed at $499.99 on Nintendo’s U.S. store pages. (nintendo.com)