Featured Image Credit: Nintendo
Well, it took you long enough.
After years of rumors about a mythical Switch Pro never came to pass, gamers had to sit through release after release as Nintendo churned out Animal Crossing and Zelda-themed variants, the pint-sized Switch Lite, and the beefier Switch OLED.
None of these was a full-blown successor to the Switch, but in 2025, we're finally getting a new console - the imaginatively titled Switch 2.
Nintendo showed off the Switch 2 on January 16, and while the two-minute trailer teased a few differences and seemingly confirmed a new Mario Kart game, there wasn't much to go on.
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We're told the console is coming in 2025, but aside from failing to lock in a solid release date, the announcement trailer missed out on the all-important feature of the Switch 2's price.
Even ahead of the Switch 2's official reveal, leaks suggested the console will launch with 25 games, have pricier limited edition bundles, but land with a starting price of €399.
This is around $410, so it's likely it would also be rounded down to a $399 launch in the USA.
IGN has waded into the quagmire of misinformation, speaking to a number of 'experts' about where they think the Switch 2's pricing will settle.
One number kept coming up time and again, with $400 being the one everyone was talking about.
Kantan Games Inc.'s Dr. Serkan Toto referred to $400 being the "price they need to succeed," adding that he "cannot see a lot from the trailer that would justify them charging $450."
$400 was backed up by Circana's Matt Piscatella and Ampere Analysis' Piers Harding-Rolls, although Harding-Rolls suggested it could go as high as $500.
Responding to the idea of a $400, most gamers seemed to agree that was the most they'd pay. Posting on X, one disgruntled fan wrote: "Can the switch 2 like not be over 400 USD please like I will either have to save or eat ice soup for like 2 weeks."
Someone else added, "I would be SHOCKED if Nintendo somehow managed to price the Switch 2 under $400 without a huge loss," while a third took a different route and mused: "I'm up for a $400 even a $450 console. But I'm not up for $70 games. I also don't want NSO to increase in price unless they give us substantial upgrades and basic online gaming functionalities like native voice chat
Remembering that the OG Switch launched for €329.99/$299.99 in 2017, a price rise to $400 isn't the worst. After all, with Nintendo games coming in at $70 these days, the difference isn't much more to get what's (supposedly) the next generation of Nintendo hardware.
Then again, there are to be a few raised eyebrows when you realize you can pick up a Digital Edition PS5 for just $449.99 from the official PlayStation store - and likely cheaper elsewhere online. The same can be said for the 512GB Xbox Series S, which can be nabbed for just $299.99. Both these consoles are set to be far ahead of the Switch 2 in terms of performance power, so that's something to take into account if you're looking for a new console.
The other problem is, that many of us already have a Switch or even multiple Switches. There have been complaints that the Switch 2 isn't a generational revamp akin to the GameCube being replaced by the Wii, meaning the April 2 Nintendo Direct has a lot of work to do to turn around the console's skeptics.
Still, let's not pretend the Switch 2 won't sell like hot cakes when it's released later this year.
