Switch 2 could be the most expensive Nintendo console to date
The Switch 2 price may be higher than we're used to from a Nintendo console
Switch – the long-awaited successor to Nintendo’s popular hybrid console – could be the most expensive console the company has released to date, according to the latest rumors.
Several sources have suggested that the Nintendo Switch 2 could cost $399, which would be $50 more than the Switch OLED and would put it in direct competition with the PS5 Digital Edition and possibly the PS5 Slim.
The price leak comes from a tipster called Zippo (thanks, Notebook Check), who says they’ve been “sitting on the information for about a month” and said that the Nintendo Switch 2 will indeed use an LCD screen as opposed to an OLED.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Switch 2 price
👀 A new Nintendo Switch 2 leak suggests the price could be $399
🤑 If that’s the case, the Switch 2 will be the most expensive Nintendo console yet
🆚 A price tag of $399 would put it in direct competition with the PS5 Digital Edition
📆 The Switch 2 is expected to release towards the end of 2024
Zippo’s source explained why Nintendo is aiming for a $399 price point with the Switch 2, which is $100 more expensive than the Switch launch price.
“$399. That's the 'golden number' that they have in mind. It's the price that works in terms of the power of their new system, it's the price that works for them making a decent profit, and it's the price that they think works for the audience that they're trying to maintain. No more. No less.”
Nintendo launched the Nintendo Switch OLED model for $349 back in October 2021 and the cheaper Switch Lite for $199 in 2019. A $50 price increase over the OLED might not sound too egregious, but a fairer comparison would be with the original Switch, which was $299 when it was released in March 2017.
The Switch 2 is tipped to be as powerful as a PS4, according to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. However, it’ll likely surpass Sony’s last-gen console due to advances in technology and optimizations that have come since. The Switch won’t be as powerful as a PS5 or Xbox Series X, though, as you might expect.
Nintendo Switch 2 development kits are reportedly in the hands of key partners, suggesting a 2024 release is on the cards. It remains to be seen whether Switch 2 will be backward compatible, but Take Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick said he believes Nintendo owes it to consumers to ensure it is.
“You need to give consumers what they want and optimize their experience, and you can’t not deliver a feature you’re able to deliver so as to maximize sales,” Zelnick said (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz).
“That isn’t fulfilling your contract with consumers. You have to do the very best you can for them. I suppose it’s possible the lack of backward compatibility could enhance your revenue for a period of time, but at what cost?”
Expect many more Switch 2 leaks and rumors to drop in the months ahead as we get closer to a potential announcement and release date.