Nintendo Switch 2 dodges Trump’s tariffs, but accessories do not run with the same fate

After a pause in the early orders of the Nintendo Switch 2, the presales will return. Although the consoles will maintain the same price, the accessories will be more expensive due to the tariff ads of the US president, Donald Trump.

The company communicated on Thursday that early orders will begin on April 24, and that Switch 2 will continue to cost $ 450 at the time of the US launch, despite the wide tariffs announced at the beginning of the month by President Trump, which threatened to raise prices. He Mario Kart World Bundle, which includes the console and the game, will continue to be sold for $ 499.99; The game itself, as well as Donkey Kong Banizathey will also maintain their original prices of 79.99 and $ 69.99, respectively.

“We apologize for the delay in orders and we hope that this will reduce the uncertainty of our consumers,” Nintendo said in an official statement.

On April 4, just two days after a Switch 2 revelation event held in New York City, Nintendo announced the unprecedented measure to delay early orders “in order to evaluate the potential impact of tariffs and the evolution of market conditions.” Nintendo President Doug Bowser told Wired that the company was “actively evaluating” the impact that Trump’s tariffs would have on the production and launch of Switch 2.

Now, the 2 Switch 2 accessories will experience price settings with respect to those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions, “Nintendo announced in a statement. The Pro command, for example, originally announced at $ 79.99, will ccosta $ 84.99; The Joy-Con 2 will rise $ 94.99, compared to $ 89.99 before. Other increases include the Dock Set, which was announced to $ 109.99 and will now be sold for $ 119.99.

The company also pointed out that “other adjustments in the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions.”

Trump announced the “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, including 10 percent base tariffs for all countries. It also increased tariffs on Chinese products to 145 percent, but after China announced in response the 125 percent tariffs on the United States, the White House said China could face up to 245 percent in tariffs on some products. The Trump administration also said that electronic products will be exempt both of the base tariffs and those applied to China.

Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on other countries, although on April 10 he said that they would be suspended for 90 days while the United States negotiates.

Uncertainty has caused the fall of many sectors and the collapse of markets. Between the increase in prices for consumers and the possible prolongation of the financial conditions that have caused years of mass cuts and dismissals, tariffs will negatively affect the entire industry, from which they manufacture the games to those who play them.

Other consoles

The United States and China are the largest video game markets in the world, and tariffs would affect both countries differently. American tariffs could be an increase in the price for that country players, either on consoles or in the games themselves, not only for Nintendo products. Sony and Microsoft may not have a new console prepared, but their hardware will also be affected.

Daniel Ahmad, director of Research and Perspectives of Niko Partners, states that both companies remain “very dependent” on China and that high tariffs will also raise the prices of PlayStation and Xbox consoles. To illustrate this, there is Sony’s recent announcement that Prices will increase 25% For the PlayStation 5 in Australia, Europe and New Zealand.

“There are indirect and chain effects for exchange rates, inflation and broader macro impacts,” says Ahmad, regardless of whether other countries are directly affected by imports from China and Vietnam. Sony’s price increases, he says, are probably an “response to a future price increase in the US (Sony’s largest market), with the firm seeking to distribute costs globally and maintain the margins.”

According to the video game industry, Piers Harding-Rolls, even a 10% tariff would make the purchase of consoles and games for players less attractive if they feel economically pressured.

Physical games

Although digital games will not be affected by tariffs, physicists do, but the increase in prices will depend on where they have manufactured. Ahmad points out that Nintendo manufactures his games in Japan, while Xbox is part of that work in Mexico. “Although there are currently tariff exemptions for physical games in these countries, any future tariff would have an impact on physical games prices,” he explains to Wired. “This can have a chain effect for digital games prices too, despite not being directly impacted.”

If retail prices are triggered, players are more likely to opt for digital media and abandon the dependence on physical games. “This benefits console platforms, since their stores are the key sales channel for their platform games,” says Harding-Rolls.

More layoffs

In recent years, the video game industry has suffered an unprecedented loss of jobs and talent, and, although it has begun to recover, tariffs could reverse that progress, according to Ahmad.

“The confidence of companies and the investment behavior have basically gone from ‘activated/happy’ to ‘disabled/disabled’ in a single day,” he says.