Nintendo will not take preorders for its new game console next week, the company said Friday, as it evaluates the impact of President Donald Trump's new, far-reaching tariffs.
The Japanese electronics giant had been set to accept Switch 2 advance orders in the United States on Wednesday, but that's now been pulled off the table — though Nintendo insisted that its June 5 launch date "is unchanged."
"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," according to a company statement. "Nintendo will update timing at a later date. "
The company just revealed details of the hotly anticipated Switch 2 two days ago, saying it would sell for $449.99.
That same day, Trump revealed he would hit Japanese imports with a 24% tariff.
Nintendo also has strong manufacturing ties to Vietnam, which was hit with a 46% tariff.
Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research for Wedbush, said he doesn't believe these tariffs will end up being enforced. But he understands why Nintendo hit the re-set button.
"It's just too uncertain," Pachter told NBC News on Friday. "They don't want to tell people $449, when the price is going to be $500, $600 or $700. We don't know."
Gift givers and high income consumers could probably afford that kind of tariff-induced price hike, but working class gamers will struggle, he said.
"It's at the edge (of mass affordability)," Pachter said. "But for lower income people, absolutely this matters. If you're making 15, 20 bucks an hour, it's like, 'Oh, Jesus, I got to work for two weeks to get enough take home pay to pay for this thing? That's crazy.'"
Friday’s announcement stunned American gamers, who’d been eagerly awaiting the Switch 2 rollout and continued play of such popular game franchises as Super Mario Kart and Legend of Zelda.
The mobile Switch 2 is also expected to have a more powerful processor, making it more performance competitive with rival home console makers Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox.
Switch 2 is billed as being more accessible to popular third-party titles not made by Nintendo, such as "NBA 2K," "Hogwarts Legacy," "Civilization VII," and "Elden Ring."
