GoKawiilNintendo announced Friday it would raise the price of its Switch 2 consoles to $500 starting Sept. 1. The price increase of $50 is the first time the Switch 2 has gone up in cost since its launch last June.
"This is in response to various changes in market conditions, which are expected to extend over the medium to long term," the company said in a press release. "We understand that pricing changes can be challenging for customers and deeply appreciate the continued enthusiasm of our fans for Nintendo products and experiences."
When the Switch 2 launched in June last year, there was a concern that Nintendo would be forced to raise its new console's previously announced price due to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in April 2025. Like many tech devices, Switch 2 components come from production plants in Vietnam and China, two countries hit hard by the tariffs, but Nintendo was able to keep the console's price at $450 for the base unit.
Even though the Switch 2 didn't jump in price due to tariffs, the original Switch and accessories did see a price bump. The original Switch, Switch OLED and Switch Lite increased by 15% while accessories saw a jump of $5 or $10.
Gaming is now a luxury hobby
The core reason for the Switch 2 price increase is the same for almost all of tech right now: the global memory shortage, aka "RAMageddon." This problem began at the end of 2025, as a spike in demand for generative AI tools drove a surge in the need for computers to power AI data centers. This drove up the cost of RAM, and, in turn, the prices of devices that use it also had to go up to accommodate it.
Nintendo isn't the only one feeling the pain from this memory shortage. Sony had to increase the cost of the PS5 Pro, rising from $750 to $900. Microsoft made similar adjustments to its Xbox Series X and S consoles. Valve had to delay the release of its Steam Machine home PC console due to the shortage, and it's still unclear how much it will cost.
In late March and early April, RAM prices did finally slow, and it appears the market could be returning to normal pricing. However, that may take some time. RAM sticks of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of DDR5 are still several times higher than they were back in 2024.
RAM isn't the only computer component that saw price spikes. Prices for solid-state drives have, in many cases, doubled, for the same reason as RAM. The price of gaming hardware could continue to rise as demand for those components grows.