Last week’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct event became a little contentious as the console’s $449 price tag (alongside the high cost of launch software) resulted in many gamers demanding that Nintendo “drop the price.”
However, the negative response to the Switch 2’s pricing strategy doesn’t appear to be impacting the upcoming console’s pre-order numbers. While U.S. pre-orders have been delayed with President Trump’s tariffs cited as the reason, in countries such as the U.K. Switch 2 pre-orders have already gone live and sold out in minutes.
Last week, U.K. retailers including Argos, Very, Currys, Game and Amazon all began taking Switch 2 pre-orders, and it didn’t take very long for eager Nintendo fans to snap up the available stock.
While electronics specialist Currys only took pre-orders in-store, the rest opted for an online pre-order process and are now sold out of the hybrid console.
Amazon U.K. went for an invitation system, with lucky customers being notified of their selection starting from last Thursday (April 3). At present, it’s unclear if Amazon U.K. has sold through its allocation, but I can confirm I registered for an invite and haven’t been notified. Fortunately, I managed to secure a Switch 2 Mario Kart bundle for £429 at Argos last week.
The story seems to be similar in Nintendo’s native Japan with high-interest levels in the Switch 2 forcing the company to issue an apology after more than five days of My Nintendo Store malfunctions presumably due to the site’s servers struggling to handle so many users looking to buy at once.
This suggests that while the console’s launch price and the $80 cost of the flagship launch game Mario Kart World (follow-up exclusive Donkey Kong Bananza will retail for a slightly more palatable $70) have dominated online conversations surrounding the Switch 2, neither is enough to put off prospective purchasers. For now, Switch 2 looks set to be a success.
Switch 2 pre-order date in the U.S. remains a mystery
We’ll have to wait a while longer to get a sense check on how the Nintendo Switch 2 will sell in North America.
While Switch 2 pre-orders were due to go live in the U.S. this week (on April 8 via the Nintendo Store), that date has been delayed indefinitely with President Trump’s trade tariffs confirmed to be the root cause in a statement issued to Tom’s Guide.
We’ve approached Nintendo to ask if these tariffs could result in the Switch 2’s MSRP of $449 ($499 for the Mario Kart World bundle) increasing and were told that Nintendo has nothing further to share beyond what was in the company's initial statement.
Considering the launch price has been met with a quite significant backlash, an increase would certainly be unwelcome and could result in softer pre-order numbers than expected.
Though, if I were a betting man, I’d guess Switch 2 pre-orders will sell out similarly fast in the U.S. as they have in other regions like the U.K. While $449 represents a significant jump from the Nintendo Switch's $299 initial price, it’s still cheaper than the PS5 and Xbox Series X, which launched in November 2020 for $499. But both have been on sale for cheaper since.
If you’re undeterred by the Nintendo Switch 2 launch price and are eager to lock in your pre-order as soon as possible, bookmark our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order hub for the latest updates.
The Switch 2 may be expensive but it’s still going to be among the most in-demand new tech items of 2025 even if it leaves your wallet stinging.
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