Whoever hopes to take one Switch 2 might want to jump on it sooner rather than later amid rising RAM costs. Nintendo's latest console already drew criticism over its price when it was first revealed, with some questioning whether the system deserved its $450 asking price and even more critical of its gaming pricing. While that controversy has died down a bit over time, there's a chance the Switch 2 could be more expensive down the road.
Just like its predecessor, the Switch 2 was hard to come by at launch. Some analysts have even predicted that Switch 2 shortages could last until 2026 in some regions, even as the console has become more widely available in others. Given these stock issues and some lingering cost issues, some players may have held off on buying one until the initial hype dies down and sales become a more likely possibility. Normally, that might be a good strategy, but if the hardware market keeps going the way it's going now, waiting too long to buy one could be expensive.
Nintendo addresses concerns that the Switch 2 is too expensive for young gamers
Nintendo corporate president Shuntaro Furukawa responds to a question about whether the Switch 2's price tag is too much for younger fans to afford.
The RAM supply crisis could prompt Nintendo to raise the price of the Switch 2
The fears of a price increase for the Switch 2 stem from a worrying trend of skyrocketing RAM prices. In October, two of the world's largest RAM manufacturers, Samsung and SK Hynix, entered into an agreement with OpenAI to reserve a substantial portion of the global memory pool for AI data centers. The limited supply in turn pushed RAM prices through the roof, with some DDR5 RAM kits tripling in price and older DDR4 memory getting a smaller but still notable increase. Samsung and SK Hynix aren't the only vendors focusing on AI, either. Micron has exited the consumer market altogether, and as manufacturers continue to divert resources to AI, supply and demand could push console companies into a tough decision: raise prices or take profits.
PC gamers have already felt the effects of the RAM shortage, as rising prices have made the already expensive task of building a gaming rig noticeably less budget-friendly. While console manufacturers have the benefit of economies of scale and usually subsidize their system prices, the same cost issues affect them, especially if they grow to a certain level. The Switch 2 has 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, so as DDR5 gets more and more expensive, so will the cost of making the console. Nintendo may have safety stocks of memory purchased in advance, but if these run out, the company may have to pass costs on to the end user to offset its own shipping costs.
Just because component costs are going up doesn't necessarily mean Nintendo will adjust the Switch 2's pricing accordingly. However, history shows that the company is not immune to macroeconomic changes. In August 2025, Nintendo raised the price of the original Switch generation, adding an additional $40 to the vanilla Switch and $50 to the OLED model. These adjustments came in response to “market conditions”, likely referring to the effect US tariffs on electronics have had on the wider hardware industry. While the Switch 2 escaped the same fate initially and didn't receive a tariff-related price hike as some feared shortly after the announcement, it may not be so lucky this time around.
Nintendo is not alone in this precarious position. There are rumors that Xbox may raise its console prices again in response to the recent RAM price hikes. For now, neither company has said they'll charge more for their systems, but as RAM costs continue to climb, it's hard not to wonder if and how they might affect the console market.
- Stamp
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Nintendo
- Original release date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- Operating system
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Proprietary
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR support
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Yes
