The Nintendo Switch 2, which is due out on June 5, was supposed to become available for pre-order on April 9. And it still will be available for pre-order for many consumers, but not for those in America. Nintendo has pulled the pre-order date in America over concerns of President Trump’s newly announced tariffs, which will make goods coming from Japan and into the U.S. cost 24% more.
So far Nintendo has not said when Americans might be able to pre-order. It did say that the release date remains June 5. Officially, Nintendo stated, “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. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. ”
This is also hurting Nintendo because it works with manufacturing in Vietnam, and Vietnam has an even higher tariff rate: 46%. All countries have a baseline tariff of 10%, with many given numbers higher than that.
NBC News asked managing director of equity research for Wedbush (a wealth management firm) Michael Pachter about this. Pachter replied, “It’s just too uncertain. They [Nintendo] don’t want to tell people $449, when the price is going to be $500, $600 or $700. We don’t know.”
Pachter thinks it’s possible the tariffs will not end up being enforced.
He continued, “[Switch 2 is] at the edge (of mass affordability). 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.’”
The announced tariffs are not going over well in Japan, which has already seen its stocks drop as a result. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba referred to the tariffs affecting Japan, which is a major trader with the United States, as a “national crisis.”
Source: NBC News
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.