Nintendo Switch 2 fans fear price increase as pre-orders delayed in USGameCentralPublished April 4, 2025 6:38pmUpdated April 4, 2025 6:38pm Why didnt Nintendo just wait a couple of days? (Getty/Nintendo)The conversation around the price of the Switch 2 has taken a sour turn, as Nintendo delays pre-orders in the US due to Donald Trumps tariffs.Although theres considerable upset about the price of Nintendo Switch 2 games and peripherals the cost of the console has been generally accepted as reasonable. It costs 395.99 in the UK and $449.99 in the US, although there is now a serious danger that the latter could be increased.Theres been concern for some time that Donald Trumps constant threats of tariffs, against seemingly every country in the world, would cause disruption in the games industry and now that has been proven true.By coincidence, Trumps so-called Liberation Day, when he planned to announced a raft of new tariffs, was scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 the same day as the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct. It was announced several weeks ago, so Nintendo had plenty of time to postpone, but by not doing so theyve made things much more difficult for themselves.In a statement, Nintendo has said: Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the US 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. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.This delay is specific to the US, so pre-orders in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world are unaffected and will go ahead on the My Nintendo Store from April 8.Nintendo hasnt explicitly said a price increase is happening in the US, but thats certainly the implication something which wont go down well considering the anger already surrounding Switch 2 pricing.Most have accepted that the current price of the console is reasonable, but many have been upset at the high price of the game, especially Mario Kart World, whose physical edition costs 75.Although its not how Trump explains it, tariffs are a tax on imports, which companies usually seek to compensate for by raising the price to consumers.Trump has imposed tariffs of 54% on anything coming from China and 24% on Japanese imports. Nintendo was obviously aware of the danger, as they moved much of their console production to Vietnam and Cambodia, but they have been hit with 46% and 49% tariffs, respectively.Diversifying the number of countries that produce their hardware was clearly a long-sighted attempt to avoid problems with US tariffs, with Nintendo having already shipped millions of consoles to North America, in an attempt to get in quick before the tariffs come into play.That makes it all the more baffling that they didnt just delay the Nintendo Direct by a few days, so they could adjust their plans accordingly. Now they are forced to stop pre-orders and potentially raise the price of the console, just two days after announcing it.More TrendingIts a peculiarly silly mistake, that you would have thought a company of Nintendos experience would have easily avoided. But now, not only is the pre-order situation in the US in disarray but any changes to their plans have to be done against the background of fans already complaining about high prices.In theory, none of this should affect any country other than US, by that may not necessarily be the case. The worry for any goods hit by US tariffs is that companies will seek to raise the price worldwide to ensure that the increase is the US is less than it otherwise would be.In that sense, non-US fans should be glad that Nintendo held the Direct when they did as it would now be extremely awkward to increase the price in the rest of the world, especially as pre-orders have already started at some retailers.There is no doubt though, that this is a disastrous start to the Switch 2s life and a rare example of an entirely unforced error from Nintendo. Hopefully this wont affect the UK hopefully (AFP)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy