Nintendo understands that some consumers won’t be able to afford Switch 2

While discussion surrounding Switch 2’s price continues, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser understands that some consumers “may not be able to afford” the system.

Bowser was speaking about the cost in a recent interview. For those interested in Nintendo’s overall ecosystem, Bowser highlighted that it will continue to have Switch 1 available. New games for that console will also continue to launch heading into 2026.

Bowser told CBC:

“As we look at Nintendo Switch 2 and you think about the feature sets that I talked about … we believe that the pricing is appropriate for the value of the machine and the gameplay experience overall. We recognize there are some people that may not be able to afford [the Switch 2’s] price point. That’s why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available, so [people] still have an opportunity to come into our gaming universe, be a part of these characters in these worlds, and see value, if you will, in whatever rung of the platform they come in.”

There’s been plenty of talk surrounding Nintendo Switch 2’s cost, and some are fearing that it could go higher than the previously-announced $450 price. A few days ago, it was announced that pre-orders are being delayed in the U.S. as Nintendo evaluates the impact of tariffs.

We also heard quite a bit from Nintendo about Switch 2’s price yesterday. Bowser confirmed that previous tariffs were not factored in when deciding on $450.

Meanwhile, outside of the console, there’s been even more controversy surrounding game prices. Titles like Mario Kart World and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are going for $80 each.