Doug Bowser has been making numerous appearances in the American press to explain Nintendo's choices for the Switch 2. The head of the Japanese manufacturer's US branch (with the predestined name!) defended the console's price to CNBC. At $450 or €470, it's the most expensive console — in nominal value, without taking inflation into account — ever launched by Nintendo.
Rising prices, online anger
The CEO is lining up the console's new hardware features, such as the new, more complex Joy-Con controllers, the CPU and GPU computing power, the larger LCD screen, but also social functions like GameChat (knowing that audio chat is really not a new thing in the video game industry).
More important for the immediate future of the Switch 2 in United States: Customs duties. Donald Trump launched a carpet bombing of tariffs in many countries on the very day of the console's unveiling. Nintendo, which has its device manufactured in several of the targeted countries, has decided to postpone the opening of American pre-orders, which were due to launch on April 9. This is to "assess the potential impact of tariffs and changing market conditions."
Nintendo did not choose the US price of its console based on tariffs, assures Doug Bowser, whose interview was conducted before the announcement of the postponement of pre-orders. "We estimated that it was the right price positioning for consumers, and that it represented a value proposition consistent with the product we are offering," explains Doug Bowser.
He acknowledges that there have been numerous announcements from the White House, and that Nintendo is still analyze them "to better understand the potential implications." The manufacturer has stockpiled to meet initial demand, and there will be no customs duties on these units. But what next? A price increase cannot be ruled out.
The price of the console is one thing, the price of the games is another, and this is what motivated the "Drop the Price" movement. The Mario Kart World cartridge will cost 90 euros ($80), an unprecedented price for a Nintendo game. "We evaluate each game, each experience, and we determine the price we consider fair based on this experience," explains the manager. with Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, sold for 70€, or $10 more expensive than a traditional Switch 1 game.
Source: CNBC
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