After months of speculation, Nintendo finally revealed the Switch 2 on April 2, 2025, via a Direct presentation, alongside more reveals like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza. The brand-new Switch 2 features an upgraded processor manufactured by none other than NVIDIA, a 120Hz 7.9-inch LCD screen, and 256GB of internal storage.

However, Nintendo went quite light on details during the Direct presentation and didn’t even bother revealing a price point. While we eventually found out that you’ll need to shell out $449.99 just for the Switch 2 console, news has just trickled in that this already-insane amount might climb even higher.

On top of that, Nintendo is also pushing back Switch 2 preorders in the United States, which were originally set to begin on April 9, 2025.

Nintendo delays Switch 2 preorders in the U.S. amid tariff chaos

Eddie Garcia, who manages the media relations team on behalf of Nintendo of America, sent the following statement to The Verge:

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. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.

The statement above makes more sense once you know what’s going on.

If you aren’t aware yet, President Donald Trump imposed a couple of new tariffs (the largest round yet) the same day Nintendo announced the Switch 2 during what Trump called “Liberation Day”, including a 46% tariff on all products and goods imported from Vietnam and a 49% tariff on Cambodia.

Back in 2019, during Trump’s first term, the gaming giant moved its Switch production facilities from China, where the majority of its manufacturing was based, to Vietnam and Cambodia to avoid falling victim to the 25% tariffs on China that Trump had threatened at the time. Just months after Nintendo made that decision, Trump did exactly that and imposed multiple tariffs on China.

This time around, he’s back with a 34% tariff on top of the already-imposed ones on China. That makes China, Cambodia, and Vietnam three of the hardest-hit countries by Trump’s new tariffs.

Of course, with the bulk of Nintendo’s manufacturing happening in these tariff-hit regions, things aren’t looking too good for the Switch 2. Pushing the pre-order date ahead is just more proof that the worst is yet to happen.

If we use the worst-case scenario, Cambodia’s 49% tariff, the price of the $449.99 Nintendo Switch 2 could jump as high as $670, which is nearly a $220 increase. The final price will likely be lower than this, as experts have said Nintendo factored in the anticipated tariffs when setting the Switch 2’s pricing.

Regardless, when you add in the cost of Nintendo’s already-expensive games and accessories, the total price of owning a Switch 2 could easily push well past $800, which is, frankly, ridiculous. However, for now, it seems like pre-orders will still go ahead as scheduled in other regions.