The Daily Populous Saturday April 5th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by polygon.com and submitted by esporx

Nintendo has delayed pre-orders in the United States for the Switch 2 in response to sweeping new tariffs outlined by the Trump administration earlier this week. Pre-orders were scheduled to begin on April 9, but have been delayed indefinitely, Nintendo said Friday.

Switch 2’s release date in the U.S. is still set for June 5.

“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 said in a statement provided to Polygon. “Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.”

Nintendo announced its next-generation console on Wednesday, setting the price of Switch 2 at $449.99. A few hours later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries, including territories where Nintendo manufactures its hardware. Trump hit China with an additional 34% duty on Wednesday, and hit Vietnam, where Nintendo has moved some of its production, with a 46% tariff. That could mean Switch 2’s already expensive price tag could go up even further for customers in the U.S.

Response to Nintendo’s prices for Switch 2 and games — which cost upward of $79.99 — for the system have been widely negative. During livestreams broadcast by Nintendo on Thursday and Friday, viewers unrelentingly spammed one request to the company: “Drop the price!” But with Trump escalating a trade war with double-digit tariffs on imported goods, it seems unlikely customers in the U.S. will see a price drop.

It’s unclear at this stage what the result of Nintendo’s assessment of Trump’s tariffs and “evolving market conditions” will ultimately mean for the launch of Switch 2. But in addition to increased costs, it could also mean a lower allocation of consoles for the U.S., which could make the system harder to find.

Have_A_Jelly_Baby on April 4th, 2025 at 23:12 UTC »

If you voted Trump, voted third party, or could have voted but chose not to, this is all on you.

ryohayashi1 on April 4th, 2025 at 18:04 UTC »

I mean, we were all expecting it, so this shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone

ki700 on April 4th, 2025 at 18:02 UTC »

Only in the USA*

All other countries can breathe a sigh of relief. Definitely sucks for American gamers though.