Waiting on getting a Switch 2 doesn't have to feel like a bad thing.

In fact, it can actually turn out to be a smart move.

In case you’ve somehow been living under a rock for the past few months or you’ve managed to remain blissfully ignorant of all the hubbub in American politics, the tariffs recently put in place by President Trump have already begun to make waves in not just the American economy but across the world as well. I won’t attempt to dive into the specifics, but what I will touch on is how these tariffs could affect the Nintendo Switch 2. These tariffs couldn’t have come at a more disruptive time for Nintendo with the release of the Switch 2 coming on June 5th of this year.

For starters, the Switch 2 has been priced at $449.99, making it $150 more expensive than the Switch when it launched. Nintendo attributes this price hike to factors like inflation, the more advanced technology in the Switch 2, and system upgrades. However, the price of the console isn’t the big concern for most video game consumers. A price tag like that is really not unusual for any modern day video game console. When the Playstation 3 was released back in 2006 it had a 20 GB model that was $499 and a 60 GB model that was a whopping $599. In the current generation, the Xbox Series X was $499 when it was released in 2020 and the Playstation 5, also released in 2020, was $499 with a disc drive and $399 without one.

There were hopes that Nintendo would go with a price closer to $400, but almost $450 is not unexpected. Where eyebrows were raised with the Switch 2 was when the prices of the games started appearing. The upcoming Mario Kart World, a Switch 2 launch title and the latest in the hugely successful Mario Kart franchise, is currently priced at $79.99 upon release for a digital copy of the game and $89.99 for a physical one. This is easily the most expensive Mario Kart has ever been, and what has further drawn people’s ire is that this price point isn’t unique, although not every Switch 2 game will be this expensive. Again, Nintendo attributes this price to factors like increased production cost as well as the value of the game’s content. As might be expected though, the responses from Nintendo fans as well as gamers in general has been less than enthusiastic. During a Nintendo Treehouse live event, a livestream showcasing some of the upcoming Switch 2 titles, the chat was spammed with messages demanding the price of the games be lowered. There have been numerous posts on various social media outlets as well condemning the price rise and asking Nintendo to reverse course and lower game prices across the board.

None of this has been helped either by Nintendo’s recent announcement that they are postponing pre-orders of the Switch 2 to assess how the Trump tariffs will affect them and the video game market in general. The launch date of the console has not been changed though and remains June 5th. There are also concerns that Nintendo might decide to raise the price of the Switch 2 and its games even further. While the company hasn’t given any indication as of yet that they want to do this, it’s entirely possible that we could see it happen. To be fair, Nintendo is not the only video game company having to make a decision like this right now. Questions about pricing are being asked across the video game industry right now as companies are trying to figure out just how impacted they are going to be by the tariffs.

Whatever happens, I’m just like many others in that I’m still excited about the Switch 2 and I fully intend on getting one at some point. That said, I can’t say I’m thrilled about forcing my bank account to take a massive hit to do so. Do I think that these calls from the internet for Nintendo to lower their prices will be effective? While I can’t say for sure, I’m not optimistic. Nintendo is a company that is infamous for digging its heels in when it comes their decisions and they very rarely reverse course no matter who might be begging them to do so. There have been only a handful of moments in which they have changed direction, with the most well-known of them likely being reducing the price of the 3DS back in 2011. This might provide some hope that they will do so again, but I’m doubtful. The 3DS, while immensely popular and a big seller for them, was not their main system and the Switch and Switch 2 are the only systems that Nintendo has available for sale at this time.

So what is a gamer to do? I have a couple of suggestions.

First, don’t give in to FOMO.

Yes, I understand how difficult this can be. We all want to get our hands on the latest and greatest thing. We all want to be right there with everyone else who is experiencing all these new games on brand new hardware. Never has Mario Kart looked any smoother than it will on the Switch 2. There are also scalpers and resellers who are wanting to buy up systems as fast as they can to try to sell them again at much higher prices for a profit. Resist the temptation to buy from these people. One thing I feel pretty confident in saying is that all this newness and excitement will quickly lose its luster if you're having to break your bank account. It would be much better to wait awhile and either save up money or let the prices go down. The Switch 2 isn’t going anywhere for a long time. You aren’t going to miss it. In fact, waiting for a few months can actually work in your favor as it gives Nintendo time to work out the post-launch bugs and flaws that inevitably show up with a fresh new console. It also lets the demand die down some so that you aren’t having to deal with the mad rush to get a console that is usually there when it first debuts. It’s even possible that some more expensive games might see a price reduction, even if it is just a tiny one. Patience is a virtue, and it’s a virtue that can save you a lot of money and heartache if you’re willing to practice it.

Second, this may be a good time to dig into that game backlog.

I have to confess that I have a video game backlog that feels like it’s a mile long and stretches across multiple systems. While I would love to be able to get a Switch 2 at launch, it’s not likely going to happen. That doesn’t mean that I’m just going to be sitting around watching everyone else have fun though. The months between launch and when I do get my hands on one are a prime opportunity for me to check some names off that backlog and enjoy some games that I’ve been meaning to get around to for years, in some cases. This could be a great time for you to do the same.

The Switch 2 is only just beginning and who knows how things will change over the course of its lifetime? It’s important to remember that, in the end, a video console is for entertainment and not worth putting yourself in debt over or stressing out about because you can’t get one right at the start. It will still be here when you’ve got the time and money. In the meantime, enjoy the other games that you’ve been wanting to play. They’ll make the wait feel a lot shorter and you’ll feel accomplished every time you check another game off that backlog list.