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Nintendo Raises Switch 2 Price by $50 Citing Memory Chip Costs
Nintendo announced a $50 price increase for its Switch 2 console in the United States effective in September. The company cited higher component prices including memory chips, which have doubled in cost in the first quarter of 2026 due to demand from AI data centers. Similar price increases have affected other video game consoles, computers and virtual reality headsets in recent months.
May 11, 11:50 AM·2m read1 source
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Nintendo will raise the price of its Switch 2 console by $50 in the United States beginning in September. The company announced the increase last week and followed with an earnings release on Friday that forecast a decline in profit for fiscal year 2027.
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The release pointed to higher prices for components such as memory among other factors. The cost of memory chips has surged in recent months, doubling in the first quarter of 2026 as reported by Reuters. Booming demand from AI data centers has constrained the supply available for consumer electronics.
Sassine Ghazi, CEO of Synopsys, said much of the memory chip supply is going directly to AI infrastructure, leaving other industries starved for the components. Major video game consoles have seen price increases within the last eight months. Sony raised the cost of its PlayStation consoles by $100 or $150 per version in recent weeks, marking the second hike in one year.
Prices for most major consoles including those from Nintendo and Sony have gone up during this period.
Computer makers have also raised prices or adjusted product lines. One company increased the starting price of its 13-inch laptop and tablet line to $1,499 in April, a $500 rise from its original launch price of $999. Another discontinued its lowest-storage desktop model that sold for $599, making the next model priced at $799 the new entry-level option.
