Nintendo Raises Switch 2 Price to $500 as Global RAM Crisis Lifts Rival Console Costs
Updated
Updated · Polygon · Jun 5
Nintendo Raises Switch 2 Price to $500 as Global RAM Crisis Lifts Rival Console Costs
3 articles · Updated · Polygon · Jun 5
Summary
$50 will be added to the Switch 2 price on Sept. 1, taking Nintendo’s console to $500 after months of concern that its original $450 tag had become too low.
A global shortage of fast memory chips for RAM and storage—driven by AI datacenter demand—has pushed up hardware costs across gaming, forcing broader price increases.
That squeeze has helped Nintendo look relatively resilient: base PlayStation 5 pricing has reached $600, Valve recently lifted Steam Deck pricing to $789, and the premium ROG Xbox Ally launched at $1,000.
Nintendo appears to have limited the damage through lower-cost specs, including 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM, plus its scale and purchasing power.
The result is that even at $500, the Switch 2 still looks comparatively affordable in a market where rival consoles and handhelds have become markedly more expensive.