By Roxy Osborne
For gamers, the announcement of a new home console is usually reminiscent of an early Christmas. Instead of gifts under the tree, nerds around the globe treasure the new features, games, and hardware upgrades presented to them.
The Nintendo Switch 2 had this initial excitement, but was slowly usurped by continuing bad news. President Donald Trump’s tariffs around the globe have become the Grinch in this not-so-festive season.
Nintendo made the unprecedented decision to delay the Nintendo Switch 2 preorders in the United States due to concern over Trump’s tariffs. Specifically, Trump has announced tariffs against Vietnam and China. These are the two countries where the Switch 2 is being manufactured.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Vietnam was hit by a 46% tariff, while China is currently facing an astronomical 145% tariff after retaliating with 125% against America. Trump recently announced he’s putting a 90 day pause on all the tariffs with the exception of China, who he seems to be engaging in a tariff-off with.
What does this mean for the Nintendo Switch 2? It’s unclear. If Trump and his tariffs are the Grinch stealing Christmas, Nintendo takes on the role of Max the dog. They’re not necessarily in the wrong, but they aren’t taking any measures to rectify the issue either.
Nintendo already received extremely negative criticism for the Switch 2’s initial pricing before the tariff trouble. Mario Kart World – their major launch title for the system – is a staggering $80. The gaming industry hadn’t even standardized $70 for new releases, so this price came as a major shock.
The $449.99 price tag for the console hasn’t been well received either. By delaying preorders to reevaluate the market, Nintendo has implied that this price may go up. This was surprising to fans who assumed this higher charge was already a result of potential tariff impacts.
Nintendo has no control over the president of the United States, but what they can manage is their communication over the dilemma. Unfortunately, they haven’t made any statements other than their joint press release with GameStop over the delay in preorders.
This has led speculation to go completely wild over social media. Rumors of tariffs making Mario Kart physical copies $90 and the Switch 2 $600 have gotten completely out of control. General confusion of how original Switch games will work on Switch 2 have also been sending gamers into a frenzy.
Doug Bowser, president of Nintendo of America, poses alongside Bowser from the Super Mario franchise.
Doug Bowser, current president of Nintendo of America, has given insignificant statements on the matter. He has stated that Mario Kart’s $80 price tag is well deserved, with no real information on the game’s features to back that claim. According to the Bowser, the tariff impact is being “actively assessed.” Again, no tangible news to hold fans over. No spokesperson outside of him has made any substantial remarks, either.
With approximately 150 million consoles sold, the original Nintendo Switch graced the company with success on levels they had never seen before. It seems like this has gone to their heads, as their lack of communication is putting them in an unfathomable P.R. disaster.
