It’s pretty likely that the Nintendo Switch 2 is due out this year, and according to one analyst, it’s going to get a bit of a price hike.
When the original Switch launched in 2017, it was available for $300, the same price as its predecessor the Wii U, a pretty reasonable price point when you compare it to the PS5 and Xbox Series X’s launch price of $500. Now, at least as predicted by industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based industry consultancy Kantan Games, the Switch successor could cost as much as $400. “The time is finally here for a Switch successor, even though I can say a ‘Pro’ model actually did exist and certain developers were already working with the dev kit,” Toto shared with GamesIndustry.biz. “I believe the next hardware will drop next year for $400.”
For comparison, the current entry-level Steam Deck, which still has an LCD screen as opposed to the new version’s OLED, also costs $400. Previous reports also suggested that the Switch 2 will also arrive with an LCD screen, a downgrade from the latest model’s OLED. It’s also obviously a $100 price increase compared to the original Switch, so time will tell whether it’s worth it or not.
Toto also noted that “The next system is also likely to be an iteration rather than a revolution. Nintendo might add some bells and whistles to the device, but it will be similar to the current Switch.” It’s sounding like it’ll be a bit of an upgrade than the New Nintendo 3DS, at the very least. Toto also pointed out how because of Pokemon, the console has to be partially handheld, as “Pokémon is associated with handheld gaming, there is no way on earth Nintendo will drop the portability feature for their next big thing.”
The point of games costing more also came up, with Toto saying he thinks “there’s a high chance that games will cost more, too: $70.” This won’t come as that much of a surprise, given that Nintendo released its first $70 title earlier this year, Tears of the Kingdom.
We’re still waiting to get any kind of official word on the Switch 2, as Nintendo just won’t comment on it, but it’s all but guaranteed that we’ll see it before the year’s out.