Tariffs cause Nintendo to delay Switch 2 preorders in U.S.

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Nintendo is delaying U.S. preorders for its highly anticipated Switch 2 console due to tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, the company said in a statement Friday.

“Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date,” the statement said. It added that the handheld console is still launching June 5 as planned.

The announcement comes two days after Trump announced sweeping tariffs on much of the world, plunging the global economy into uncertainty and sending stock markets diving. They included an additional 34 percent tariff on products from China, a new 46 percent tariff on goods from Vietnam and a 49 percent tariff on Cambodia.

Nintendo, headquartered in Japan (itself hit with a 24 percent tariff), has shifted large portions of its hardware production away from China to Vietnam and Cambodia, according to the Financial Times, joining other companies that have tried to diversify their supply chains. China announced retaliatory tariffs Friday.

Nintendo appears to be one of the first major companies to publicly adjust plans for a major release based on the tariffs.

The company detailed features of the Switch 2 on Wednesday, the same day Trump announced his tariffs. The device is the long-awaited successor to the Switch, the third best-selling game console in history after the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. With a base price of $449.99, the Switch 2 offers a few twists on the handheld platform’s design, including mouse capability with its detachable controllers and upgraded visuals supporting HDR and 4K resolution and 120 frames-per-second gameplay.

The gaming world reacted to Wednesday’s reveal with excitement, mixed with some online chatter about the system’s high price. The original Switch launched in 2017 at $300, a base price that helped it garner a reputation as an accessible gaming platform for casual gamers and families. This week, the company announced that its same-day launch title “Mario Kart World” would release at $79.99, $10 higher than the current standard for major video games, or as a bundle with the system for $499.99.