Thanks to parts shortages, manufacturing costs are rising, but if you're worried about a possible Nintendo Switch price increase, there's good news.
Addressing concerns about Nintendo Switch, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently spoke with Nikkei(Opens in a new tab). Telling the publication that "the problem is demand exceeds supply," Furukawa was asked if Nintendo would consider increasing the prices of its popular hybrid console. Fortunately, he has ruled out that option for now.
"We are not considering this at this time, for two reasons. In order to provide unique entertainment to a wide range of customers, we want to avoid overestimating people," the Nintendo president confirmed. Noting that Nintendo has sold "more than 100 million Switch units so far," Furukawa insists that it's important to "maintain the momentum of our overall business."
However, it is reportedly undecided whether Nintendo can meet its sales target for the Nintendo Switch this fiscal year. That's not a surprise given the current global chip shortage, which factored in a 23% drop in console sales during the first quarter of 2022. Still, Furukawa thinks new games like Splatoon 3 and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet , which will be released in September, will be driven and November respectively.
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Since its launch five years ago, Nintendo has been mostly resistant to changing the price of its Switch consoles. The only real drop was for the original variant when the OLED model of the Nintendo Switch launched, with Nintendo lowering the RRP by €20/€25. That said, it's been offering the cheapest Nintendo Switch Lite since 2019, which strips home functionality for a portable-only experience.
Still, the question of price has been raised thanks to Meta's recent price increase for its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset. With an increase of $100/€100, Meta blamed the increased costs, saying in an official blog post (opens in a new tab): "By adjusting the price of Quest 2, we can continue to increase our investment in research innovation and new product development that pushes the virtual reality industry to new heights."
Even with Beat Saber now built in, it's a decision that's drawn heavy criticism, with some believing now is the worst time to buy a Quest 2. Sony and Microsoft have yet to comment on similar price point increases, so it's a relief to see Nintendo clarify its point of view. Sure, saying "at this point" gives some scope for a later raise, but at least it's not immediately on the cards.