On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced a global reciprocal tariff policy, imposing up to a 24% tariff on Japanese imports. Japanese gaming giant Nintendo is among the affected companies, leading to the sudden suspension of the planned April 9 pre-order launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 in the US.
Nintendo has stated that it must reassess the impact of the tariffs and market fluctuations, though the console's June 5 release date remains unchanged.
During an online announcement on April 2, Nintendo revealed that their latest gaming console, the Switch 2, would soon be available for pre-order. However, the company has now confirmed that the pre-order launch in the US will not proceed as scheduled. The decision was made to evaluate the potential ramifications of the tariff hike and market conditions.
Despite the disruption, Nintendo reaffirmed that the Switch 2 will launch on June 5 as planned, with the US version priced at US$449.99 (approximately HK$3,490).
Many gamers are concerned that the tariffs could lead to a price increase for the console. It remains unclear whether Nintendo factored in the potential tariff impact when setting the original retail price.
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