Nintendo Switch – Nintendo says its Switch 2 price will rise from $449 to $499 on Sept. 1, joining Microsoft and Sony’s recent moves to offset memory and storage costs. The industry is already seeing slower console sales after price hikes, raising pressure on what’s next—especi
The pressure is landing on gamers in the form of higher console prices. just as the industry is grappling with global memory and storage shortages that have also pushed component costs upward.. For Nintendo, the adjustment arrives after rivals had already made their own changes to keep costs from swallowing their margins.
Microsoft increased the price of its Xbox consoles twice to account for higher memory and storage component costs and for President Trump’s global tariffs. The Xbox Series S, which launched at $299, is now priced at $399, while the Xbox Series X rose from $499 to $649.
Sony followed with two PS5 price increases. The digital edition climbed from $399 to $599, and the standard PS5 moved from $499 to $649.
Nintendo held off longer than its competitors. but the company said last week it will raise the cost of its Switch 2 console from $449 to $499. effective Sept.. 1.. Nintendo previously increased the price of its original Switch by $50.. The earlier move was meant to shield the newer Switch 2 from early sales declines. and it did help: the Switch 2 is on track to be one of Nintendo’s best-selling consoles.
Still, the timing is difficult.. “It’s not even a year since launch.. So [they’re] trying to build up the install base. and now this kind of price hike … is a wrench … thrown into their wheels. ” explained Serkan Toto. CEO of games industry consultancy Kantan Games.. The industry expectation is that a higher price can slow momentum just as companies most need volume.
For Microsoft and Sony, the financial impact is already showing up. Microsoft reported that Xbox hardware revenue declined 33% in its most recent quarter. Sony’s PS5 unit sales also fell sharply, collapsing 46% in its latest quarter from 2.8 million units in 2025 to 1.5 million units this year.
What makes these changes feel so jarring is that console makers usually lower prices over time, a pattern that helps spur sales after the initial launch excitement fades. Instead, the current cycle has pushed prices upward at the same moment shortages are squeezing supply.
Another tension sits underneath the immediate price tags: the shortages may not be short-lived.. Even as Nintendo’s Switch 2 is barely a year old. the Xbox and PS5 debuted in 2020. meaning Microsoft and Sony are already working toward their next-generation consoles.. With estimates indicating the shortages could last through 2030. the effects of today’s memory and storage crunch could keep echoing into the future systems those companies put on shelves.
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