Nintendo Eases Video Game Tariff Fears—for Now

Nintendo on Friday set a new U.S. preorder date for its upcoming Switch 2 video game console—and the system’s $450 price will remain unchanged despite tariff fears, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The Japanese video game giant said preorders will now begin April 24, and deliveries are still on track to begin in June.

News of the much-anticipated console keeping its initial price—far from a foregone conclusion—is a significant win for investors who entered 2025 with sky-high hopes. Software developers will rely on the Switch 2 to boost their game sales, and analysts view the console as a bellwether for the video game industry.

Nintendo had paused its U.S. preorders earlier this month when President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs threatened to send its manufacturing costs in Asia soaring. The preorder stoppage reverberated through the gaming sector, briefly threatening the industry’s substantial stock outperformance compared with slumping major indexes.

Trump has subsequently rolled back many of his proposed tariffs, including in Vietnam, where Nintendo has increased operations in recent years. The president continues to escalate duties in China, another key manufacturing base for the company, albeit one it has leaned on less of late.

The U.S. is Nintendo’s biggest market by revenue, and the company is pushing the Switch 2 aggressively in the states. The Seattle Mariners, an MLB club with longtime ties to Japan, are wearing jersey sleeve patches featuring the Nintendo logo on their home jerseys and the Switch logo on the away jersey.

The Switch 2 was already seen as having aggressive pricing (Mario Kart World has an MSRP of $80, though there is a bundle with the system costing just $50). While the console and games will see their prices remain constant, the company is changing the prices for many accessories and has not ruled out future adjustments.

“Nintendo Switch 2 accessories will experience price adjustments from those announced on April 2 due to changes in market conditions,” the company said in a statement, warning that “other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future depending on market conditions.”

The price of a Joy-Con 2 pair is rising from $90 to $95, with the pro Controller also rising by $5 to $85.

Nintendo stock is up 11.94% in Japan this year, where it has most of its trading volume, compared with the Nasdaq’s 15.66% drop and S&P 500’s 10.18% fall in 2025. The Japanese Nikkei 225 index is down 12.94% year-to-date.

Other video game stocks are also besting major indexes, including Take-Two Interactive (up 15.59% this year) and Electronic Arts (down 0.47%). Sony, which manufactures the PlayStation console, has seen its stock rise by 2.88% in Japan.