Gamers rage against tariffs. Switch 2 pre-order delays in the US drama continue

X and Reddit explode over Nintendo Switch 2 tariff troubles. The new console could get even more expensive and manufacturing it in the US won’t solve the price issue.

Olga Racinowska

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Gamers rage against tariffs. Switch 2 pre-order delays in the US drama continue, image source: Nintendo.
Gamers rage against tariffs. Switch 2 pre-order delays in the US drama continue Source: Nintendo.

On Friday, fans excited for Switch 2 pre-orders in the US got hit with some bad news. Thanks to new tariffs, prices are looking rough, and now everyone’s searching for an inflation calculator. Nintendo announced delays for the April 9th pre-orders while they reassess things. And yeah, yelling “Drop the price!” during Treehouse sadly hasn’t changed a thing. So now, let’s just say – the internet is furious.

The Internet blames Trump for Switch 2 pre-order delays

The new U.S. tariffs have thrown a wrench into Nintendo’s plans for the Switch 2’s pricing. Originally set at $449.99, that price tag didn’t factor in these tariffs. Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser explained that the initial pricing wasn’t affected by earlier tariffs, but now things have changed, according to an article on NPR.

With hefty tariffs – 46% on imports from Vietnam, 49% from Cambodia, and 54% from China – Nintendo has hit pause on US pre-orders to figure out the impact. Since these countries play a big role in manufacturing the Switch 2, production costs could go up. Analysts estimate the price could increase by around $50, which is why Nintendo is taking a step back to reassess before moving forward.

Source: @horejsiii on X

While some are calling Nintendo greedy, most of the frustration is aimed at Donald Trump, with many on X calling him “the worst president of US history”.

And of course, Reddit’s got the best comments on the whole situation. Under today’s The Latin Times article, here are some of the best ones so far:

Trump does what Nitendon’t. Or something…

- lixia

Trump is the worst president S tier

-kai_Union478

You know it’s bad when the Gamers AND the penguins are pissed off.

- OyenArdv

And one last thing – if you think the easy fix is just making the Switch 2 in the US, I’ve got an answer for you: nope, not happening. It would actually make the console even more expensive. Labor costs are way higher, and most of the parts are still made in Asia anyway. Shipping everything over just to put it together in the US would drive up costs even more.

On top of that, the US just doesn’t have the same kind of manufacturing setup for gaming hardware like China do. Building factories or even working with existing ones would take a ton of time and money. Even with the new tariffs, making the Switch 2 overseas is still the cheaper option.

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Olga Racinowska

Author: Olga Racinowska

Been with gamepressure.com since 2019, mostly writing game guides but you can also find me geeking out about LEGO (huge collection, btw). Love RPGs and classic RTSs, also adore quirky indie games. Even with a ton of games, sometimes I just gotta fire up Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, KOTOR, or Baldur's Gate 2 (Shadows of Amn, the OG, not that Throne of Bhaal stuff). When I'm not gaming, I'm probably painting miniatures or admiring my collection of retro consoles.