Nintendo recently confirmed that the price of the Switch 2 will be going up in several regions, including the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. While many fans were disappointed by the news, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has now revealed that the company actually considered even bigger increases – but decided against it because they did not want to slow down the momentum of Switch 2 sales.

The ongoing memory crisis has been affecting tech companies for months now. Rising memory chip prices and higher shipping and manufacturing costs have forced several companies to raise prices on consoles, handhelds, and other electronics. Nintendo is now one of the latest companies to make adjustments, with U.S. price hikes due this September.

Starting September 1, the Nintendo Switch 2 will cost $499.99 in the United States, which is a $50 increase over its current price. Canada will also see a $50 increase, while Europe is getting a €30 bump. Japan is to be hit first, with price hikes already scheduled for May 25 across both the Switch 2 and the original Switch lineup.

During Nintendo’s latest financial briefing, Furukawa explained that the new pricing still does not fully cover all of the company’s rising costs. In other words, Nintendo could have raised prices even more, but the company chose a smaller increase because it wants to keep the Switch 2 accessible to more players and maintain strong sales momentum.

Nintendo also apologized to customers for the inconvenience caused by the higher prices. However, Furukawa said the company believes market conditions are unlikely to improve anytime soon. According to him, rising memory costs, higher crude oil prices, and long-term economic uncertainty all played a role in the decision.

To help justify the higher console price, Nintendo plans to focus heavily on software support. Furukawa said the company wants to build a strong lineup of games that will make the Switch 2 feel worth buying despite the increased cost. Nintendo already has several major games either released, announced, or rumored for the platform, with more to come.

“We will prepare a robust software line-up to enhance the Switch 2 ownership value. We will work diligently to overcome this barrier.”

Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo President [translated], via Video Games Chronicle

At the same time, Nintendo is not completely ruling out future price changes. Furukawa reportedly stated that the company wants to remain flexible depending on how market conditions evolve over the coming months and even into next year. That does not confirm another price hike is coming, but it does suggest Nintendo is still monitoring the situation closely.

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Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.