Whoa, hold up! So, Nintendo’s at it again, nudging those price tags upward on some of their stuff. Classic move, right? They’ve decided that come August 3, 2025, if you’re trying to snag an original Switch or its fun pals like the Sound Clock: Alarmo (which, by the way, sounds like something my aunt would buy just to feel hip), you’re in for a little sticker shock. But hey, no sweat on games or the shiny new Switch 2. Those prices are holding steady for now. Although — and here’s the fun part — they’ve given themselves an out to raise prices later. Sneaky, huh?
Anyway, they say it’s all due to “market conditions.” Whatever that means. It’s kinda like when you go to the grocery store expecting your favorite cereal to be there at a nice, predictable price, but suddenly, bam! It’s like $2 more. You shrug, maybe blame it on global whatever, and toss it in your cart anyway ’cause, let’s face it, mornings are rough enough.
And here’s a twist: it’s usually the case that when new stuff comes out, old stuff sees a price drop. Throwback to simpler times when logic ruled the world. But nope, not here. Funny thing is, they’ve just unleashed the Switch 2, which is zooming off the shelves (fingers crossed it topples the original’s record), and still slapped extra bucks on the old models. Maybe it’s about tariffs? Trump-era drama that won’t just pack up and leave. Even our neighbors in Canada aren’t escaping this one. So yeah, can’t entirely put it down to tariffs.
Let’s look at the numbers, shall we? The Switch 1’s new price tags range from “meh” $30 hikes to beefy $50 ones. So if you’re down to go old-school, you’re coughing up somewhere between $230 to almost $400. Yikes! Meanwhile, dropping $50 more scores you a Switch 2. Bigger screen, more zing, fewer OLED vibes — but hey, small trade-offs, right? Especially since you can crank up your game library with those microSD Express things. Pricy, elusive little devils they may be, but they’re fast and they save you some storage hassle.
Oh, and good news! Unlike the craze we saw with PS5, there’s no ninja-like skills required to snag a Switch 2. It’s out there, chilling on shelves. By chill, I mean relatively speaking — assuming you know where to look, you’re golden.
Just a friendly nudge: If you’re on Tom’s Hardware’s wavelength, you’d better hit up Google News. They’re all about keeping the info flowing. Don’t miss out!
