Thoughts on Nintendo delaying Switch 2 preorders in US to “assess tariffs and market conditions”

[Halloqueen]

So many people don’t understand how tariffs work or what profit margins are. If the tariffs did stand, they wouldn’t be 46% (for Vietnam) of the MSRP, it’s on the import value. And that’s assuming tariffs aren’t already factored into the margin, which exists in part to, you know, help protect against price fluctuations in unstable economic times.

I’ve seen someone attempt to calculate a potential new MSRP for physical games based on a flat 46% increase, as well, causing Mario Kart to go up to about $120. I chuckled when I saw it.

If you're talking about a post on here, that was me, haha. Though, I wasn't the one who did the calculation; I'd seen it put forward in an article and was just passing along what I'd read, but admittedly, math has never been my strong suit and all of the market forces and intricacies are way above my pay-grade. Sounds like it's above their pay-grade too. I'll edit that section of that post to link to the article I'd read and adjust accordingly following what I've learned from your post.

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As for my thoughts on the pre-order delays, obviously not a good sign when people, myself included, were already put off by the price tags of the console and games even before this global tariff chaos began. One has to imagine the price will likely creep higher into unaffordability for many since the tariffs are going to affect businesses and finance, employment rates, etc. The Trump Administration did put a 90-day pause on tariffs for everyone except China, though their China tariff rate is now apparently 104%. Nintendo did diversify their production from China such that half of their manufacturing is done in Vietnam and Cambodia, but that would still leave a portion that probably remains in China. Also, those tariffs for the other countries are only paused for 90-days, not rescinded, so unless negotiations work out in that span then it's just back to chaos in a matter of time. It also seems like it is in other countries' best interest to look at reorganizing how they trade to try to cut out the US and limit its effects on them, so that's a whole other issue that will probably come back to bite us.

Depending on when they open pre-orders back up and what it ultimately ends up costing, while I was originally put off by the price, I'm now considering potentially placing a pre-order. Prior to the pricing fiasco, I was already interested in the Switch 2 for the 4K capability when docked. Whatever price they announce in light of all these economic issues, it'll still probably be more affordable and justifiable now than it will be down the road when the domestic economy suffers. Though, there is also a possibility that they might cut the price in a year or two due to low sales like they did for the 3DS, so I dunno. I'm not someone who likes to gamble, and I'm pretty uncomfortable with making important decisions, so this whole thing just really sucks to have to consider.

 

[a potato]

If you're talking about a post on here, that was me, haha. Though, I wasn't the one who did the calculation; I'd seen it put forward in an article and was just passing along what I'd read, but admittedly, math has never been my strong suit and all of the market forces and intricacies are way above my pay-grade. Sounds like it's above their pay-grade too. I'll edit that section of that post to link to the article I'd read and adjust accordingly following what I've learned from your post.

---

As for my thoughts on the pre-order delays, obviously not a good sign when people, myself included, were already put off by the price tags of the console and games even before this global tariff chaos began. One has to imagine the price will likely creep higher into unaffordability for many since the tariffs are going to affect businesses and finance, employment rates, etc. The Trump Administration did put a 90-day pause on tariffs for everyone except China, though their China tariff rate is now apparently 104%. Nintendo did diversify their production from China such that half of their manufacturing is done in Vietnam and Cambodia, but that would still leave a portion that probably remains in China. Also, those tariffs for the other countries are only paused for 90-days, not rescinded, so unless negotiations work out in that span then it's just back to chaos in a matter of time. It also seems like it is in other countries' best interest to look at reorganizing how they trade to try to cut out the US and limit its effects on them, so that's a whole other issue that will probably come back to bite us.

Depending on when they open pre-orders back up and what it ultimately ends up costing, while I was originally put off by the price, I'm now considering potentially placing a pre-order. Prior to the pricing fiasco, I was already interested in the Switch 2 for the 4K capability when docked. Whatever price they announce in light of all these economic issues, it'll still probably be more affordable and justifiable now than it will be down the road when the domestic economy suffers. Though, there is also a possibility that they might cut the price in a year or two due to low sales like they did for the 3DS, so I dunno. I'm not someone who likes to gamble, and I'm pretty uncomfortable with making important decisions, so this whole thing just really sucks to have to consider.

Oh no, it wasn’t you! It was one on Reddit I saw a few days ago. Sorry about that.

There was a pretty interesting article from Forbes yesterday that had insight from an analysis firm regarding what a potential price increase could look like. Another suggestion from them was actually not cutting the price in a few years’ time to help balance things out. I think this whole thing, frustrating as it is, has been a great realtime case study, though. It’s making people more interested in the state of the world right now, that’s for sure.

 

[nightglow]

It seems we have an update on the tariff situation. Hopefully Nintendo will say something about their consoles soon for those who are still interested in preordering.

"The Trump administration is exempting smartphones, computers, and other electronics from his reciprocal tariffs, according to a bulletin posted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection late Friday night."

SOURCE: ABC News

 

[a potato]

Preorders on April 24! Yippeeeeee! https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsne...d4TTCZZtccGTsaDJIsgDY1VOZA6jdYT32aCRnPLqexD_s

 

[Seastar]

I'm not sure where to mention this, but I just saw that a pair of joycons costs more than Mario Kart World?? I sure hope they don't have more drift problems because that's ridiculous.

 

[Jhine7]

Not too sure how much the controllers were before the increase, but wow $85 for the pro controller and $95 for the joycons seems ridiculous. I assume Switch 1 controllers will work on the Switch 2 so no big deal for now.

I do know the wheel increased by $5 which is the only other accessory I'm interested in. At least the bundle didn't increase! So good news overall.

Does anyone know what time the websites will make them available on April 24?

 

[Croconaw]

I’m getting the bundle since I planned on buying Mario Kart World on release day already. I’m glad the price remained the same.

 

[Jhine7]

Alrighty so the plan is midnight preorder attempts online at Target and Walmart. If that fails, in person GameStop waiting out front before they open, while trying to preorder online from them as that starts at 11am.

 

[Holla]

Alrighty so the plan is midnight preorder attempts online at Target and Walmart. If that fails, in person GameStop waiting out front before they open, while trying to preorder online from them as that starts at 11am.

Best of luck! I’m in Canada but I plan on going in person to my nearest GameStop (which is a bit of a drive to the nearest city but alas) on preorder day a bit before they open at 10am. It’s a smallish city so hopefully as long as I’m early enough I’ll have a spot in line.

 

[Plainbluetees]

Hopefully you guys have good luck with your preorders. I recall in the past trying to preorder stuff from Target (amiibo cards. cough cough) and it being an absolute nightmare, hoping that won't be the case with the Switch.

And let's also hope that we don't get scalpers selling them on eBay for $600+...

 

[a potato]

And let's also hope that we don't get scalpers selling them on eBay for $600+...

I’m really curious to see how scalpers react to the Switch 2. On one hand, yeah, it’s an exciting new console, but on the other, demand seems much lower than other consoles between frustrations with the price and similarity to the original Switch, increased accessory prices, and general economic uncertainty here. I think a lot of scalpers would really be wasting their time and money, lol.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I’m waiting until at least six months of the Switch 2 launch before getting one. I want to get one with a game included but I don’t want Mario Kart World. Don’t get me wrong as I don’t have a problem with the Mario Kart series and have enjoyed playing previous entries with others but it’s not a top priority game for me and I would not be playing it that often. If a friend had the game and they were over at my house, I’d have no problem playing it with them. I’m just not a huge racing game type of guy. If there’s a bundle that came with the new Tomodachi Life game or the Kirby Air Riders sequel. The latter I don’t mind as much as I am a huge Kirby fan.

 

[Plainbluetees]

I know not everyone will agree with me but this is giving Wii U vibes so much...

It's a slightly improved version of a wildly successful console and (at least in my opinion) doesn't have a whole lot of really exciting new games to offer at launch.

Anyway, it would have to fail massively to come anywhere close to the unsuccess of the Wii U.

 

[Jhine7]

After painstaking refreshing over and over again on all 3 retailer websites, I’m now the owner of a Nintendo Switch 2!

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

I was able to preorder the Switch 2 through Best Buy! I'm glad that I didn't give up and go to sleep since they didn't drop it right at the time they said they would. I also made sure to select for pickup instead of shipping to home.

 

[ShawnFuzz]

I was able to preorder the Switch 2 through Best Buy! I'm glad that I didn't give up and go to sleep since they didn't drop it right at the time they said they would. I also made sure to select for pickup instead of shipping to home.

Same! It just said "coming soon" for about half an hour, and then I was "in line" for another half an hour. Got one after some patience though!

 

[-Blue-]

Doesn't really seem worth it to me tbh. I'll just wait until it comes out and even if it's impossible to find then oh well. Even with tarrifs and inflation and all Nintendo has always been bad with making so few of their things so they create artificial shortages all the time.

 

[nightglow]

I did want to mention that I saw somewhere that Nintendo made an X/Twitter post about how many Switch2 requests they got. I think it was 2 mil or something? I don't have an account so I can't go look for it. But it appears they are having success with the system. Those requests aren't payments but people wanting to buy and will be randomly picked by Nintendo. Idk what the wiiU or 3ds numbers were for preorders, and I think this is Nintendo's first time for the lottery method??
I also don't know how many of those requests are from Japan either.

 

[Holla]

Canada here but I am currently camping outside GameStop. Not a soul here yet but it’s only 2 and half hours before opening haha. It’s a 30min drive away for me (yay small town) so I wanted to be plenty early so it wasn’t an hour of driving for nothing. I even brought my 3DS to play while I wait. (I still play my original Switch, but lately I’ve been on a 3DS kick).

Preorders went live at both Costco and Walmart in Canada last night and it was a complete mess from what I’ve heard. Tons of errors, glitches, freezing and cancelled orders. I’m hoping going to GameStop in person avoids this when the other stores open up their online preorders later today.

Also GameStop Canada is requiring a $250 down payment for the console or $300 for the bundle. A hefty sum but hopefully helps deter scalpers.

Edit: it’s now 2 hours until opening and there are two people now waiting in line. Once someone else shows I’ll likely join the line. For now I’m enjoying my warm car as it’s a little cool this morning.

 

[a potato]

Was up until 1 but got everything I wanted