Nintendo Switch 2 US price will soar due to colossal tariff, report claims

Nintendo Switch 2 has been speculated to be one of the products that could be heavily affected by Donald Trump's tariffs and according to a new report, the tariff the console will be hit with is astronomical.

Nikkei Asia, which is a major Japan-based weekly news magazine, claims the Switch 2 console will be subject to an eye-watering 145 per cent US tariff, reciprocal of the current rate the US has imposed on China with some exemptions.

The publication said (via My Nintendo News): "According to an internal assessment memo by a major Apple and Nintendo supplier seen by Nikkei Asia, game consoles are still subject to a 145 per cent US tariff on goods made in China, which means products like Nintendo's highly anticipated new console are in line for a massive hit."

Reuters reports smartphones, computers and other electronics are currently exempt from these tariffs but Nikkei Asia says game consoles are not part of those exemptions.

At the time of writing, preorders are still postponed in the US and Canada after the US price was revealed to be $449 ($499 for a Mario Kart World bundle) due to "changing market conditions", in other words Trump's tariffs.

It has not been officially confirmed if the Switch 2 has been hit with a 145 per cent US tariff and if the price of the console will change for US and Canada consumers.

Nintendo Switch 2 could face an astronomical tariff, according to a report / Screenshot from Nintendo

Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries and China, one of the countries where the Switch 2 is produced, has been hit with a 145 per cent rate from the US.

China has a 125 per cent tariff on US imports itself and the two countries have been involved in tit for tat tariff rises which threatens to halt almost all trade between the two countries, according to economic experts.

While games and consoles were exempt from the trade war between the US and China during Donald Trump's first term, it does not appear they will be this time around.

Trump imposed tariffs on other countries the Switch 2 is being manufactured, such as a 46 per cent rate on Vietnam, but most of these were paused for 90 days on April 9.

Elsewhere, check out the three best features of the Nintendo Switch 2 console after indy100 went hands on with it and are the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World worth the price?

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