After years of anticipation, the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally official. But while the gaming world was hoping to celebrate a new chapter in portable play, French fans are instead raising eyebrows — and calculators. Why? Because the price tag slapped on the new console and its games has sparked a wave of frustration, memes, and good old-fashioned outrage.
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From runaway success to runaway prices
When the original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017 at €330, it was hailed as a breath of fresh air in a console market dominated by performance wars. Nintendo focused on creative gameplay and accessibility, with its hybrid portable-and-docked format captivating over 130 million players worldwide. That clever gamble might soon make it the best-selling console ever, potentially dethroning Sony’s legendary PlayStation 2.
Fast forward to 2025: the Switch 2 looks set to carry the torch, boasting new features, improved graphics, and big-name titles like Elden Ring and Mario Kart World. Sounds great — until you try to buy one.
Sticker shock: France pays the premium
The honeymoon ended the moment the pricing came out. Or more precisely, didn’t. Nintendo held back the price during its announcement, letting the suspense build. But when fans in France checked the official Nintendo store, the mood shifted fast. The base Switch 2 model clocks in at €469.99, and if you want the bundle with Mario Kart World, prepare to fork out €509.99.
Compared to the original Switch, that’s a nearly €150 price hike — close to 50%. Even with inflation taken into account (about 17.8% in France since 2017, according to INSEE), the adjusted price of the old console today would be roughly €389. That still puts the Switch 2 over 20% more expensive, raising serious questions about the added value.
A global console, local inequalities
The real salt in the wound? The pricing is wildly inconsistent depending on where you live. In Japan, the multilingual version of the Switch 2 is priced at around €430 (taxes included) — already a noticeable discount compared to Europe. But then there’s a local “Japan Only” edition at just €330. That’s €100 cheaper for essentially the same hardware, minus language packs.
It’s hard to justify this with just logistics or import fees. For many European players, especially in France, it feels like a premium penalty — a surcharge just for not living on Nintendo’s home turf.
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Still behind on power
To be clear, no one expects Nintendo to match the brute force of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. That’s never been their game. When the first Switch launched, its technical specs paled in comparison to competitors — offering less than half a teraflop in performance compared to over 1 for PS4 and Xbox One.
While we don’t yet know the exact specs of the Switch 2, early reports suggest it might land somewhere between the PS4 Pro (4.2 TFLOPS) and Xbox Series S (4 TFLOPS). That would be a big step up from the original, but still a notch below the current-gen heavyweights.
And that’s fine — as long as the price reflects the product. But with a €500 tag approaching PS5 territory, Nintendo seems to be betting that its beloved franchises will make up for the technical lag. That might work, but it also risks alienating the families and casual gamers that made the original Switch such a hit.
Games priced like gold
If the console price hurts, the game prices are the knockout punch. Physical editions for the Switch 2 will reportedly cost between €80 and €90, while digital downloads won’t offer much relief at €70 to €80.
That’s a dramatic shift from Nintendo’s family-friendly pricing strategy of years past. And while flagship titles like Mario Kart will likely still fly off the shelves, it’s hard to imagine budget-conscious households buying multiple games at those rates.
Once again, Japanese consumers get a softer deal. In Japan, retail game prices start at the equivalent of €61, and €55 for digital editions. Even after factoring in tax differences, that’s significantly cheaper than the European average — and fans have noticed.
The bitter pill of paid updates
One final sour note: Nintendo hasn’t yet clarified its policy on upgrades for existing games, but rumors suggest that players may need to pay to update older titles for the Switch 2. That’s a tough pill to swallow for fans who bought games like Super Mario Jamboree just months ago. Charging loyal users again for minor enhancements seems like a gamble on brand loyalty — and one that could backfire.
As someone who’s followed Nintendo since blowing on cartridges in the ’90s, it’s tough to watch this shift. The magic is still there — the innovation, the fun, the unmistakable charm. But with pricing like this, Nintendo risks becoming the luxury brand it never set out to be.
In the race to dominate the next generation, let’s hope they remember who brought them this far — and that innovation doesn’t always have to come at a premium.