Nintendo

A mini competitive analysis

Steam Deck 256 GB: $400 Xbox Series X digital: $435 PS5 digital: $450 Steam Deck 512 GB: $450 Xbox Series X w/ drive: $500 PS5 w/ drive: $500 PS5 Pro digital: $700 PS5 Pro w/ drive: $780

OK, so currently Switch 2 sits in the middle of the pack and competes head-to-head with a 512 GB Steam Deck. If they somehow didn't factor in potential tariffs, an adjusted price would be $550, near the top of the list.

I think it's more likely they factored in a lower tariff rate and they're now pausing to do a competitive analysis around a bump to $500. That would put it on par with the PS5 and Xbox drive versions, but it would make the Steam Deck more attractive.

It seems pretty clear Nintendo is thinking about the Steam Deck. The official Steam Deck dock also does 4K at 60 Hz. The price is the same as the 512 GB model, which has faster memory, probably like the Switch 2. That said, that Steam Deck model has double the internal storage and access to about a zillion more games. So right now they're putting perhaps a $50 premium on it compared to the 256 GB model based on access to Nintendo exclusives.

Can the US market support a $100 Nintendo premium? Most likely... but they're surely sensitive to another Wii U debacle, and that price will mean Switch 2 is unlikely to ever be as successful as the original. So these are likely some of the factors they're weighing right now.

Nintendo is fairly conservative about risk. I suspect they'll hedge their bets and pick something just shy of $500, probably $479 or $489.

Edit: A friend just informed me that during the previous Trump administration, Nintendo moved a lot of their manufacturing to Vietnam, which is subject to a 46% tariff. That changes my calculus and it may be that the price goes much higher that I originally speculated as a result.