Don’t Be Surprised if the RAM Crisis Leads to a Switch 2 Price Increase
Anyone hoping to grab a Switch 2 may want to jump on it sooner rather than later amid rising RAM costs. Nintendo’s latest console already drew criticism over its price when it was first revealed, with some questioning whether the system deserved its $450 asking price and even more being critical of its game pricing. While that controversy has died down a bit over time, there’s a chance the Switch 2 could get more expensive down the line.
Like its predecessor, the Switch 2 was tricky to get at launch. Some analysts have even predicted Switch 2 shortages could last into 2026 in some regions, although the console has become more widely available in others. Given these stock issues and some lingering cost questions, some gamers may have held off on buying one until the initial hype dies down and sales become a more likely possibility. Normally, that might be a sound strategy, but if the hardware market keeps heading the way it’s going now, waiting too long to buy one could be costly.
Nintendo Addresses Concerns That the Switch 2 is Too Expensive for Young Gamers
Nintendo company president Shuntaro Furukawa responds to a question about the Switch 2’s price tag being too much for younger fans to afford.
The RAM Supply Crisis Could Push Nintendo to Raise the Switch 2’s Price
The fears of a Switch 2 price increase stem from a worrying trend of sky-high RAM prices. In October, two of the world’s largest RAM manufacturers, Samsung and SK Hynix, made a deal with OpenAI to reserve a hefty portion of the global memory supply for AI data centers. The constrained supply, in turn, shot RAM prices through the roof, with some DDR5 RAM kits tripling in price and older DDR4 memory experiencing a smaller but still notable uptick. Samsung and SK Hynix aren’t the only suppliers pivoting to focus on AI, either. Micron has exited the consumer market entirely, and as manufacturers keep diverting resources to AI, supply and demand could drive console companies to a tough decision: raise prices or take the hit on profits.
PC gamers have already felt the effects of the RAM shortage, as rising prices have made the already expensive task of building a gaming rig noticeably less budget-friendly. While console manufacturers have the benefit of economies of scale and typically subsidize their systems’ prices, the same cost concerns affect them, especially if they grow to a certain level. The Switch 2 features 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, so as DDR5 gets pricier and pricier, so will the cost of manufacturing the console. Nintendo may have safety stocks of memory purchased ahead of time, but if those run low, the company may need to pass costs on to the end user to make up for their own supply expenses.
Just because component costs are rising doesn’t necessarily mean Nintendo will adjust the Switch 2’s pricing accordingly. However, history shows the company is not immune to macroeconomic shifts. In August 2025, Nintendo raised the price of the original Switch generation, tacking another $40 onto the vanilla Switch and $50 for the OLED model. Those adjustments came as a response to “market conditions,” likely referring to the effect that U.S. tariffs on electronics have had on the wider hardware industry. While the Switch 2 escaped the same fate initially, not receiving a tariff-related price increase as some feared shortly after its announcement, it may not be so lucky this time around.
Nintendo is not alone in this precarious position. There are rumors that Xbox might raise its console prices again in response to recent RAM price hikes. For now, neither company has said it will charge more for their systems, but as RAM costs keep climbing, it’s hard not to wonder if and how they could impact the console market.
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Original Release Date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- Operating System
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Proprietary
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR Support
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Yes