With the long-awaited release date and technical specifications of the Nintendo Switch 2 now revealed, along with pricing details for first-party Nintendo games on the new console, the conversation naturally shifts to the cost of the system itself. Although no prices were officially confirmed during the Nintendo Direct presentation, regional pricing information has surfaced on Nintendo's country-specific websites, revealing that the most budget-friendly way to get your hands on this new hardware is by being in Japan.
In a playful tweet, Duolingo — the language learning app — pointed out that Japan offers two versions of the Switch 2: a multi-language edition priced at 69,980 yen (approximately $477), and a Japanese language-only model for 49,980 yen (about $341). This means that gamers willing to navigate the console in Japanese can save over $100 compared to the international version, which is priced at $449.99 in the U.S.
Gamers, learn Japanese to save $133! https://t.co/misNmSstIf
— Duolingo (@duolingo) April 3, 2025
Japan stands alone in offering this cheaper, single-language console option. According to some experts' opinions, the higher international pricing could be influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump's recently announced international tariffs. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, commented, "Nintendo probably factored in possible tariffs, the current inflationary climate in the world, and the $700 Sony dared to charge for the PlayStation 5 Pro last year."
Additionally, Japan's status as a key market for Nintendo, where it holds a 24% share of the Nintendo Switch installed base in 2024 (compared to just 2% for Xbox Series X/S and 9% for PlayStation 5), plays a significant role. James McWhirter, an analyst at Omdia, explained, "If Switch 2 pricing in Japanese Yen was aligned with the U.S. Dollar price, it would dramatically weaken Nintendo's position in Japan, representing a doubling in the list price over the classic LCD Nintendo Switch model. Yet, if Nintendo continued to rely on region-specific pricing that is significantly cheaper in USD terms, they would face an issue with grey imports to other territories."
However, even if you're fluent in Japanese, there are still hurdles to obtaining the more affordable system. According to Nintendo's website, "The Japanese-Language System (Japan only) is designed for use in Japan only. Only Japanese is available as the system language, and only Nintendo accounts with the country/region set to Japan can be linked to this system." With these restrictions, and the fact that the Japanese-only variant is exclusively available through the Japanese My Nintendo Store, Nintendo is effectively region-locking the console to maintain lower prices for Japanese consumers.
For a deeper understanding of why the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games are priced so high, check out our deep dive as we talk to industry experts. To catch up on all the details from this week's Nintendo Direct, everything shown at this week's Nintendo Direct is available right here.
