Hey, Daily Quest readers! If you’ve been tracking the cost of PC parts lately, you know the RAM market has basically turned into the Wild West. With AI data centers gobbling up memory chips like Pac-Man, prices for DDR5 and LPDDR5X have skyrocketed. Naturally, this has everyone asking: Is the Nintendo Switch 2 about to get even more expensive?
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa finally broke the silence in a recent interview with Kyoto Shimbun, and the news is a mix of "don't panic yet" and "keep your wallets ready."
The Current Sit-Rep: Why Prices Are Spiking
Toward the end of 2025, chipmakers like Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix pivoted their production toward high-margin AI servers. This left the gaming sector—from GPUs to consoles—scrambling for what was left.
The Impact: DRAM prices have surged over 70% since early last year.
The Competitors: Rumors are swirling that Sony and Microsoft are already considering hardware delays or additional mid-gen price hikes to compensate.
The Timeline: Micron expects the shortage to persist well into 2027.
Nintendo's Shield: The "Medium-to-Long Term" Plan
Despite the volatility, Furukawa confirmed that the RAM crisis has "no immediate impact on earnings" for the Switch 2. How did they pull that off?
Safety Stock: Nintendo’s strategy involves securing components based on long-term projections. Essentially, they bought their "survival stash" of RAM before the AI boom sent prices to the moon.
Current MSRP: For now, the Switch 2 remains at its $449.99 base price (though many are currently seeing the $499 Mario Kart World bundles as the "de facto" launch price).
The "Hypothetical" Warning: While Furukawa wouldn't commit to a price hike, he notably didn't rule it out, calling future adjustments a "hypothetical" the company must monitor closely.
The Tariff Factor: More Than Just Memory
Memory isn't the only ghost in the machine. Furukawa also addressed the impact of import tariffs, particularly in the U.S. market.
The Policy: Nintendo's stated policy is to "recognize tariffs as a cost and pass them on to prices as much as possible."
Evidence: We’ve already seen this in action. In late 2025, Nintendo raised prices for the Pro Controller 2 and Joy-Con 2 pairs by roughly $5 each to offset these costs.
Hardware Precedent: Nintendo actually raised the price of the original Switch OLED to $399 in late 2025 citing "market conditions"—proving they aren't afraid to adjust the price of aging hardware if the math doesn't add up.
Switch 2 Market Snapshot (January 2026)
| Product | Original Price (April 2025) | Current Price (Jan 2026) | Trend |
| Switch 2 System (Base) | $449.99 | $449.99 | Stable (For Now) |
| Switch 2 + Mario Kart Bundle | $499.99 | $499.99 | Most Available |
| Joy-Con 2 Pair | $94.99 | $99.99 | Increased |
| Pro Controller 2 | $84.99 | $89.99 | Increased |
Final Drop: Should You Buy Now or Wait?
With safety stocks eventually running out and RAM prices predicted to stay high through 2027, the "cheapest" time to get a Switch 2 might actually be right now. If Nintendo’s medium-term contracts expire while the AI boom is still peaking, that $450 price tag could very easily jump to $500 before the next holiday season.
What’s your take, Quest squad? Is $450 already too high, or would you pay a "RAM tax" to get your hands on that new 3D Mario? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
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