Nintendo Increases Switch 1 Prices, Making It Less Attractive as Switch 2 Becomes More Available

Alright, so Nintendo just dropped a bit of a… bomb? Yeah, we’ll call it that. Prices are going up for their OG Switch, some Switch 2 add-ons, and—get this—the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo. Why is a clock involved? Beats me. They’re saying this whole shebang is due to “market conditions,” and it kicks off on August 3, 2025. Oh joy. But hey, Switch 2 itself remains untouched price-wise, and so do the games and online doohickeys. Yet, they casually slipped in that prices might change again someday. Classic.

Oh! The prices. Right. Original Switch jumps from $299 to $339. Ouch. The OLED version goes from $350 to $400—yeah, bye fifty bucks. And don’t forget the lil’ Lite; it’s now $30 more. Even the wacky Alarmo clock got a $10 bump. Joy-Con 2 controllers too? Of course, they’re up a fiver.

Funny thing, usually companies cut prices on the old stuff when new shiny toys come out. But nah, not Nintendo. Maybe it’s that whole economy thing, or those tariffs—remember those? Thanks, Trump. But you can’t just pin it all on tariffs, I mean, Canada’s feeling it too.

So if you’re doing the math, Switch 1’s now floating around 230 to almost 400 bucks. Maybe just add fifty more and grab a Switch 2 at $450? Better speed and screen size. Don’t get too excited about OLED, though—Switch 2 doesn’t have it. But hey, extra game storage via those nifty microSD Express cards is a bonus. Downside? They’re a tad costly and possibly tricky to find. Life’s all about trade-offs, right?

Here’s something good—Switch 2’s widely available. No scalper drama like PS5. You just need to know where to look, and bam, it’s yours.

So yeah, Nintendo’s playing the long game with this pricing strategy. I mean, who even thought about the Alarmo clock? Someone did, clearly. And while you’re digesting all this, keep updated with the latest from Tom’s Hardware—because why not stay in the loop?