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Timing is everything. Hours after I published our Friday newsletter, debating the price of Nintendo's new console, the company announced it would delay US pre-orders for the Switch 2 as it wrestled with a new set of tariffs introduced by President Trump.
"Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the US will not start April 9, 2025, in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," Nintendo told Engadget. It added that the console is still set to launch on June 5, however.
Last week, the Trump administration announced a set of new tariffs on a swath of countries, including Japan (Nintendo's base of operations), China and Vietnam. Those last two countries, where Nintendo manufactures much of its hardware, will be subject to import duties of 54 percent and 46 percent.
Nintendo said the Switch 2 would cost $450 at launch — and we've discussed the rises enough — but there's no word yet on whether that price will get readjusted, or whether the company will just distribute fewer consoles to the US.
It's not the only one reassessing things in the wake of the recent tariffs. Jaguar Land Rover is pausing shipments to the US. Vehicle imports face a 25 percent tariff, and the company told the AP it was "taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans."
Relatively smaller companies are also figuring things out: Framework, best known for its modular
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