We found out just the other day that the Nintendo Switch 2 is going up in price worldwide soon. How soon? For most places, not until September 1, which gives buyers plenty of time to lock in on the current price point instead. For native Japan, however, the change is effective May 25. That's rough.
Now, in the final weeks of the launch price tag, Japanese retailers are gearing up. Many face long lines as consumers flock to purchase a console sure to receive many years of further support at a more competitive price point. Some retailers are going pretty far with it, though.
Sales Pitch
Nintendo Switch 2 has been sold for a relatively modest sum in Japan. Retailing for the USD equivalent of $319 might sound like a joke to many of us in the Western world, but domestic hardware units, locked to Japanese-language functionality alone so as to avoid overseas sales, have simply been that much cheaper there from the get-go.
The price is hiking to $382, however, come May 25. And while that still sounds like a minor steal to me here in the United States, it's real sticker shock, and very abrupt, for the Japanese gaming public. This is prompting lengthy lines in some locations, while certain savvy retailers are making the most of the event.
Bic Camera, a major Japanese retail chain, is now restricting Switch 2 sales to those who possess a credit card branded in their image. Imagine if you could only get a Switch 2 at "normal" price by signing up for that TJ Maxx card the poor cashiers are told to hound you about every time you buy new shoes.
This isn't a new technique, by the way. When the PS5 was struck hard by COVID chain issues, as Serkan Toto notes, "rival chain Yodobashi limited sales to people owning a Yodobashi-branded credit card." It will be interesting to see how well supply holds steady once the price has been raised, and whether demand will immediately dwindle. I'm sure Switch 2 isn't in any sort of existential danger here, with so many doubtless-strong titles ahead in the years to come, but this is going to have an impact.
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