Nintendo Unveils Japan-Only Budget Switch 2

The gaming community now has concrete details about the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 successor—including release dates, technical specifications, and even pricing insights for first-party Nintendo games on the new console. Naturally, attention has shifted to predicting the system’s retail cost.

Though Nintendo Direct didn’t confirm official pricing, regional listings have surfaced on Nintendo’s country-specific websites—revealing that Japan will host the most affordable way to buy the next-gen hardware.

Language-learning app Duolingo spotlighted this discrepancy in a playful tweet. Japan offers two Switch models: a multilingual version priced at ¥69,980 (~$477) and a Japanese-exclusive edition priced at ¥49,980 (~$341).

Gamers, learn Japanese to save $133! https://t.co/misNmSstIf

— Duolingo (@duolingo) April 3, 2025

Japan stands alone globally by providing this single-language alternative, letting Japanese-speaking players save over $100 compared to international buyers locked into the $449.99 U.S. price.

Industry analysts speculate that geopolitical factors—such as former U.S. President Donald Trump’s reintroduced tariffs—may contribute to inflated overseas pricing.

"Nintendo likely accounted for potential tariffs, current global inflation trends, and even Sony’s controversial $700 PlayStation 5 Pro pricing last year," explained Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games.

Japan’s pricing advantage may also stem from its importance as Nintendo’s strongest market—representing 24% of Switch installations in 2024 versus Xbox Series X/S (2%) and PlayStation 5 (9%).

"Aligning Japanese pricing with U.S. dollar conversions would have drastically increased Switch 2’s cost compared to LCD Switch models—hurting local adoption," noted Omdia analyst James McWhirter. "However, maintaining drastically lower regional pricing risks encouraging grey-market imports abroad."

Yet even fluent Japanese speakers face hurdles acquiring this budget option.

Nintendo’s website clarifies: "The Japanese-Language System (Japan only) operates exclusively for Japan. Only Japanese system language is available, and linking Nintendo Accounts requires setting Japan as the country/region."

Combined with exclusive availability on Japan’s My Nintendo Store, these restrictions effectively region-lock the discounted model—ensuring Japanese gamers retain pricing advantages.

For deeper analysis on Switch 2’s pricing strategy, explore our expert roundtable discussing industry dynamics.

Catch up on all announcements from Nintendo Direct for additional updates on the Switch 2.