I'm Kyra Blackwell and you're listening

to the Wire Cutter Show.

Hi y'all. Today we're going to do a

quick bonus episode on the Nintendo

Switch 2. This is the second iteration

of a really popular portable gaming

console that came out in June of 2025

with a whopping price tag of $450.

Many jumped right in and bought it right

when it dropped, myself included. I was

just really excited by the exclusive new

games and all the new features that the

Switch 2 promised. And yeah, it did sell

over 10 million units in 4 months, which

makes it the fastest selling console of

all time in America. But if you're one

of those people who's been putting off

buying the new Switch 2, if you're

waiting to see if the games actually got

better, waiting to feel like the price

is worth it, or you're just kind of

waiting, this episode might be for you.

Arthur Geese, supervising editor on the

tech team here at Wire Cutter, has spent

months testing the Switch 2, the games,

the features, whether it's worth the

upgrade from the original, and we do

have a full verdict on all of that. But

there's also a time-sensitive wrinkle to

this conversation that has absolutely

nothing to do with the console itself

and everything to do with what's

happening in the world right now. That's

going to have an impact on the price

you'd pay if and when you decide to buy

the new Switch 2.

So, we're going to take a quick break

and then when we're back, I'll be here

with Arthur on the other side. See you

soon.

Arthur, welcome.

Thank you for having me.

So excited to have you on today. Can we

just talk about the basics of video

games in general for people who don't

know? What is a Nintendo Switch and

who's it really good for? A Nintendo

Switch is what's sort of referred to as

a hybrid video game console, which means

in the past, there would be a Nintendo

handheld, like a Game Boy or a DS or

things like that, and there'd be the

console you have at your house, like a

GameCube or a Wii.

And with the Switch, what they've done

is basically smash those two things

together. So, you can carry it around

with you, throw it in your bag, throw it

in your purse, and play it wherever you

are. And then there's also a dock that

accompanies it that you set the game

system into and then it shows up on your

TV.

It's a very familyfriendly console for a

couple reasons. One, because every

Switch and Switch 2 has a pair of

Joy-Con on the left and right, which are

detachable controllers that serve as

individual controls for multiple people.

So, every Switch basically has the

ability for two people to play it,

right? And Nintendo has a very earned

reputation as a as a pretty

family-friendly company with the games

they release. Like it is the

quintessential fun for the whole family

kind of system.

Yeah. I mean, I grew up with a Nintendo

Wii. We played like Wii bowling all the

time. It was the game to play. But there

are now multiple versions of this

console out because it's not a new It's

not a new console. It's been out for a

while now. There's a Switch Light,

there's the OLED, and now there's an

older Switch One and this newer Switch

2, which just came out last June. I

mean, they're both like they have a

hefty price tag, but the Switch One is

now a little bit cheaper. So, if

somebody isn't a self-proclaimed gamer,

but they've been curious about the

console, would you recommend they dive

right in and just get the Switch 2?

I I think if you can afford the Switch

2, it's a better option than the Switch

One. It's not that different from apps

that you've used for a long time on an

old phone versus apps that you use all

the time on a new phone. Like typically

the new phone runs them better and the

the breakdown is very similar here.

It is more expensive and I'm I'm

sensitive to people that have like a

real price concern there for sure.

But in addition to playing all of those

old Switch games, there's a whole new

sort of class of games that are coming

out for Switch 2 that will never release

for the original Switch. Some fairly big

games from Nintendo have come out only

on the Switch 2, including, you know,

the new Mario Kart game is a Switch 2

exclusive. Donkey Kong Bonanza is a

Switch 2 exclusive. More of that will

happen this year,

right? I mean, I had the original Switch

One and I did end up upgrading to the

Switch 2 and I love it, but I think

people might also be wondering like they

love their Switch, but it's another

thing to spend money on. It sounds like

you think that it's worth it to upgrade

to the Switch 2 even if you have the

Switch one.

Sure. Yeah. And again, just constantly

going back to the if you can afford it

thing, being sensitive to that. I think

that if you've if you've got the money

and you're wondering if you should move

from the Switch one to the Switch 2, I

think that the answer is generally going

to be yes, in part because if you have

like this big pile of Switch games that

you love, they will be better on a

Switch 2. Like, it's just a much better

experience in pretty much every way,

right? And like if you have the money

now, chances are it will be cheaper now

than it will be in the future to buy a

Switch 2.

Well, let's talk a little bit about

that. I want to know why you're

predicting that now is probably the best

time to buy a Switch 2 versus waiting.

Sure. The short version is that every

other video game console has increased

in price significantly in the last year.

The PlayStation

5 is $150 more than it started at in

2020 and so is the Xbox Series X. Even

when the Switch 2 came out last year, it

was sort of announced amidst this tariff

situation. Like it literally I went to

go play the Switch 2 for the first time

on Liberation Day last year and Nintendo

had to delay pre-orders for the console

because they just didn't know what the

situation would be for the system. And I

think that that is hung heavy over video

game systems in particular over the last

year. Now in 2026, in addition to that

situation, AI has sort of exploded the

cost of the parts that go into video

game consoles. What's the correlation

there?

So, everything that you buy electronics

wise uses parts that are made from the

same materials. So, like the processor

in your phone, the processor in your

laptop, the processor in a video

console, the processor in an AI server,

all use the same sort of basic

components to be manufactured. And a lot

of them are coming from the same places

and there's a limited amount of that.

Imagine everything comes from the same

pile of sand and there's only so much

sand to go around and AI companies are

willing to pay a lot more for that sand

than Nintendo or Sega or Sony and Xbox

can,

right?

And so those prices are being driven up

considerably somewhere in the

neighborhood of 30 to 40% already in

laptops and we're starting to see those

prices sort of snowball already now in

April when we're recording this. And

then there are other additional

geopolitical factors that are leading to

price problems as well.

Okay, so I know here at Wire Cutter, we

generally want to steer clear from

encouraging panic buying of any sort,

but

I mean this console, the Switch 2, is

already not cheap. It's $450.

Is there a sale going on right now that

people can hop on or will there be a

sale maybe during popular times like

Black Friday that they can expect to get

a lower price on the Switch, too? Sure.

I'll I'll take those in sort of reverse

order. The chances will be that the

price on Black Friday will be less than

the prices were the day or so before

Black Friday.

I don't think that the prices will be

lower than they are right now. I think

that that likelihood is very, very low.

There will probably be different

bundles, which is what they're offering

right now. The Switch 2, like you said,

sells by itself for $450. Switch 2 games

range from 60 to 80. Yep. Everything is

getting more expensive. Uh, and physical

games actually on the Switch 2 will

start costing more than digital download

games in part because of the same things

that are driving up the price of the

console.

So good.

Um, everything is great. We're doing

awesome. And so currently you can get a

Switch 2 with Mario Kart World for $500,

which is $30 less than you'd pay for

just the Switch 2 and just Mario Kart

World separately.

Mhm.

To coincide with the release of the

Mario Galaxy movie that just came out a

couple weeks ago. There's a new bundle

on sale that includes Super Mario Galaxy

1 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 as remastered

for the Switch 2, which are both

considered pretty good games. That

bundle is 500. The game by itself is 70.

So you're saving about $20. That's

probably going to be the best prices

that you see on the system for the

foreseeable future.

Do you think for the people who still

want to wait, given your advice that now

might be the cheapest time to buy, do

you think that there is going to be a

warning sign before the price jumps?

I I mean, I think that the warning signs

are already here.

The alarm bells have been ringing.

Nintendo has been asked repeatedly at

their their investor calls and and press

interviews whether or not they would

increase the price of the Switch 2 and

they were adamant that they would not

for their fiscal year which just ended.

And we saw similar comments from

PlayStation at the end of last year as

prices on their components were starting

to go up that they weren't planning on

raising the prices until very suddenly

they did. Chances are there will be

probably a 2 to 3 week delay between

when the decision is made and when it

happens and that will be sort of your

last chance to to get in on that lower

price.

Wow. Okay. So, it really does sound like

if you've been thinking about it, you

may as well just buy one now. And, you

know, worst case scenario, there's

probably somebody else who's willing to

buy that switch to off of you if you

really regret the purchase later.

Sure. I mean, maybe you could even make

like a $50 profit or something selling

it to someone else down the line, I

guess, if you really wanted to.

Yeah. I mean, it's all up.

Yeah.

So, Arthur, my final question for you

is, what's your favorite game to play on

your Switch?

You know, I I play a lot of games, so

I've hopped a little bit from game to

game. I'm not a big Mario Kart guy. I'm

like always annoyed by that blue shell.

Donkey Kong Bonanza was great. It's a

great game. It's got a lot of

personality. It's just really fun. And I

think there's a simplicity to sort of

like smashing the world around you that

I think can appeal to players of all

ages. The Switch 2 game that I put the

most time into, amusingly enough, is

something called Poptopia, which just

came out.

I love Popia.

Popia is

a Pokémon themed game where you play as

a Ditto, which is a funny little Pokemon

that can do things that other Pokémon

do, trying to recover a strangely

post-apocalyptic Pokemon world, and try

to get Pokémon friends to come back and

figure out where all the people went.

And it's very much Minecraft inspired,

Animal Crossing inspired, and it sold

just a phenomenally large amount of

copies when it came out about a month

ago.

I mean, yeah, I get it. I don't like

Minecraft or Pokémon or Animal Crossing,

but I vlogged probably 80 hours on Popia

so far.

Yeah, that's impressive.

Arthur Geese, supervising editor on the

tech team. Thank you so much for joining

us today.

Happy to be here. Thanks so much for

having me.

As always, we will link to the products

we talked about today in the show notes.

And if you want to learn more about Wire

Cutters coverage on gaming consoles, go

to our website. You can also find guides

to our writer's favorite games for the

Switch and Switch 2. That's it for us.

Until next week, thank you so much for

listening. Bye.

Thank you for having me.

So excited to have you on today. Can we

just talk about the basics of video

games in general for people who don't

know? What is a Nintendo Switch and

who's it really good for? A Nintendo

Switch is what's sort of referred to as

a hybrid video game console, which means

in the past, there would be a Nintendo

handheld, like a Game Boy or a DS or

things like that, and there'd be the

console you have at your house, like a

GameCube or a Wii.

And with the Switch, what they've done

is basically smash those two things

together. So, you can carry it around

with you, throw it in your bag, throw it

in your purse, and play it wherever you

are. And then there's also a dock that

accompanies it that you set the game

system into and then it shows up on your

TV.

It's a very familyfriendly console for a

couple reasons. One, because every

Switch and Switch 2 has a pair of

Joy-Con on the left and right, which are

detachable controllers that serve as

individual controls for multiple people.

So, every Switch basically has the

ability for two people to play it,

right? And Nintendo has a very earned

reputation as a as a pretty

family-friendly company with the games

they release. Like it is the

quintessential fun for the whole family

kind of system.

Yeah. I mean, I grew up with a Nintendo

Wii. We played like Wii bowling all the

time. It was the game to play. But there

are now multiple versions of this

console out because it's not a new It's

not a new console. It's been out for a

while now. There's a Switch Light,

there's the OLED, and now there's an

older Switch One and this newer Switch

2, which just came out last June. I

mean, they're both like they have a

hefty price tag, but the Switch One is

now a little bit cheaper. So, if

somebody isn't a self-proclaimed gamer,

but they've been curious about the

console, would you recommend they dive

right in and just get the Switch 2?

I I think if you can afford the Switch

2, it's a better option than the Switch

One. It's not that different from apps

that you've used for a long time on an

old phone versus apps that you use all

the time on a new phone. Like typically

the new phone runs them better and the

the breakdown is very similar here.

It is more expensive and I'm I'm

sensitive to people that have like a

real price concern there for sure.

But in addition to playing all of those

old Switch games, there's a whole new

sort of class of games that are coming

out for Switch 2 that will never release

for the original Switch. Some fairly big

games from Nintendo have come out only

on the Switch 2, including, you know,

the new Mario Kart game is a Switch 2

exclusive. Donkey Kong Bonanza is a

Switch 2 exclusive. More of that will

happen this year,

right? I mean, I had the original Switch

One and I did end up upgrading to the

Switch 2 and I love it, but I think

people might also be wondering like they

love their Switch, but it's another

thing to spend money on. It sounds like

you think that it's worth it to upgrade

to the Switch 2 even if you have the

Switch one.

Sure. Yeah. And again, just constantly

going back to the if you can afford it

thing, being sensitive to that. I think

that if you've if you've got the money

and you're wondering if you should move

from the Switch one to the Switch 2, I

think that the answer is generally going

to be yes, in part because if you have

like this big pile of Switch games that

you love, they will be better on a

Switch 2. Like, it's just a much better

experience in pretty much every way,

right? And like if you have the money

now, chances are it will be cheaper now

than it will be in the future to buy a

Switch 2.

Well, let's talk a little bit about

that. I want to know why you're

predicting that now is probably the best

time to buy a Switch 2 versus waiting.

Sure. The short version is that every

other video game console has increased

in price significantly in the last year.

The PlayStation

5 is $150 more than it started at in

2020 and so is the Xbox Series X. Even

when the Switch 2 came out last year, it

was sort of announced amidst this tariff

situation. Like it literally I went to

go play the Switch 2 for the first time

on Liberation Day last year and Nintendo

had to delay pre-orders for the console

because they just didn't know what the

situation would be for the system. And I

think that that is hung heavy over video

game systems in particular over the last

year. Now in 2026, in addition to that

situation, AI has sort of exploded the

cost of the parts that go into video

game consoles. What's the correlation

there?

So, everything that you buy electronics

wise uses parts that are made from the

same materials. So, like the processor

in your phone, the processor in your

laptop, the processor in a video

console, the processor in an AI server,

all use the same sort of basic

components to be manufactured. And a lot

of them are coming from the same places

and there's a limited amount of that.

Imagine everything comes from the same

pile of sand and there's only so much

sand to go around and AI companies are

willing to pay a lot more for that sand

than Nintendo or Sega or Sony and Xbox

can,

right?

And so those prices are being driven up

considerably somewhere in the

neighborhood of 30 to 40% already in

laptops and we're starting to see those

prices sort of snowball already now in

April when we're recording this. And

then there are other additional

geopolitical factors that are leading to

price problems as well.

Okay, so I know here at Wire Cutter, we

generally want to steer clear from

encouraging panic buying of any sort,

but

I mean this console, the Switch 2, is

already not cheap. It's $450.

Is there a sale going on right now that

people can hop on or will there be a

sale maybe during popular times like

Black Friday that they can expect to get

a lower price on the Switch, too? Sure.

I'll I'll take those in sort of reverse

order. The chances will be that the

price on Black Friday will be less than

the prices were the day or so before

Black Friday.

I don't think that the prices will be

lower than they are right now. I think

that that likelihood is very, very low.

There will probably be different

bundles, which is what they're offering

right now. The Switch 2, like you said,

sells by itself for $450. Switch 2 games

range from 60 to 80. Yep. Everything is

getting more expensive. Uh, and physical

games actually on the Switch 2 will

start costing more than digital download

games in part because of the same things

that are driving up the price of the

console.

So good.

Um, everything is great. We're doing

awesome. And so currently you can get a

Switch 2 with Mario Kart World for $500,

which is $30 less than you'd pay for

just the Switch 2 and just Mario Kart

World separately.

Mhm.

To coincide with the release of the

Mario Galaxy movie that just came out a

couple weeks ago. There's a new bundle

on sale that includes Super Mario Galaxy

1 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 as remastered

for the Switch 2, which are both

considered pretty good games. That

bundle is 500. The game by itself is 70.

So you're saving about $20. That's

probably going to be the best prices

that you see on the system for the

foreseeable future.

Do you think for the people who still

want to wait, given your advice that now

might be the cheapest time to buy, do

you think that there is going to be a

warning sign before the price jumps?

I I mean, I think that the warning signs

are already here.

The alarm bells have been ringing.

Nintendo has been asked repeatedly at

their their investor calls and and press

interviews whether or not they would

increase the price of the Switch 2 and

they were adamant that they would not

for their fiscal year which just ended.

And we saw similar comments from

PlayStation at the end of last year as

prices on their components were starting

to go up that they weren't planning on

raising the prices until very suddenly

they did. Chances are there will be

probably a 2 to 3 week delay between

when the decision is made and when it

happens and that will be sort of your

last chance to to get in on that lower

price.

Wow. Okay. So, it really does sound like

if you've been thinking about it, you

may as well just buy one now. And, you

know, worst case scenario, there's

probably somebody else who's willing to

buy that switch to off of you if you

really regret the purchase later.

Sure. I mean, maybe you could even make

like a $50 profit or something selling

it to someone else down the line, I

guess, if you really wanted to.

Yeah. I mean, it's all up.

Yeah.

So, Arthur, my final question for you

is, what's your favorite game to play on

your Switch?

You know, I I play a lot of games, so

I've hopped a little bit from game to

game. I'm not a big Mario Kart guy. I'm

like always annoyed by that blue shell.

Donkey Kong Bonanza was great. It's a

great game. It's got a lot of

personality. It's just really fun. And I

think there's a simplicity to sort of

like smashing the world around you that

I think can appeal to players of all

ages. The Switch 2 game that I put the

most time into, amusingly enough, is

something called Poptopia, which just

came out.

I love Popia.

Popia is

a Pokémon themed game where you play as

a Ditto, which is a funny little Pokemon

that can do things that other Pokémon

do, trying to recover a strangely

post-apocalyptic Pokemon world, and try

to get Pokémon friends to come back and

figure out where all the people went.

And it's very much Minecraft inspired,

Animal Crossing inspired, and it sold

just a phenomenally large amount of

copies when it came out about a month

ago.

I mean, yeah, I get it. I don't like

Minecraft or Pokémon or Animal Crossing,

but I vlogged probably 80 hours on Popia

so far.

Yeah, that's impressive.

Arthur Geese, supervising editor on the

tech team. Thank you so much for joining

us today.

Happy to be here. Thanks so much for

having me.

As always, we will link to the products

we talked about today in the show notes.

And if you want to learn more about Wire

Cutters coverage on gaming consoles, go

to our website. You can also find guides

to our writer's favorite games for the

Switch and Switch 2. That's it for us.

Until next week, thank you so much for

listening. Bye.