Now that we have the release date and tech specs for the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, along with insights into the cost of first-party Nintendo games on the new console, the focus shifts to the price of the system itself.

Although no prices were announced during the Nintendo Direct presentation, regional pricing details have emerged on Nintendo's country-specific websites, revealing that the most cost-effective way to own the new hardware is in Japan.

As cleverly pointed out by Duolingo — the language-learning app — in a witty tweet, Japan offers two versions of the Switch 2: a multi-language model priced at 69,980 yen (approximately $477) and a Japanese-only version for 49,980 yen (about $341).

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

— Duolingo (@duolingo) April 3, 2025

Japan is the only country offering a single-language console at a lower price, allowing players comfortable with Japanese to save over $100 compared to the international version, which is priced at $449.99 in the U.S.

According to experts' opinions, the higher international price might be influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump's recently announced international tariffs.

"Nintendo likely considered potential tariffs, the global inflationary environment, and the $700 price tag Sony set for the PlayStation 5 Pro last year," noted Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games.

Additionally, Japan's significance as a key market for Nintendo, where it holds a 24% share of the Nintendo Switch installed base in 2024 (compared to just 2% for Xbox Series X/S and 9% for PlayStation 5), plays a role in the pricing strategy.

"If the Switch 2's price in Japanese Yen matched the U.S. Dollar price, it would significantly undermine Nintendo's position in Japan, effectively doubling the price from the classic LCD Nintendo Switch model," explained James McWhirter, an analyst at Omdia. "However, maintaining region-specific pricing that's much cheaper in USD terms could lead to issues with grey imports to other regions."

"The Japanese-Language System (Japan only) is designed for use in Japan only," states Nintendo's website. "Only Japanese is available as the system language, and only Nintendo accounts with the country/region set to Japan can be linked to this system."

These restrictions, combined with the fact that the Japanese-only variant is exclusively available through the Japanese My Nintendo Store, effectively region-locks the console to keep costs lower for Japanese consumers.

For a deeper understanding of why the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games are priced so high, check out our in-depth analysis as we discuss with industry experts.

To stay updated on the Nintendo Switch 2, you can review everything showcased at this week's Nintendo Direct right here.