Nintendo Switch 2's Price Roasted By Duolingo

The Switch 2 is priced at $450 in the US, scaling to $500 for a bundle that also includes a copy of Mario Kart World. Following Nintendo's announcement of the price during a Nintendo Direct this week, many people made their feelings known about it--and now brands have begun to weigh in.

Duolingo, the language-learning company, posted this week, "Gamers, learn Japanese to save $133!" This post is referencing how Nintendo will offer a "Domestic Only" console that will sell for ¥49,980, which is about $340. This console is region-locked and only features Japanese as the language default. Duolingo saw an opportunity for a joke here, and to promote its own services.

The first Nintendo Treehouse Live event this week for the Switch 2 kicked off with users spamming the comments begging the company to lower the price of the system. Nintendo is, of course, unlikely to do this, and some experts believe there won't be any price cuts until 2030 at the soonest.

The Switch 2 carrying a heftier price tag than the original Switch ($300 USD in 2017) was always expected, and the price point reflects the impact of tariffs and more expensive component prices. Nintendo might have also felt emboldened to go with a higher price after it saw Sony offer the PS5 Pro for $700, some believe. Another analyst believes Nintendo is charging $450+ for the Switch 2 simply because it can.

"Nintendo is charging this price because they feel they can and that people will pay," analyst Serkan Toto said.

The Switch 2 is likely to sell like wild in its first year due to pent-up demand and based on how shiny new products historically start strong with a buying base that is price-insensitive. But in the second year and beyond, the Switch 2 might skew toward more older and/or more affluent people, experts believe, due in part to its price tag. Overall, the Switch 2 is not expected to sell as well as the first Switch, which has sold more than 150 million units worldwide.

Switch 2 games are being called out for their price tags, too, with much of the focus on Mario Kart World. Its digital version will sell for $80, which is $10-$20 higher than the current going-rate for AAA games. Nintendo has offered no explanation or defense for the increased price, but one retailer said video game prices need to go up to help offset rising development and production costs.

For more, check out GameSpot's hands-on previews with the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World. The Switch 2 launches on June 5.