With the release date and tech specs of the eagerly awaited Nintendo Switch 2 now unveiled, along with insights into the pricing of first-party Nintendo games on the new console, attention naturally shifts to the cost of the system itself. Although no prices were officially confirmed during the Nintendo Direct presentation, regional pricing details have surfaced on Nintendo's country-specific websites, revealing that the most budget-friendly way to acquire the new hardware is in Japan.

This was amusingly pointed out by Duolingo, the language-learning app, in a tweet that highlighted Japan's unique offering of two Switch models: a multi-language version priced at 69,980 yen (approximately $477) and a Japanese language-only edition at 49,980 yen (around $341).

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

— Duolingo (@duolingo) April 3, 2025

Japan stands alone in providing this mono-language console option at a reduced price, enabling players willing to game in Japanese to save over $100 compared to the international model, which is priced at $449.99 in the U.S.

According to experts' opinions, the higher international pricing might be influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump's recently introduced international tariffs. "Nintendo probably factored in possible tariffs, the current inflationary climate in the world, and the $700 Sony dared to charge for the PlayStation 5 Pro last year," commented Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games.

Japan's significance as "a key market for Nintendo," where it holds a 24% share of the Nintendo Switch installed base in 2024 (versus just 2% for Xbox Series X/S and 9% for PlayStation 5), could also play a role. "If Switch 2 pricing in Japanese Yen was aligned with the U.S. Dollar price, it would dramatically weaken Nintendo's position in Japan, representing a doubling in the list price over the classic LCD Nintendo Switch model," explained James McWhirter, analyst at Omdia. "Yet if Nintendo continued to rely on region-specific pricing that is significantly cheaper in USD terms, they would face an issue with grey imports to other territories."

Even for those fluent in Japanese, obtaining the more affordable system presents challenges. "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." With these restrictions, and the fact that the Japanese-only variant is exclusively available from the Japanese My Nintendo Store, Nintendo effectively region-locks the console to maintain lower prices 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 everything related to the Nintendo Switch 2, you can review all the highlights from this week's Nintendo Direct right here.