According to a Japanese analyst, Switch 2 could be more expensive and come to market later than many expected.

Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Toyo Securities, has stated in a brand new report that the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 could cost “less than $499.”

Speaking to Japan-based news site Kabutan News, Yasuda explained that while “various reports” suggested a price of $499, many people in Japan had “doubts” that it would be “that cheap.”

In the seven years since the original version was launched, numerous leaks have suggested that the successor will take a big step forward, including a notable RAM upgrade and new magnetically attached controllers.

With that in mind, we can speculate that these upgrades will drive up the price compared to the original Switch, which had an MSRP of $299.99 when it launched in 2017.

At $499, the Switch 2 would cost almost $200 more than its predecessor. However, as Yasuda explains, no further details about the upcoming handheld have been announced yet, so we can only speculate for now.

Switch 2 will be released “in the first half of next year”

In the report, translated by Google and discovered by Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki, Yasuda also states that the same reports say the Switch 2 “will be released in the first half of next year.”

Yasuda did not give an exact month in which we can expect the Switch 2. However, Nintendo President Shuintaro Furukawa has officially announced that the release will take place “within this fiscal year” – that is, by March 2025.

While Yasuda’s findings may be consistent with the president’s previous statement, Chris Dring, head of GameIndustry.biz, recently stated, “No developer I’ve spoken to expects the Switch 2 to launch this fiscal year.”

In an August 13 episode of the GameIndustry.biz Microcast podcast, Dring explained that developers working on titles for Switch 2 “have been told to expect it in the (current) fiscal year.”

However, those Dring has spoken to hope it will come out in April or May.

Nintendo

Takashi Mochizuki, who originally shared Hideki Yasuda’s report on X/Twitter, believes this could indicate a launch sometime “between April and June 2025.”

Since Nintendo has not officially announced any further details other than President Shuintaro Furukawa’s previous statement, all of the analyst’s statements should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.