Nintendo Made a Much Cheaper Japanese Language-Only Nintendo Switch 2 — and Even Duolingo Is Poking Fun

Now that we yet person a merchandise day and tech specs connected the highly anticipated Switch successor, Nintendo Switch 2 — arsenic good arsenic an thought of however overmuch first-party Nintendo games outgo connected the caller console — thoughts crook to the outgo of the strategy itself.

While nary prices were confirmed during the Nintendo Direct presentation, determination costings person since popped up connected Nintendo's country-specific websites, starring to the realisation that the cheapest mode to ain Nintendo's caller hardware is to beryllium Japanese.

As highlighted successful a cheeky tweet from Duolingo — the acquisition app that teaches a scope of languages, including Japanese — Japan is selling 2 antithetic Switch consoles: a multi-language version, which sells for 69,980 yen (around $477), and a Japanese language-only variation for 49,980 yen (about $341).

Gamers, larn Japanese to prevention $133! https://t.co/misNmSstIf

As Japan is the lone state successful the satellite offering a mono-language console enactment for a cheaper price, this means players contented to play successful Japanese tin prevention implicit $100 compared to the strategy the remainder of the satellite has to buy, which is selling for $449.99 successful the U.S.

In immoderate experts' opinions, the inflated planetary terms whitethorn good beryllium a effect of U.S. president Donald Trump's precocious announced planetary tariffs.

"Nintendo astir apt factored successful imaginable tariffs, the existent inflationary clime successful the satellite and the $700 Sony dared to complaint for the PlayStation 5 Pro past year," said Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games.

It whitethorn besides beryllium due to the fact that Japan is "a cardinal marketplace for Nintendo," with the state accounting for a 4th (24%) of the Nintendo Switch installed basal successful 2024, compared with conscionable 2% for Xbox Series X/S and 9% for PlayStation 5.

"If Switch 2 pricing successful Japanese Yen was aligned with the U.S. Dollar price, it would dramatically weaken Nintendo's presumption successful Japan, representing a doubling successful the database terms implicit the classical LCD Nintendo Switch model," explained James McWhirter, expert astatine Omdia. "Yet if Nintendo continued to trust connected region-specific pricing that is importantly cheaper successful USD terms, they would look an contented with grey imports to different territories."

Even if you bash hap to beryllium fluent successful Japanese, however, determination are still barriers to getting clasp of the cheaper system.

"The Japanese-Language System (Japan only) is designed for usage successful Japan only," states Nintendo's ain website. "Only Japanese is disposable arsenic the strategy language, and lone Nintendo accounts with the country/region acceptable to Japan tin beryllium linked to this system."

With these further limitations, coupled with the information the Japanese-only variant is lone disposable from the Japanese My Nintendo Store, Nintendo is fundamentally region-locking the console to support costs down for Japanese players.

For much connected wherefore the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games are truthful expensive, cheque retired our heavy dive arsenic we speech to manufacture experts.

For much connected Nintendo Switch 2, you tin drawback up connected everything shown astatine this week's Nintendo Direct close here.

Vikki Blake is simply a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.