Nintendo says Switch won’t get price increase ‘at this point’

Nintendo says it isn’t planning to raise the price of its Switch system “at this point” in time.

Speaking to Nikkei Asia, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that despite “rising production and shipping costs,” the cost of the Switch will remain the same for now.

“We’re not considering [a price increase] at this point, for two reasons,” Furukawa said. “In order to offer unique entertainment to a wide range of customers, we want to avoid pricing people out. Our competition is the variety of entertainment in the world, and we always think about pricing in terms of the value of the fun we offer.”

According to Furukawa, “keeping prices down isn’t giving us any trouble with procuring parts,” so instead, “the problem is that demand exceeds supply.” He was specifically referring to the widespread semiconductor shortages that are affecting many businesses, including video games, smartphones and automotive. This is one of the factors Nintendo cited in its most recent earnings release, in which it confirmed that Switch sales dropped 23 percent between April and June 2022.

However, Furukawa reiterated that Nintendo doesn’t plan to introduce a new Switch model, in response to persisting rumours that the company has an upgraded ‘Pro’ version on the way.

“Nintendo will continue to sell three [Switch] models: the standard model; the Switch Lite with reduced price, size and features; and the OLED model,” said Furukawa. “We’ll work out the best strategy as we go along. We’re doing our best to procure high-quality products at an appropriate price with an eye toward the next few years.”

Via: GamesRadar