Switch 2 preorders were originally supposed to go live today but were halted by Nintendo in the U.S. and Canada after President Trump’s latest round of tariffs threatened to torpedo its original $450 price. The White House is now suddenly backing off the most extreme import taxes less than a day after they went into effect. Is the Switch 2 in the clear, or will the latest act of brinkmanship just lead to more questions amid the uncertainty?
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump posted on social media on Wednesday, just 13 hours after the latest round of April 9 “reciprocal” tariffs had gone into effect. “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.”
He continued:
Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
It’s hard to take anything the White House says about its ongoing trade ware seriously at this point, but in the short term this means that places like Vietnam and Cambodia, where Nintendo moved much of its Switch 2 manufacturing in recent years, will only be subject to an additional 10 percent tariff as opposed to the rates of as much as 46 percent that had previously been announced. But any electronics coming out of China would presumably double in price as Trump ratchets up his tariff bluster.
The 90-day pause on other tariffs takes us past the June 5 launch of the Switch, and presumably gives Nintendo and other manufacturers a brief reprieve during which more inventory can be shipped into the U.S. Some analysts feel that a certain level of tariff taxation was already baked into the $450 price, suggesting it might not increase if the pause continues.
Nintendo said that wasn’t the case, however. And as recent history has shown, the administration’s trade policy could shift on a dime. Mario Party matches have been less chaotic.
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