This Wednesday, April 2, Nintendo presented its new console worldwide, the Switch 2, with which it seeks to repeat the success of the first version, the original Switch, which has sold 150 million units since 2016.
The console, Nintendo said at the time, will go on sale on June 5, priced internationally at $450 for the base model, or $500 for the model that comes with with the Mario Kart World game.
But following Donald Trump’s announcement of a new tariff scheme for importing goods into the United States, the Japanese company halted reservations for the console in that country until the situation becomes clearer, allowing it to determine how the new tax scheme will impact the console’s final price.
“Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. will not begin on April 9 to assess the potential impact of tariffs and changing market conditions,” the company said in a statement reported by the BBC.
Tariffs on products from Japan entering the United States are 24%.
What Does the Switch 2 Bring?
The Nintendo Switch 2 maintains the design of the original model, but now with a larger 7.9-inch screen and a more powerful processor, which allows graphics to be displayed in Full HD quality at 120 frames per second, or in 4K resolution if you connect the console to a television using the base. It also expands storage to 256 GB (expandable with a microSD card).
The console is compatible with the original games, maintains detachable side controls, which can now be used as mice for other game models, and allows video chat between Switch users, using the console’s built-in microphone and a camera that is sold separately.
The Switch 2 console will allow you to play games against other users locally. Previously, users shared a single set of Joy-Cons, with one controller per player. Now, players can connect console-to-console via local wireless (i.e., with both players in the same physical location), even if the second player doesn’t own the game: the host Switch 2 can temporarily share it with them.