Nintendo delays preorders for the Switch 2 from April 9, 2025 due to concerns about Trump's tariffs but the June 5 launch date remains unchanged

Nintendo says preorders will no longer start on April 9th, but the console's June 5th release date is unchanged.

The Verge 2025-04-04 Emma Roth

Context & Ripple Effects

Nintendo had already been reported to need more time to prepare its software slate after an earlier shift in the console’s expected launch timing. This move preserves the June release plan while separating launch logistics from an unsettled US trade-policy calculation.

The subsequent coverage shows the uncertainty was temporary rather than a cancellation: a 90-day tariff pause gave Nintendo room to proceed, and it later reopened US reservations at the originally announced console price while raising accessory prices.

First-order effects

US buyers and retailers lose the planned April 9 reservation window while Nintendo assesses tariff exposure; the June 5 release target remains in place.
Nintendo gains time to determine whether tariff costs require changes to its US sales and fulfillment plan before taking customer orders.

Second-order effects

Retail partners and consumers must wait for finalized preorder terms, reducing the value of an early demand signal for launch allocation and inventory planning.
The later decision to retain the $450 console price but increase accessory prices suggests tariff pressure can be managed across the product bundle rather than solely through the headline hardware price.

Third-order effects

If tariff policy remains volatile, consumer-electronics launches will increasingly need flexible reservation, pricing, and accessory strategies rather than a single fixed global rollout plan.
The episode highlights how trade-policy changes can become a launch-execution risk alongside software readiness and supply planning, particularly for hardware platforms with tightly scheduled releases.

The trend: Hardware makers are building more flexibility into launch commercialization as trade-policy uncertainty increasingly affects pricing and preorder timing.

Discussion

@brunojnavarro Bruno J. Navarro on bluesky
Switch 2 pre-orders were supposed to begin on April 9. No longer. In an unprecedented move, Nintendo announced on Friday that it's halting pre-orders for its upcoming $450 hardware launch because of new tariffs in the U.S. set to go into effect on April 5.
@kjhealy.co Kieran Healy on bluesky
Looking forward to severe discourse inversions where MAGA types dismiss anger about this sort of thing in DPRK-like terms as the contemptible wailing of decadent traitors unable to tear away the blinders of consumerism and authentically live in the painful but virtuous manner the…
@katmabu Kat Abughazaleh on bluesky
no nintendo bc trump :( kotaku.com/switch-2-pre...
@tomwarren.co.uk Tom Warren on bluesky
Nintendo is delaying Switch 2 preorders over tariff concerns. Nintendo says preorders will no longer start on April 9th, but the console's June 5th release date is unchanged www.theverge.com/news/643483/ ...
@rincewind.run Micah on bluesky
between this and wallstreetbets tariffs may genuinely end up being the most deradicalizing thing that has happened to young men since gamergate started [embedded post]
@kgallon Kim Gallon on bluesky
This is the tipping point for my 15-year-old son...now he's ready to hit the streets in protest! Lol!! Seriously, maybe this will arouse more Gen Zers! — www.theverge.com/news/643483/ ...
@davidimel.com David Imel on bluesky
Just 2 days after announcement. This is absolutely wild. — www.theverge.com/news/643483/ ...
@peark.es George Pearkes on bluesky
Bye bye treats! We will miss you! — *NINTENDO TO DELAY SWITCH 2 PRE-ORDERS IN US ON TARIFFS: CNBC
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
gamer revolutionary war just began
@ninswitchintel @ninswitchintel on x
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders delayed and will no longer start on April 9th due to “tariffs and evolving market conditions”
@hzjoe03 Joe on x
You thought the Switch 2 prices were bad before, they about to make them even worse 😭
@adifying Lil on x
600 dollar switch 2 might hit the community like a nuke dawg 😭
@trueslazac @trueslazac on x
Hopefully the Switch 2 isn't made somewhere with high tariffs- oh wait [image]
@the__goomba Tony Coffey on x
Nintendo are either about to gain goodwill or lose a hell of a lot. If they raise after the backlash the original price had they're gonna piss so many people off.
@capybaroness @capybaroness on x
greatest ideological realignment since the civil rights act about to happen with american gamers
r/nintendo r on reddit
Looks like we wont be ordering Switch 2 next week after all

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