Game Mode: The Switch 2 And The Future Of Gaming

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

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Summary

The successor to the Nintendo Switch is (almost) here. But it's arrived at an awkward time for both Nintendo and gamers alike.

The Switch 2 was initially announced in January, but fans learned much more about it during a Nintendo Direct livestream a few weeks ago. It included information about the system's launch date (June 5), its hardware specs, the games Nintendo fans could expect to play at release, and, perhaps most importantly, prices for both the Switch 2 and its games.

That last part has put a damper on some of the enthusiasm for the system's launch. It will retail for $449.99. The price of Nintendo's games is also climbing.

Nintendo is citing a rise in the cost of the console's production as well as economic uncertainties like President Donald Trump's tariffs as reasons for the price hikes.

We dig into the latest for this installment of our series, "Game Mode."

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR, and the following message come from Yarl and Pamela Mohn, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.
0:18.8	The long-awaited successor to the Nintendo Switch is finally almost here.
0:27.3	It was first announced in January, but gamers got more of an in-depth look at what to expect from the Switch 2 during a live stream hosted by Nintendo a few weeks ago.
0:37.1	The good news? The console is coming
0:39.4	June 5th. The not so good news, the system will cost $450 at launch a far cry from the initial
0:46.8	299 price tag of its predecessor. Some gamers are pointing to corporate greed as the reason for the
0:52.7	markup, but Nintendo says that supply chain issues and economic uncertainty are to blame, and that was all before President Donald Trump made his tariff announcement.
1:02.6	So there are as many questions about the specifics of the console's launch as there are about what gamers can expect from the Switch 2 itself.
1:10.6	In this edition of our series Game Mode,
1:13.0	we sit down with our expert panel to try and get some answers to those questions.
1:17.3	Later on, we get to tariffs and how that might affect the costs of the Switch 2.
1:21.6	I'm Nyla Boodoo, in for Jen White.
1:23.4	You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story.
1:26.7	Stay with us.
1:41.8	Support for NPR, and the following message come from Yarl and Pamela Mohn, thanking the people who make public radio great every day and also those who listen.
1:45.8	Joining us is Stephen Totillo.
1:47.1	He's founder of the Game File,
1:48.8	a video game news site and newsletter.
1:50.4	Steven, thanks for joining us.
1:51.7	Hi, Naila.
1:52.6	Nice talking to you again.
1:54.6	Also with us is Rebecca Valentine.
	...

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