Market research firm Niko Partners is indirectly encouraging consumers to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 before prices rise. Their 2026 forecast report highlights ten significant trends, warning that the console's current pricing is under pressure to increase. The research indicates that Nintendo may stop offering its $449 base model and instead sell only bundles priced at $499 or higher, effectively raising the price by at least $50. This projection is based on several ongoing issues: U.S. tariff pressures, rising memory component costs, and broader economic instability, which have already led Sony and Microsoft to increase their console prices after launch.

While Nintendo has kept the console's launch price stable, accessory costs have quietly increased, suggesting suppliers are already passing on higher expenses. According to Niko's analysis, the combination of tariffs, rising memory component prices, and general economic instability will likely compel Nintendo to follow Sony and Microsoft in raising hardware prices post-launch. Last December , Nintendo faced a roughly 41% increase in the cost of the 12 GB LPDDR5X modules used in the Switch 2, while the price of 256 GB of NAND flash rose by about 8%. A price increase will be necessary for Nintendo to maintain the viability of the Switch console, as the company cannot absorb all these costs alone. As DRAM and NAND prices continue to rise, these console price hikes may only be the beginning, and the coming weeks will likely show if this news is manifested in the market.