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It’s Micro time! Our round-up of the big stories of the week, and what we made of them.
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Today, we’re going to look at the big Nintendo and PlayStation financials, and run through some of the key headlines from the past seven days.
Enjoy!
Nintendo to raise Switch 2 price and predicts console sales slowdown
In Brief: Nintendo will increase the price of Nintendo Switch 2 by $50 in the US, ¥10,000 in Japan, €30 in Europe and $50 in Canada due to the rising component prices. The firm had shipped nearly 20 million Switch 2 in its last financial year, and expects to ship 16.5 million in its next financial year.
What You Need To Know:
The Switch 2 price rise begins May 25 in Japan, and September 1 in US, Canada and Europe.
In Japan, Nintendo is also raising prices of Nintendo Switch Online. A one-month membership will now cost ¥400, up from ¥306.
Nintendo Switch 2 has shipped 19.86 million units since June last year. That’s five million more than its initial forecast, and nearly one million more than its revised forecast from November 2025. It remains the fastest selling games console, ahead of Switch 1, PS4 and PS5.
Nintendo says that a combination of price rises, and an unusually big first year, means it expects Switch 2 will sell 16.5 million consoles in its next financial year, which is a year-on-year drop of three million units. However, across the two years – assuming it hits this target – it will still be tracking ahead of Switch 1.
On Switch 2, Mario Kart World has sold 14.7 million units, Donkey Kong Bananza has sold 4.5 million, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has sold 3.94 million, Pokémon Pokopia has sold four million and Kirby Air Riders has sold 1.87 million.
On Switch 1, the new Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream has sold 3.8 million units in just two weeks, with 60% of its players coming from Switch 1. Meanwhile, the ports of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have sold a combined four million copies.
In total, Nintendo sales are up nearly 99% to $14.6 billion, with a profit of $2.2 billion (up 27.5%). For the next financial year, it expects $13.3 billion in sales (down 11.4%), but profit of $2.3 billion (up 2.7%).
Nintendo saw digital sales increase 25% year-over-year, which will prove a key metric in its commercial growth.
Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games includes Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Starfox, Splatoon Raiders, and Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.
My Take:
Nintendo’s results are very good. 20 million Switch 2 sales in its first year is impressive, and easily beats its own expectations.
Some of those game sales numbers, particularly around Pokémon, are also excellent. And that 25% growth in digital revenue? That’s the number shareholders should be excited about.
But that price rise… it might not look as big as the PS5 price hike from last month, but it’s a tricky moment for Nintendo. It’s still in the stage of trying to build an install base for Switch 2. And I do worry it will struggle to achieve the mass market penetration of the original Switch at that price point. $500 before tax and without a game is a lot for parents to spend on their kids for Christmas.
This, coupled with the wider economic situation the world finds itself in, is why I think Nintendo should pivot its plans slightly and increase support for the original Switch.
