HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — On April 2, Japanese video game developer Nintendo announced the upcoming console Nintendo Switch 2 would be priced at $450, a $150 increase from the first Nintendo Switch released in 2017.

“Immediately after that, a lot of the discussion started to go towards, 'Oh, well, we know that a lot of tariffs are being put in place and we're essentially seeing a lot of companies or countries that Nintendo was working with are getting hit with those," said video game fan Wayne Larkin, "and that's going to lead to us having to pay more for this hardware."

Larkin said many thought the $450 price tag had tariffs baked in. Then, President Donald Trump upped the ante with sweeping tariffs following the system's announcement.

Switch 2 pre-orders were postponed, with Nintendo announcing it would "assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions."

With Trump announcing a pause on tariffs Wednesday and preorders not re-opened, the final price is in limbo.

Trump announces 90-day pause of tariffs

“I do not anticipate that Nintendo of America will raise the price if tariffs are not a factor," Larkin said. "Personally, I think we'll see that the preorders open back up. They did establish that the release date of the system is not changed, so it would release before the tariffs procedures would be revisited. There has been a lot of 'these will be implemented,' there has been a lot of 'here's this, this and this will happen' and immediately backpedaled not that long after."

The release date of the Nintendo Switch 2 is slated for June 5, a month before the end of the announced 90-day pause on tariffs.

Additionally, the pricing for Nintendo Switch 2 games have increased in comparison to previous systems, from the traditional $60 to $70, and in the case of the upcoming Mario Kart World, up to $80. 

Andrew Foster, owner of OldSkool Video Games and More, said the increase, in this case, is not a result of tariffs.

“Nintendo games have been $60 for about 20 years now," said Foster. "So, I think that that's expected at this point. We've been fortunate to not have a price hike there as long as we've had.”

To offset costs for any potential price increases, Foster said people should take advantage of trade-in systems that OldSkool offers and to purchase pre-owned games or consoles.

“It's really important that people come in and do trade-ins and buy pre-owned," Foster said. "It's always going to be cheaper than a new item in most cases. So, stick to pre-owned if you can, if you don't have a problem with that. Just because it's not wrapped, it doesn't mean it doesn't work.”

“Personally, it's everything I would have wanted out of a successor to the Switch,” Larkin said.

As for the Nintendo Switch 2 system itself, both Larkin and Foster are excited for its release.

“I think it's going to be awesome," Foster said. "I am excited to see it."