Nintendo is selling a cheaper version of the Nintendo Switch 2 that is region-locked to Japan and supports only Japanese.
As excited as we all were to see the new features and specs for the Nintendo Switch 2, and, of course, the games that Nintendo has in store for it, the price of the console was always going to be the biggest talking point coming out of Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct presentation.
Which it certainly has been, due to just how high the price ended up being. $449.99 USD (or $499.99 with a copy of Mario Kart World) was not what gamers around the world wanted to read. Unless you happen to live in Japan, however, since Nintendo also revealed it will be selling a cheaper, Japan-only Switch 2 that’s region-locked.
Spotted by VGC, the ‘Japanese-Language System’ version of the Switch 2 will be available at 49,980 yen, which works out closer to $334 USD. The version of the Switch 2 that supports multiple languages, which is the one everyone outside of Japan will be buying, will cost 69,980 yen.
If you plan on going to Japan sometime after June 5, 2025, and have no trouble reading and understanding Japanese, then it’s not entirely clear if you could purchase one of these consoles at the cheaper, Japan-only price, and take it back to your home country and continue to enjoy it there.
