Nintendo’s discontinuation of the $500 Nintendo Switch 2 bundle with Mario Kart World is akin to a price hike, according to expert video game industry consultant Matthew Ball.
Speaking to The Game Business following the release of his “The State of Video Gaming in 2026” report, the conversation drifted toward the DRAM crisis the video game industry currently faces and all of the price hikes that have been happening as a result. Ball argued that while the base price of Switch 2 hasn’t gone up yet, the discontinuation of the Mario Kart World bundle is essentially a price increase for most people.
“Nintendo terminated the Switch 2 bundle with Mario Kart after three to four months,” Ball said, “That’s really early. And I suspected it is primarily a DRAM thing. It’s $449 for the Switch 2. It’s $80 for Mario Kart. That’s $530 all in. [Nintendo] sells them for $500 as a combined unit, but if they depreciate that unit so that it’s $450, and if you want Mario Kart, you now have to spend $80.”
Ball ultimately points out that “they’ve done a price increase for the 85% of customers that buy Mario Kart,” which is now “getting close to a 10% increase.” The individual retail prices of $450 for a Switch 2 and $80 for Mario Kart World have not changed since they both released on June 5, 2025.
As of now, Nintendo has not said it plans to raise the base price of the Nintendo Switch 2. Earlier this month, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa told investors, “As for any future change in the price of Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, no decision has been made at this time. Any decision to change the price will be determined comprehensively.”