If you have been waiting for the perfect moment to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2, that moment is right now—and it might be your last chance to grab one at its original MSRP. Major industry reports emerging this week suggest that Nintendo is actively considering a mid-cycle price increase for its popular handheld hybrid, driven by a global component crisis that insiders are calling "RAMmageddon." With component costs soaring and artificial intelligence demand cannibalizing the global supply of memory chips, the current $449 price tag could soon be a thing of the past.
RAMmageddon: The Silent Crisis Hitting Gamers
The gaming industry is currently facing an unprecedented supply chain shock. Unlike the chip shortage of 2020-2021, which was driven by pandemic logistics, the current crisis is fueled by the explosive growth of AI. According to a bombshell report from Bloomberg this week, the cost of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) spiked by a staggering 75% between December 2025 and January 2026 alone.
This surge is being driven by tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft, who are aggressively acquiring high-bandwidth memory for their expanding AI data centers. In this bidding war, console manufacturers are finding themselves outspent. For gamers, the RAMmageddon gaming impact is real: the components needed to power your Switch 2 are becoming significantly more expensive to manufacture, forcing companies to choose between eating the loss or passing the cost to consumers.
Nintendo's Dilemma: Thin Margins and Rising Costs
Since its launch in June 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a runaway success, moving over 17 million units by the end of last year. However, the console was sold with razor-thin profit margins to maintain the competitive $449 price point. With memory prices skyrocketing, those margins have likely evaporated.
While Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated in a recent shareholder Q&A that there are "no current plans" for a price hike, sources familiar with the company's internal discussions paint a different picture. Reports indicate that executives are weighing a potential increase to $499 or even $550 later in 2026 to offset the Nintendo Switch 2 price hike 2026 realities. This would be a historic move for Nintendo, a company that traditionally cuts prices over time, not raises them.
The Broader Industry Impact
Nintendo is not the only victim of this volatility. The same reports suggest that Sony has internally delayed the PlayStation 6 release window from 2027 to 2028 or even 2029, fearing that launching a new console in this market would require an impossible $800 retail price. Meanwhile, Valve has warned of intermittent stock shortages for the Steam Deck OLED due to the same memory constraints. The message is clear: hardware is getting harder to make, and best console prices 2026 might already be behind us.
Why You Should Buy a Nintendo Switch 2 Now
Market analysts are issuing a rare "buy now" advisory for hardware. Typically, waiting pays off in the gaming world as manufacturing becomes more efficient. In 2026, the opposite is true. If the Switch 2 price increase rumors materialize, the current inventory on store shelves represents the lowest price you will see for the foreseeable future.
We are arguably in the final window of stability before these supply chain costs translate into higher retail stickers. If you spot any Switch 2 deals February has to offer, treat them as clearance events for the "old" pricing structure. Retailers are currently selling stock acquired under previous contracts; once those shipments are replenished at current market rates, prices are expected to climb.
Stock Alert: Scarcity Could Return
Beyond the price tag, there is the looming threat of availability. As memory manufacturers pivot production lines to serve AI enterprise clients, the sheer volume of consumer-grade RAM is shrinking. This could lead to a Nintendo Switch 2 stock alert situation similar to the console's launch window, where finding a unit becomes as difficult as affording one.
If you have been holding out, the smart money is on securing your console immediately. Buy Nintendo Switch 2 now while the $449 MSRP is still standard, because the era of affordable high-end gaming hardware is facing its biggest threat in years.
