Nintendo Launches Budget-Friendly Japanese-Only Switch 2, Duolingo Reacts

With the much-anticipated release date and tech specs for the Nintendo Switch 2 now unveiled, along with the pricing details for first-party Nintendo games on the new console, attention has shifted to the cost of the system itself. While no prices were announced during the Nintendo Direct presentation, regional pricing has surfaced on Nintendo's country-specific websites, revealing that the most economical way to own the new hardware is by being in Japan.

A witty tweet from Duolingo, the language education app, spotlighted this fact, noting that Japan offers two versions of the Switch 2: a multi-language model priced at 69,980 yen (approximately $477) and a Japanese-only version for 49,980 yen (around $341).

Gamers, learn Japanese to save $133! https://t.co/misNmSstIf

— Duolingo (@duolingo) April 3, 2025

As Japan is uniquely offering a mono-language console at a lower price, players willing to use a Japanese-only system can save over $100 compared to the international version, which is priced at $449.99 in the U.S.

Some experts believe that the higher international price could be influenced by U.S. President Donald Trump's newly announced international tariffs. "Nintendo probably factored in possible tariffs, the current inflationary climate in the world and the $700 Sony charged for the PlayStation 5 Pro last year," stated Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games.

Japan's significance as a key market for Nintendo, where it accounted for 24% of the Nintendo Switch installed base in 2024 (compared to just 2% for Xbox Series X/S and 9% for PlayStation 5), may also play a role in the pricing strategy. "If Switch 2 pricing in Japanese Yen was aligned with the U.S. Dollar price, it would dramatically weaken Nintendo's position in Japan, representing a doubling in the list price over the classic LCD Nintendo Switch model," explained James McWhirter, analyst at Omdia. "Yet if Nintendo continued to rely on region-specific pricing that is significantly cheaper in USD terms, they would face an issue with grey imports to other territories."

Even for those fluent in Japanese, acquiring the cheaper system poses challenges. "The Japanese-Language System (Japan only) is designed for use in Japan only," states Nintendo's website. "Only Japanese is available as the system language, and only Nintendo accounts with the country/region set to Japan can be linked to this system."

These restrictions, combined with the fact that the Japanese-only variant is exclusively available from the Japanese My Nintendo Store, indicate that Nintendo is effectively region-locking the console to maintain lower prices for Japanese consumers.

For a deeper understanding of the high costs associated with the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games, check out our in-depth analysis as we discuss with industry experts.

To stay updated on everything revealed about the Nintendo Switch 2 at this week's Nintendo Direct, catch up on all the details right here.