The Japanese company has not performed particularly well on the stock market recently. It is only a matter of time before prices rise.
The technology industry is still suffering from memory module shortages. Companies such as Samsung are making significant changes to their production lines. Others, such as Framework, have decided to inform consumers directly about price increases due to the shortage. Bloomberg is drawing attention to growing fears about the memory module shortage, and Nintendo has lost $14 billion in stock value. The Big N’s shares have fallen on nearly every trading day in December, reaching their lowest level since May. Nintendo now has to spend 41% more on the 12 GB RAM chips used to manufacture the Switch 2. NAND storage prices have also risen by 8%. With the decline in share value, the question becomes not if but when the Nintendo Switch 2 will become more expensive.
It’s not just the rise in console prices that is causing concern. Pelham Smithers, a Pelham Smithers Associates representative, told Bloomberg that Nintendo has already passed on the rising memory chip costs to consumers through microSD Express card prices. According to Smithers, the increase in NAND prices is beginning to affect the price of microSD Express cards. A 256 GB microSD card costs $90 on Amazon. This is essentially a cost that Nintendo has passed on to gamers. While you don’t need to purchase a microSD Express card for the Switch 2 and can instead use the console’s built-in storage, the increased storage requirements of digital games, coupled with the growing trend of developers switching to Game Key Card versions on the Switch 2, render even the enhanced internal storage capacity of the Switch 2 insufficient for most players.
MicroSD Express cards are becoming increasingly difficult to find due to the ongoing shortage. While Smithers is correct in pointing out the increase in prices, this may not be a factor for some buyers because they cannot find a MicroSD Express card at a price they are willing to pay. Smithers also claims that the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundles were one of the surprises of the recent Black Friday sales. The Switch 2 was one of the best-selling consoles on Black Friday, although the PlayStation 5 took the top spot in the European Union. However, there are concerns about whether the Switch 2 will maintain its popularity, despite such discounts, due to current stock levels and the higher manufacturing cost of the console.
Although Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa reassured shareholders and consumers last month that the console’s price would remain stable in the near future, this could quickly change with 2026 approaching.
