Nintendo keeps Switch 2 price at $499.99 despite sales dip

Zelda 40th Anniversary console pricing and availability

The Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 is priced at $519.99, representing a $20 premium over the standard model. This price remains unaffected by any future changes.

Unlike the Xbox Series X25, which was restricted to 25,000 units, the Zelda 40th Anniversary console will continue to be restocked. Nintendo expects the device to become easier to obtain as initial buyer demand decreases.

Hardware sales decline 37.4% in first half of fiscal year

Nintendo sold 6.49 million Switch 2 consoles during the first half of the fiscal year, spanning from 1 April to 30 September 2026. This figure represents a 37.4% decline compared to the 10.36 million units sold during the same period in the previous year. Shattered.io reported the 37.4% drop in hardware sales over this six-month period.

Nintendo attributed this year-over-year decrease specifically to lower hardware unit sales. Investors are currently focused on profit growth as the primary metric for the company. The company noted that the narrative surrounding its performance could turn negative if profit growth slows while unit sales remain soft.

Operating profit rises by nearly 50%

Nintendo reported that its operating profit grew by nearly 50% during the six-month period ending September 30, 2026.

Investors are currently evaluating two conflicting signals, including falling unit sales that suggest cooling demand and rising operating profit that suggests the business model is effective.

Quarterly sales performance breakdown

Sales for the first quarter of the fiscal year, covering April through June 2026, totaled 3.82 million units.

In the second quarter, spanning July through September 2026, sales totaled 2.67 million units.

The second quarter result represents a sequential drop of approximately 30.1% compared to the 3.82 million units sold in the first quarter.

While Switch 2 sales growth has slowed, the installed base grew by 6.49 million units during the first half of the year.

Challenges in meeting the 16.5 million unit forecast

The 6.49 million units sold in the first half of the year account for 39.3% of that full-year target.

Nintendo recorded 3.82 million units sold in the first quarter and 2.67 million units in the second quarter. To reach the full-year target, the company must sell 10.01 million consoles between October 2026 and March 2027.

This requires a sales pace averaging 5.0 million units per quarter. That rate is 31% higher than the first quarter and 87% higher than the second quarter.

If the second half of the year only repeats the first quarter sales pace, Nintendo will fall approximately 2.4 million units short of its target. The required second-half pace is 1.67 million units per month, lower than the 1.73 million units per month achieved during the prior-year half.

Future outlook for Zelda celebrations and Pokémon

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa announced that the 40th anniversary celebrations for The Legend of Zelda will continue into next year. Nintendo of America Inc., founded in 1980 and based in Redmond, Washington, is a public company.

The Pokémon game Winds and Waves is expected to launch after March 2027. This release falls into the fiscal year starting in April 2027.

No confirmed data on retail discounting

There is no confirmed data regarding retail inventory or discounting for the Switch 2. Any claims regarding winter pricing behavior are speculative.