Nintendo Launches Budget Japanese-Only Switch 2, Duolingo Reacts

Now that we finally have a release date and tech specs on the highly anticipated Switch successor, Nintendo Switch 2 — as well as an idea of how much first-party Nintendo games cost on the new console — thoughts turn to the cost of the system itself.

While no prices were confirmed during the Nintendo Direct presentation, regional costings have since popped up on Nintendo's country-specific websites, leading to the realization that the cheapest way to own Nintendo's new hardware is to be Japanese.

As highlighted in a cheeky tweet from Duolingo — the education app that teaches a range of languages, including Japanese — Japan is selling two different Switch consoles: a multi-language version, which sells for 69,980 yen (around $477), and a Japanese language-only edition for 49,980 yen (about $341).

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

— Duolingo (@duolingo) April 3, 2025

As Japan is the only country in the world offering a mono-language console option for a cheaper price, this means players content to play in Japanese can save over $100 compared to the system the rest of the world has to buy, which is selling for $449.99 in the U.S.

In some experts' opinions, the inflated international price may well be a result of U.S. president Donald Trump's recently announced international tariffs.

"Nintendo probably factored in possible tariffs, the current inflationary climate in the world and the $700 Sony dared to charge for the PlayStation 5 Pro last year," said Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games.

It may also be because Japan is "a key market for Nintendo," with the country accounting for a quarter (24%) of the Nintendo Switch installed base in 2024, compared with just 2% for Xbox Series X/S and 9% for PlayStation 5.

"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 if you do happen to be fluent in Japanese, however, there are still barriers to getting hold of the cheaper system.

"The Japanese-Language System (Japan only) is designed for use in Japan only," states Nintendo's own 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."

With these further limitations, coupled with the fact the Japanese-only variant is only available from the Japanese My Nintendo Store, Nintendo is essentially region-locking the console to keep costs down for Japanese players.

For more on why the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games are so expensive, check out our deep dive as we talk to industry experts.

For more on Nintendo Switch 2, you can catch up on everything shown at this week's Nintendo Direct right here.