Nintendo is Closely Monitoring RAM Prices and Tariffs, Says President

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Rising hardware costs, driven by a shortage of memory chips, could impact Nintendo. In a recent interview with Kyoto Shimbun (reported by VideoGamesChronicle), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa discussed how the company intends to maintain profitability for the next Switch console while keeping its price reasonable. Furukawa mentioned that Nintendo is closely monitoring currency exchange rates, tariffs, and ways to lower production costs through large-scale manufacturing.

According to Furukawa, hardware profits are affected by things like the cost of getting parts, how much money they save by making a lot of products, and changes in exchange rates and import taxes. He explained that it’s hard to make broad statements about profitability, but their long-term strategy focuses on improving how they buy components.

Furukawa addressed the recent RAM shortage, which has caused prices to increase, stating that the market is currently unstable. Nintendo isn’t facing any immediate problems because they’ve already purchased the necessary components, but the situation could change. He declined to say if this might lead to a price increase for the Switch 2.

We choose our suppliers based on our plans for the future, but the memory market is changing rapidly right now. We aren’t seeing any effect on our profits yet, but we’re keeping a close watch on the situation.

Recent US import tariffs have significantly affected Nintendo’s expected profits. While Nintendo plans to absorb these tariffs as a business cost and adjust prices for consumers when possible, the company is also focused on boosting sales of its newest console and keeping up its current sales success.

We’re at a key moment for our gaming business, focusing on getting players to use new hardware and keeping our existing platforms successful. We’re carefully planning our next steps while keeping a close eye on the current situation.

PC gamers have been heavily impacted by the current shortage of memory chips, and now next-generation game consoles could face the same problem. Recent reports suggest that Sony and Microsoft are discussing the possibility of delaying the release of their new consoles.

Both new gaming consoles are currently expected to release in 2027, but rising RAM prices could create problems. These higher costs might make it harder for the companies to get enough memory for their consoles, potentially leading to delays in manufacturing and getting them to stores.

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2026-01-12 17:42