So this argument has been stewing quite a bit around here, so I thought I'd put up a poll to gauge the room.

Obviously we have no idea about many things:

—When the system will launch

—What the specs will be

—If there will even be a Switch 2

But all that being said, we have a bit of history to go with Nintendo, other manufacturers of home consoles, as well as the current state of the market.

So what do you think?  How much will the base line model cost? I have no reason to believe Nintendo will try a two tiered system like they did with the WiiU, but for clarity's sake I wanted to get that out there.

Hopefully enough that it's affordable for most people, but not so little that it has to be sold at a loss. My Switch cost $399.99 Canadian.

This can be tricky to predict since Nintendo never sells their console at a loss, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does retail for $299.99 at launch. The Switch was already incredibly underpowered and outdated when it released with hardware that was several years old by that point, yet still could get decent graphics and even performance like MK8D and Super Mario Odyssey. Splatoon 3 took advantage of AI upscaling for the first time, which would be cheaper to utilize rather than pushing high end hardware on a handheld. A handheld that's meant to be for the masses at that rather than niche.

The Switch 2 will of course be a lot more powerful than the original Switch, so handheld mode isn't really much of a concern, but docked mode is where a lot of the criticism will be directed at. 1080p just won't cut it with a next-gen Switch in 2024 or 2025. So if Nintendo is able to fully embrace AI upscaling that will allow 4K in docked mode, then Nintendo should be golden and will allow that $299.99 price point. I doubt the Switch 2 will be able to natively play at 4K.

Inflation is kind of a thing, not sure if people noticed. Sony *increased* the price of the PS5 citing inflation as a factor.

I think $299.99 is a pipe dream. It will be $399.99. You're not getting a full generation upgrade over the current Switch OLED for the same price as the Switch OLED ($350) or even cheaper.

Nintendo knows their demographics, as long as the software lineup is good, they will be sold out for months if not most of the first year. They just need to avoid doing stupid things like banking on dumb gimmicks or not having enough software that excites their core market or making the system look like a child's toy. 

$399.99 is a reasonable, mainstream price too, it's still well below the PS5 which is $500-$600 (USD equivalent) in most markets.  

I believe the Switch oled and Wii U deluxe were the most expensive consoles they have sold at $349 a piece. Do they dare go above that price, hopefully they don't go higher than $399 with it, especially if the specs are not a good leap ahead of the Switch. Die hard Nintendo fans are going to buy it no matter the cost, but the parents that buy consoles for their 5-10 years olds are less likely to buy it as you get up there in price.

Parents of "5-10" year olds are less and less of Nintendo's audience as time goes on. 

They can buy a Switch Lite which frankly is good enough for any 8 year old or whatever. Switch 2 will be for Nintendo's larger market which is 16+ years old and has their own disposable income (not relying on mommy/daddy to buy for them). 

The 10 and under crowd is like maybe 15% of Nintendo's audience base. 

This one is from Nintendo more early in the Switch's lifecycle so this one likely reflects earlier adopters better:

Very clearly, 25-34 year old males is Nintendo's no.1 market when selling the Switch early in its product cycle, with 15 year olds and below and under only representing 10% total. 

OLED costs 350

This is no brainer. Switch 2 will either be 400 or 350 USD

If Nintendo can't sell a Switch 2 for $399.99 then the reality is they've made a product that is undesirable for whatever reason, and if that's that the case, then they have bigger problems than just price.

$399.99 itself is not that expensive. The Switch launched at $299.99 when the PS4 was $399.99 ($100 less). Today the PS5 is $499.99 US (even more in Europe and Japan) and selling just fine, so a $100 less than that should be fine for Nintendo.

If the system is appealing enough with enough software that excites the core Nintendo fanbase (who tend to have more money to spend) then even $449.99 launch price they could likely get away with as you're probably going to be sold out for a while. 

As well as the Switch OLED is doing, I could see the Switch 2 only being available in OLED and Nintendo charging $350 for it. Adjusted for inflation, the Switch's launch price is $370, so $350 isn't a bad price all things considered. I doubt they'd go any higher, though.

If the Switch's launch price is $370 with inflation, why do you think Nintendo will accept only $350 on a Switch 2? $399.99 makes far more sense here. 

The whole thing of "Nintendo's fans are just 12 year olds and can't afford expensive consoles" is just bunk as Nintendo's own internal demographic data shows above beyond that. 

The Switch isn't and never has been a budget product, Nintendo has refused to really cut the price on the standard Switch, instead opting (of all things) to increase the price of the system with the OLED model like 5 years into the product cycle, lol. 

$399.99 will be fine. Nintendo just has to make sure they have strong core software offerings (I'm talking a Mario Kart 9 + Mario 3D platformer or Zelda remake + 1 other large-ish title like a Metroid Prime 4 in early succession) and the system isn't some piece of crap hardware wise (has to be a full generational leap over the current Switch) and doesn't look like a children's toy or has some bizarre gimmick that makes the system way more expensive.