Nintendo postpones pre-order start date for Switch 2 game console due to US tariffs

TOKYO - Japanese video game company Nintendo has postponed pre-order start date for its new game console, the Nintendo Switch 2, in the United States due to the imposition of tariffs on imported goods by the US administration, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti, citing NHK broadcaster on Saturday.

Nintendo initially planned to open pre-order of the new console on April 9, but the date has been changed.

The company explained that it needs time to assess the potential impact of tariffs and changing market conditions, the broadcaster said.

The new date of the pre-order will be announced later, NHK added.

A guest plays Mariokart World of the new Nintendo Switch 2 video-game console system of Japanese video-game company Nintendo during the worldwide presentation at the Grand Palais in Paris. Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP FILE PIX

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 10 per cent base tariff on all imports to the United States starting April 5, while higher, reciprocal tariffs on countries and territories with which the US has the largest trade deficits will take effect on April 9.

Some countries have already announced their intentions to retaliate against the tariff increases. China, for example, said it would impose a 34 per cent tariff on all imports from the United States starting April 10. - BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI