<p>Tokyo: Nintendo said it will launch its Switch 2 gaming device on June 5, with the long-anticipated successor to its hit hybrid home-portable Switch retailing for $449.99.</p>.<p>The Kyoto based-company on Wednesday announced more details about the Switch 2 after a reveal in January.</p>.<p>Analysts expect a smooth transition to the new device, which has upgraded hardware but hews closely to the form and function of its predecessor.</p>.<p>The Switch 2 offers a bigger screen, mouse controls and a chat function available via a dedicated button on the controller.</p>.Ludo’s Digital Evolution Is Turning It into a Global Hotspot for Competitive Gaming.<p>The device will retail for $449.99 in the United States and 49,980 yen ($334) in Japan for a Japanese language system or 69,980 yen for a multi-language version.</p>.<p>"The price is a bit higher than what was widely expected," said Serkan Toto, founder of Kantan Games consultancy.</p>.<p>Nintendo probably took into account the current inflationary environment and the $699.99 price tag Sony put on the PlayStation Pro last year, he said.</p>.<p>The Switch has sold more than 150 million units, with hardware refreshes and hit games from franchises such as "Super Mario" and "The Legend of Zelda" extending its lifecycle.</p>.<p>The new device "is a more premium, ambitious platform with broader software and ecosystem depth than expected," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note.</p>.<p>Games announced included "Mario Kart World", performance boosted versions of Switch "Zelda" games and classic GameCube titles for subscribers to Nintendo Online.</p>.<p>The Switch, which transformed Nintendo's fortunes after the Wii U sold poorly, launched in March 2017 priced at $299.99.</p>.<p>One focus for investors is the strength of hardware supply after the Switch was affected by supply chain disruption.</p>.<p>"Judging from the level of work-in-progress on the company's balance sheet, Nintendo is likely aiming for shipments of over 10 (million) units in the first year," Goldman Sachs analyst Minami Munakata wrote in a note before the announcement.</p>.<p>The Switch 2's launch comes at a time of elevated trade tension as US President Donald Trump introduces tariffs on goods imported into the United States.</p>.<p>The lower pricing in Japan "implies US pricing factors in (the) tariff impact," Goyal wrote.</p>.<p>Analysts point to changes in the industry including the rise of subscription-based services and the backwards compatibility of consoles as helping to smooth the upgrade cycle.</p>.<p>"The situation appears similar to the transition from Sony's PS4 to PS5, where earnings continued to expand largely without any downcycle," Goldman's Munakata wrote.</p>.<p>Nintendo's shares, which hit a high in February, fell 3 per cent on Thursday following the announcement. The benchmark index was down 3.5 per cent.</p>.<p>Nintendo "has already strongly outperformed the market," Amir Anvarzadeh, a market strategist at Asymmetric Advisors, wrote in a note ahead of the announcement.</p>.<p>"We think it is unlikely that the new hardware will be big enough to justify its current share price."</p>
<p>Tokyo: Nintendo said it will launch its Switch 2 gaming device on June 5, with the long-anticipated successor to its hit hybrid home-portable Switch retailing for $449.99.</p>.<p>The Kyoto based-company on Wednesday announced more details about the Switch 2 after a reveal in January.</p>.<p>Analysts expect a smooth transition to the new device, which has upgraded hardware but hews closely to the form and function of its predecessor.</p>.<p>The Switch 2 offers a bigger screen, mouse controls and a chat function available via a dedicated button on the controller.</p>.Ludo’s Digital Evolution Is Turning It into a Global Hotspot for Competitive Gaming.<p>The device will retail for $449.99 in the United States and 49,980 yen ($334) in Japan for a Japanese language system or 69,980 yen for a multi-language version.</p>.<p>"The price is a bit higher than what was widely expected," said Serkan Toto, founder of Kantan Games consultancy.</p>.<p>Nintendo probably took into account the current inflationary environment and the $699.99 price tag Sony put on the PlayStation Pro last year, he said.</p>.<p>The Switch has sold more than 150 million units, with hardware refreshes and hit games from franchises such as "Super Mario" and "The Legend of Zelda" extending its lifecycle.</p>.<p>The new device "is a more premium, ambitious platform with broader software and ecosystem depth than expected," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client note.</p>.<p>Games announced included "Mario Kart World", performance boosted versions of Switch "Zelda" games and classic GameCube titles for subscribers to Nintendo Online.</p>.<p>The Switch, which transformed Nintendo's fortunes after the Wii U sold poorly, launched in March 2017 priced at $299.99.</p>.<p>One focus for investors is the strength of hardware supply after the Switch was affected by supply chain disruption.</p>.<p>"Judging from the level of work-in-progress on the company's balance sheet, Nintendo is likely aiming for shipments of over 10 (million) units in the first year," Goldman Sachs analyst Minami Munakata wrote in a note before the announcement.</p>.<p>The Switch 2's launch comes at a time of elevated trade tension as US President Donald Trump introduces tariffs on goods imported into the United States.</p>.<p>The lower pricing in Japan "implies US pricing factors in (the) tariff impact," Goyal wrote.</p>.<p>Analysts point to changes in the industry including the rise of subscription-based services and the backwards compatibility of consoles as helping to smooth the upgrade cycle.</p>.<p>"The situation appears similar to the transition from Sony's PS4 to PS5, where earnings continued to expand largely without any downcycle," Goldman's Munakata wrote.</p>.<p>Nintendo's shares, which hit a high in February, fell 3 per cent on Thursday following the announcement. The benchmark index was down 3.5 per cent.</p>.<p>Nintendo "has already strongly outperformed the market," Amir Anvarzadeh, a market strategist at Asymmetric Advisors, wrote in a note ahead of the announcement.</p>.<p>"We think it is unlikely that the new hardware will be big enough to justify its current share price."</p>