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In the U.S., the strongest case that today’s game consoles are historically overpriced is about what happens after launch: recent systems have held closer to their inflation-adjusted launch prices, while earlier consoles typically got much cheaper as they aged. That does not mean today’s consoles set the record for the most expensive launch prices ever.
Are game consoles more expensive now than they used to be?
In one important sense, yes: the usual wait-for-a-price-drop strategy has become less dependable. Ars Technica’s 2025 analysis calculated that the median pre-2016 console cost less than half its inflation-adjusted launch price after three years. For modern consoles, the median was about 85% of launch price after three years and about 92% after five years. These are calculated medians across the systems in the analysis, not a prediction for every console.
The difference is the price path, not simply the sticker price on launch day. Older consoles that remained on sale generally continued to lose real value: Ars Technica put them at about 43% of inflation-adjusted launch price in year five and 33% in year eight. Modern consoles, by comparison, have often stayed much nearer their launch prices.
Those percentages describe prices adjusted for inflation, not necessarily what a shopper would have paid in a particular store. The historical comparison is based on archived MSRP reporting; temporary retailer discounts, bundles, and local prices can differ.
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#1 Best Overall
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Does “historically overpriced” mean the highest launch prices ever?
No. An inflation-adjusted launch-price comparison shows that expensive historical launches predate the current generation. Ars Technica’s 2020 analysis reported a mean historical console launch price of $550.36 and a median of $460.50, in 2020 dollars. For systems launched since 2000, it reported a median of $444.50 and a mean of $461, also in 2020 dollars. The claim is therefore better understood as unusually persistent high prices after launch, not a record for the highest inflation-adjusted launch price.
Inflation adjustment answers how a listed price compares in purchasing power across time. It does not, by itself, show how burdensome a console was relative to household income. That would require a separate income-relative comparison.
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What recent price changes show
Switch 2: an announced U.S. MSRP increase
Ars Technica reported that Nintendo announced a U.S. Switch 2 MSRP increase from $449.99 to $499.99, effective September 1, 2026. This is a change to the announced manufacturer’s suggested retail price, not evidence that every retailer charges that amount. It also does not establish current stock or street prices.
Switch price comparisons need a date and a basis
Nintendo Life’s 2025 comparison lists the original Switch’s U.S. launch price as $299.99 in 2017, or an estimated $363 in 2025 dollars using BLS inflation calculations. It lists Switch 2 at a $449.99 launch price in 2025. Those are inflation-adjusted estimates, and the comparison predates the announced 2026 MSRP increase.
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Why prices have not fallen as quickly
Coverage of recent console pricing points to several contributing pressures: higher-than-normal inflation, tariffs and other market shocks, component and supply-chain costs, and slower reductions in manufacturing costs. These factors help explain the environment, but the available reporting does not isolate how much of any console’s price or price increase each one caused.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge a console price comparison
- Keep the market consistent. The figures above are U.S.-centered. Prices and changes in other countries may differ.
- Compare the same price type. A launch MSRP, a later permanent MSRP, and a temporary retailer discount are not interchangeable.
- Match console and package. Standard systems, bundles, and different hardware tiers can have different prices.
- State the time after launch. A price in a console’s first year is not comparable to one in year five without making that interval clear.
- State the inflation base year. A figure in 2020 dollars cannot be read as a 2025-dollar estimate without another adjustment.
- Separate affordability from inflation. To compare how large a purchase was for households, use income-relative evidence rather than treating inflation adjustment as a complete affordability measure.
The practical takeaway is that buyers should not assume a console will follow the older pattern of steep price erosion simply because it has been on sale for several years. The historical medians describe broad trends; an individual system’s eventual discounts still depend on its market, product tier, and retailer pricing.
Quick Recap
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
