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Switch 2 US Preorders Starting April 24, Price Staying at $450, Nintendo Confirms

Accessories, however, will see a little increase in price.

Two weeks after Nintendo delayed Switch 2 preorders in the US due to new tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump, the company confirmed the price and when gamers in the US can preorder the next Switch. There are, however, some items that will go up in price. 

The Switch 2 will continue to start at $450, Nintendo posted on Friday on its site. Also staying the same price is the Switch 2 Mario Kart World Bundle for $500. US gamers will also be able to preorder their Switch 2 starting April 24. 

Game pricing will remain the same, with Mario Kart World still at the $80 price, while Donkey Kong Bananza, which releases July 17, will be priced at $70. What will change is the price of accessories, with some increasing by $5. This includes:

  • Switch 2 Pro Controller (originally $80, now $85)
  • Joy-Con 2 Pair (originally $90, now $95)
  • Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip (originally $35, now $40)
  • Joy-Con 2 Wheel Set (originally $20, now $25)
  • Nintendo Switch 2 Camera (originally $50, now $55)
  • Joy-Con 2 Strap (originally $13, now $14)
  • Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set (originally $110, now $120)
  • Switch 2 Carrying Case & Screen Protector (originally $35, now $40)
  • Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case (originally $80, now $85)
  • Switch 2 AC Adapter (originally $30, now $35)

Of the accessories listed, the most sought after are the Switch 2 Pro Controller and Switch 2 Camera. The Pro Controller isn’t required to play the console on the TV, but its design is more akin to the PS5 DualSense controller and Microsoft’s Xbox controller. As for the Switch 2 Camera, it will be used primarily for the console’s GameChat function. The camera will allow players to communicate with each other by video, which is a first for Nintendo. 

Nintendo had a bit of a rough time winning over gamers when it revealed the Switch 2 on April 2. The Switch successor does have a big jump in power, with some analysts suggesting its graphical power is between a PS4 Pro and a PS5, but there were other concerns. 

Most notable was the price of Mario Kart World. At $80, the popular kart racing game would be the highest-priced game without any extras or downloadable content. New games across all platforms cost $70. Nintendo has yet to explain why Mario Kart World warranted the higher price, but analysts suggest it could be due to the increase in costs of the storage used in Switch 2 cartridges. 

To help save publishers money, Nintendo instituted what it calls Game-key cards. These cartridges will use a minimal amount of storage and will allow owners to download the entire game straight to their Switch 2. This means when someone buys a physical cartridge, there is a good chance that the entire game won’t be on that cartridge. 

Another issue related to price is having to pay for a Switch 2 version of an already owned Switch game. While this did happen with previous generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles, some Switch 2 upgrades for Nintendo games will cost $10, others will cost $20, and there will be a few that are free. This lack of uniformity with pricing and the non-specifics about how much improvement there will be on the Switch 2 versions is leaving some gamers less than happy.

Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2 price

Many wondered if Nintendo had bumped up the Switch 2 prices in anticipation of Trump’s promised tariffs, which remains unclear, but so far the company hasn’t raised them in response to those tariffs going into effect — the ones that have remained, anyway.

Nintendo announced the Switch 2 on April 2, the same day Trump announced his new round of tariffs. After a week of confusion, many of those tariffs were rolled back and certain product categories granted exclusions, but unease remains for consumers looking to buy TVs, gadgets and cars.

 Read more: Buy or Wait Guide: How Tariffs Will Change Tech Prices and What to Do Now, According to Experts

What the tariffs have done is interrupt the preorder schedule Nintendo originally set up. While third-party retailers like Best Buy said that pre-orders would begin on April 9, Nintendo soon delayed them in the US and explicitly cited the tariffs and economic conditions as the cause. The Switch 2 pre-order date in other countries did not change until Canada’s was also delayed, as Mobile Syrup reported. So far, the console’s launch date still remains on June 5.

While Nintendo hasn’t raised the price of the Switch 2 console yet due to tariffs, Sony announced that the PS5’s cheapest digital-only version would get a 25% price hike in Europe, Australia and New Zealand (the more expensive PS5 with disc drive’s prices would remain unchanged).  

Much has changed since the original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, from Nintendo’s strategy to the world of gaming. With its successor, Nintendo stuck to the console format’s strengths and didn’t experiment with new control methods. Instead, the Switch 2 developers focused on increasing its processing speed to help it become a dedicated game platform «with a strong and solid foundation» to let game developers create what they want, as Takuhiro Dohta, Nintendo senior director of entertainment planning and development, said in an official developer interview.

«Since Switch launched, I think there’s been a shift in how software developers create games. Rather than leveraging hardware features to create something unique, developers can now choose which software technologies they want to incorporate to make their games stand out,» said Dohta. 

Technologies

Apple CarPlay Ultra vs. Google Built-In: How the Next-Gen Auto Software Rivals Compare

Apple and Google are supercharging their car software experiences. Here’s how they differ.

I’d spent an hour driving a $250,000-plus Aston Martin up the Los Angeles coast when my hunger pangs became impossible to ignore, and as I’ve done many times before, I asked Siri (through Apple CarPlay) to find me a taco place. But then I did something no other car on the planet allows: I asked Siri to blast the AC and make the air colder. That’s because the 2025 Aston Martin DBX I drove was the first vehicle to come with Apple CarPlay Ultra, the upgraded version of the company’s car software.

Apple debuted CarPlay Ultra at WWDC 2025 last month, and this year’s version of the Aston Martin DBX is the first vehicle to launch with it (pairing with an iPhone running iOS 18.5 or later). As I drove the luxury crossover around, I fiddled with other features that aren’t available in regular CarPlay, from climate control to radio to checking the pressure on the car’s tires. Ultimately, Ultra gives deeper access to more car systems, which is a good thing.

That reminded me a lot of a new feature announced at Google I/O back in May: Google Built-In, which similarly lets users control more of a car’s systems straight from the software interface (in that case, Android Auto). When I got a demonstration of Google Built-In, sitting in a new Volvo EX90 electric SUV, I saw what this new integration of Google software offered: climate controls, Gemini AI assistance and even warnings about car maintenance issues.

But the name is telling: Google Built-In requires automakers to incorporate Android deeper into their cars’ inner workings. Comparatively, Apple CarPlay Ultra support seems like it won’t require car manufacturers to do nearly as much work to prepare their vehicles, just adding a reasonably advanced multicore processor onboard that can handle an increased task load. (Aston Martin will be able to add CarPlay Ultra support to its 2023 and 2024 lineups through firmware updates because they already contain sufficiently advanced CPUs.)

Both solutions reflect Apple’s and Google’s different approaches to their next versions of car software. Apple’s is lighter weight, seemingly requiring less commitment from the automaker to integrate CarPlay Ultra into their vehicles (so long as it has adequate processing power onboard), which will run through a paired iPhone. Google Built-In does require much more integration, but it’s so self-sufficient that you can leave your Android phone at home and still get much of its functionality (aside from getting and sending messages and calls). 

Driving with Apple CarPlay Ultra: Controlling climate, radio and more

As I drove around Los Angeles in the Aston Martin with Apple CarPlay Ultra, I could tell what new features I would be missing once I stepped back into my far more humble daily driver. 

At long last, I could summon Siri and ask it to play a specific song (or just a band) and have it pulled up on Spotify. Since Apple’s assistant now has access to climate controls, I asked to turn up the AC, and it went full blast. I asked to find tacos and it suggested several fast food restaurants — well, it’s not perfect, but at least it’s listening. 

To my relief, Aston Martin retained the physical knobs by the gearshift to control fan speed, temperature, stereo volume and the car’s myriad roadway options (like driving assistance) in case the driver likes traditional controls, but almost all of them could also be altered in the interface. Now, things like radio controls (AM/FM and satellite) and car settings are nestled in their own recognizable apps in CarPlay’s interface.

Ultimately, that’ll be one of CarPlay Ultra’s greatest advantages: If you enter an unfamiliar vehicle (like a rental), you still know exactly where everything is. No wrestling with a carmaker’s proprietary software or trying to figure out where some setting or other is located. It’s not a complete replacement — in the Aston Martin’s case, there were still a handful of settings (like for ambient light projected when the doors open) that the luxury automaker controlled, but they were weaved into CarPlay so you could pop open those windows and go back to Apple’s interface without visibly changing apps.

The dependable ubiquity of Apple’s CarPlay software will likely become even more essential as cars swap out their analog instrument clusters for screens, as Aston Martin did. There’s still a touch of the high-end automaker’s signature style as the default screen behind the wheel shows two traditional dials (one for the speedometer, one for RPMs) with Aston Martin’s livery. But that can be swapped out for other styles, from other dials with customizable colors to a full-screen Maps option.

Each of the half-dozen or so dashboard options was swapped out via square touchpads smaller than a dime on the wheel next to the other touch controls. On the dual-dial display types, I swiped vertically to rotate between a central square (with Maps directions, current music or other app information) or swiped horizontally to switch to another dashboard option. No matter which one you choose, the bottom bar contains all the warning lights drivers will recognize from analog cars — even with digital displays, you’re not safe from the check engine light (which is a good thing). 

Apple CarPlay Ultra doesn’t yet do everything I want. I wish I could also ask Siri to roll down the windows (as Google Built-In can — more on that later) and lock or unlock specific doors. If Apple is connected to the car enough to be able to read the pressure in each tire, I wish it could link up with the engine readout and be able to tell me in plain language what kind of maintenance issue has sprung up. Heck, I wish it could connect to the car remotely and blast the AC before I get in (or fire up the seat warmer), as some proprietary car apps can do. And while Apple Maps and Waze will be included at launch, Google Maps support is not, but it’s coming later.

These aren’t huge deficiencies, and they do show where CarPlay Ultra could better meet driver needs in future updates, notwithstanding the potentially dicey security concerns for using CarPlay Ultra for remote climate or unlocking capabilities. But it shows where the limits are today compared to Google’s more in-depth approach.

Google Built-In: Deeper car integrations — and, of course, Gemini AI

The day after Google I/O’s keynote was quieter back in May, as attendees flitted between focused sessions and demos of upcoming software. It was the ideal time to check out Google Built-In, which was appropriately shown off in a higher-end Volvo EX90 electric SUV (though not nearly as pricey as an Aston Martin). 

As mentioned above, Google Built-In has deeper integrations with vehicles than what I saw in Apple CarPlay Ultra, allowing users to change the climate through its interface or access other systems, including through voice requests. For instance, it can go beyond AC control to switch on the defroster, and even raise and lower specific windows relative to the speaker’s position: cameras within the car (in the rearview mirror, if I remember right) meant that when my demonstrator asked to «roll down this window» pointing over his left shoulder, the correct window rolled down.

Google Built-In is also connected to Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, for what the company is calling «Google Live,» a separate and more capable version of the Android Auto assistant experience in cars right now. With a Live session, I could request music or directions much like I could with Siri — but my demo went further, as the demonstrator tasked Gemini with requests better suited for generative AI, such as asking, «Give me suggestions for a family outing» and telling it to send a specific text to a contact. 

The demonstrator then asked Gemini for recipe advice — «I have chicken, rice and broccoli in the fridge, what can I make?» — as an example of a query someone might ask on the drive home.

Since you’re signed into your Google account, Gemini can consult anything connected to it, like emails and messages. It’s also trained on the user manuals from each car-maker, so if a warning light comes on, the driver can ask the voice assistant what it means — no more flipping through a dense manual trying to figure out what each alert means.

There are other benefits to Google Built-In, like not needing your phone for some features. But there are also drawbacks, like the need to keep car software updated, requiring more work on Google’s end to make sure cars are protected from issues or exploits. They can’t just fix it in the most current version of Android — they’ll need to backport that fix to older versions that vehicles might still be on. 

This deeper integration with Google Built-In has a lot of the benefits of Apple CarPlay Ultra (a familiar interface, easier to access features), just cranked up to a greater degree. It surely benefits fans of hands-off controls, and interweaving Gemini naturally dovetails with Google’s investments, so it’s easy to see that functionality improving. But a greater reliance on Android within the car’s systems could be concerning as the vehicle ages: Will the software stop being supported? Will it slow down or be exposed to security exploits? A lot of questions remain regarding making cars open to phone software interfaces.

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A Samsung Tri-Fold Phone Could Be in Your Future, if This Leak Is to Be Believed

UI animations might have revealed the imminent release of a so-called «Galaxy G Fold» device with three screens.

Samsung has been showing off mobile display concepts with three screens at trade events such as CES for several years, but it might finally bring one to market soon if a leaked UI animation is any indicator.

As reported by Android Authority, an animated image from a software build of One UI 8 appears to show what some are dubbing a «Galaxy G Fold» device with three display panels. The screens would be capable of displaying different information or working in unison as one large display. The new phone model could debut as early as next week at Samsung’s Unpacked event on July 9 in Brooklyn. 

Huawei released a tri-folding phone in February, the Mate XT Ultimate Design. 

Some websites have gone into overdrive trying to uncover details on what Samsung’s new device might include and how much it may cost, with Phone Arena reporting that according to a Korean media report, it could be priced at about $3,000. 

Samsung didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

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Early Prime Day Headphone Deals: Up to $100 Off Top-Rated Pairs From Apple, Beats and More

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