I’m in a group of adults slowly descending a staircase in a brightly lit white store, small gasps of joy escaping our mouths as walls of smiling squid toys come into view. Our tour guide is wrapping up his tour, and as he rattles off his last fact, he eyes the crowd. «Think you guys are ready to shop?» My reply echoes the words of former Nintendo Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aimé when he tested the Wii Board at E3 2007: My body is ready.

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo opened its first-ever West Coast store in San Francisco on Thursday — the second in the US after its New York City storefront. While it stocks lots of company merch featuring the company’s most iconic characters like Mario, Peach, Link, Zelda and way too many Pokemon, its website alludes to future events like those held at its other stores.

A few days earlier, CNET was treated to a first-hand look at all the new goodies and gadgets awaiting fans in San Francisco. 

Inside the store

Set at the intersection of Geary and Powell in San Francisco’s Union Square neighborhood, the first thing you notice is the parade of Nintendo characters lining the store’s windows, with Mario leading the congregation to the main doors. Upon entering the store, you’re greeted by the clean, white aesthetic that the Nintendo brand is known for. 

«We want [Nintendo San Francisco] to be much more than just a store,» said Nintendo Senior Regional General Manager PJ Sadler, a manager of the NYC Nintendo store who led the tour of the new location. «We want it to be an immersive experience, we want to immerse you in our characters, with our world.»

In that spirit, a Nintendo store associate told me several Pikmin figurines were hidden throughout the store for guests to find. (I counted five; they told me there were still a few more.)

There are the requisite store exclusives, the items you can find only at the San Francisco location that set it apart from its NYC counterpart — namely, the SF-branded water bottles, T-shirts, and hoodies that say «Nintendo San Francisco.» I found those designs a little lackluster and rather sterile; I was hoping to see a little more San Francisco flair. New York City once had a collection in kanji, for example. But at least you can also find the Nintendo character parade motif adorning other San Francisco souvenirs, including exclusive minifigures and bags. Sadler noted that any products with a red Nintendo square logo indicate they can be bought only in the Nintendo US locations, either in San Francisco or New York (there were no unique marks for SF exclusives). 

Also on the ground floor was a section dedicated to actual gaming equipment, including an area where customers can put together their own Nintendo Switch OLED with their choice of colored Joy-Cons and docks. (Nintendo representatives were very coy about what, if anything, would be happening at the store for the upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5.) Among the other controllers and accessories was a shelf of Nintendo Alarmo clocks, the company’s big surprise hardware launch of 2024, waiting to be taken home. 

Downstairs is where they had the «big guns,» so to speak, or at least the Master Swords. Similar to Nintendo’s New York store, there are dedicated areas for Splatoon and Legend of Zelda, as well as Pikmin, Kirby, and Pokemon. There was also a giant projector screen for watching shoppers play games, alongside a giant wall of Amiibo with harder-to-find figures such as Sora from Super Smash Bros and Kingdom Hearts. 

A sales associate kindly walked me through a kiosk where visitors can check in daily for Nintendo Platinum Points, which can be used for My Nintendo Rewards in the Nintendo eShop. «I just moved into a new place, so I’ve been stocking up on Animal Crossing coasters,» the associate confided.

Cozy merch forever

Though it’s been a while since I’ve been to the New York store, reconnaissance from friends and TikTok confirmed that a big theme for NY is Pokemon, featuring an almost life-size Pokemon Center where herds of Pikachu frolic on the shelves. 

While Pokemon has a presence in the San Francisco counterpart (I almost walked away with a Psyduck backpack), there seems to be a greater dedication to more twee, cozy series such as Animal Crossing and Pikmin, as well as adorably subtle game decor in general.

The Animal Crossing corner featured a slew of home goods, such as an adorable cottage-core coffee grinder branded with «The Roost,» the in-game cafe headed by character Brewster the Pigeon, with a matching cup and saucer set. Other kitchen goods like an apron, glass jar set and oven mitt elicited a few squeals from me and another sales associate, who kindly pointed out the equally kawaii Animal Crossing stationery with stickers, sticky notes, notepads and character-themed pens.

Downstairs in the Legend of Zelda section, I was taken with the Zelda Fairy collection, particularly a large faux leather tote purse and fairy-themed wallets with iridescent flourishes. Lovely golden Heart Container-shaped accessories, of which not nearly enough found their way into my shopping bag, framed the scene. 

Down the line, rows of enamel Kirby keychains and plush Waddle-Dees eyed me hopefully from their perches while a tower of Pikmin blind boxes and flower bud vases (successfully) tempted me from over my shoulder. 

Price-wise, I was pleasantly surprised that most items weren’t egregiously expensive and more similar to pricing you’d find at a theme park. I’d expected the aforementioned coffee grinder to be somewhere around $70, but it was priced at $40. Similarly, many of the more intricately designed wallets and bags were at the $35 price or under. Pikmin blind boxes were $10. But there were still outliers — a sleek Team Rocket anorak was marked at $120, for example.

Why San Francisco? Why now?

Before 2025, Nintendo had four official stores around the world: three in Japan (Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka) and one in the US (New York). Now, San Francisco marks its fifth retail location selling merch directly to fans.

The San Francisco store’s opening comes at a pivotal time for the city’s downtown economy. Retail vacancies in San Francisco have hit record highs since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a number of flagship stores shutting down, including the Westfield San Francisco Centre and Macy’s, the former epicenter of the city’s Union Square shopping area. 

When Nintendo announced the official opening plans for the store in May 2024, then-Mayor London Breed posted on X, «We’re excited for San Francisco’s future and look forward to welcoming this iconic brand to our City.»

Supervisor Danny Sauter, who represents San Francisco’s District 3, which includes Union Square, told KQED in March, «The narrative on San Francisco is starting to shift…[p]eople are willing to take a chance on San Francisco again, and it’s remarkable how that was not the case six months ago.»

Whatever the city’s reputation, fan response has been immense, with «Warp Pipe Pass» shopping visit reservations for opening week sold out in minutes, continuing on into the Memorial Day weekend. Locals have been peeking into the windows and taking pictures as soon as the signage went up. Reddit user CaterpillarFederal43 posted a picture in the San Francisco subreddit in April 2025 with his dogs in costume, noting he visits every day for a chance to use StreetPass (a peer-to-peer feature on the Nintendo 3DS) with fellow fans.

End credits

San Francisco has a legacy of gaming culture, from the former Walk of Game to the annual Game Developers Conference held in Moscone Center. Now it has a retail location and event space for one of the biggest gaming companies in the world to welcome fans.

Whether you’re a Nintendo superfan with an Isabelle-patterned sweater vest or a tourist looking for a «gamer-y» souvenir for a relative, the San Francisco Nintendo store looks like a perfect place to spend all your rupees and bells. Just watch out for mischievous Pikmin along the way.

Nintendo Store Levels Up in San Francisco: A First Look Inside the Ultimate Fan Experience

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The Trump administration has made moves in recent weeks to try and deescalate its tariff policies amid widespread concerns, but major companies are still warning of forthcoming price hikes in the months ahead. On May 15, Walmart, the largest grocery chain in the US, said that increased prices are inevitable due to the «magnitude» of the White House’s import taxes.

«We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible,» CEO Doug McMillon said during an earnings call. «But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins.»

In this article, we’re closely tracking the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the prices of 11 popular products you might want or need to buy, whether it be a new phone, laptop or your daily coffee. So far, we’ve seen notable price hikes for the flagship Xbox game console, while everything else has either remained steady aside from occasional fluctuations that might not be tariff-related. That sort of consistency is far from certain, however, especially with new reports emerging that Apple might be looking to make iPhones more expensive this year.

The recent trade agreement with China, much-hyped by the White House, did significantly cut tariff rates against our biggest trading partner, but the new 30% rate is only temporary and still historically high, it just looks better next to the ludicrous 145% rate that was previously in place. As those negotiations move along, companies continue to warn of impending price hikes in order to deal with the new tariffs, including Sony, which could potentially mean a price hike for its ever-popular PlayStation 5 consoles.

We’ll be updating this article regularly as prices change. It’s all in the name of helping you make sense of things, so be sure to check back every so often. For more, check out CNET’s guide to whether you should wait to make big purchases or buy them now and get expert tips about how to prepare for a recession.

Methodology

We’re checking prices daily and will update the article and the relevant charts right away to reflect any changes. The following charts show a single bullet point for each month, with the most recent one labeled «Now» and showing the current price. For the past months, we’ve gone with what was the most common price for each item in the given month. 

In most cases, the price stats used in these graphs were pulled from Amazon using the historical price tracker tool Keepa. For the iPhones, the prices come from Apple’s official materials and are based on the 128-gigabyte base model of the latest offering for each year: the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. For the Xbox Series X, the prices were sourced from Best Buy using the tool PriceTracker. If any of these products happen to be on sale at a given time, we’ll be sure to let you know and explain how those price drops differ from longer-term pricing trends that tariffs can cause.

The 11 products we’re tracking

Mostly what we’re tracking in this article are electronic devices and digital items that CNET covers in depth, like iPhones and affordable 4K TVs — along with a typical bag of coffee, a more humble product that isn’t produced in the US to any significant degree. 

The products featured were chosen for a few reasons: Some of them are popular and/or affordable representatives for major consumer tech categories, like smartphones, TVs and game consoles. Others are meant to represent things that consumers might buy more frequently, like printer ink or coffee beans. Some products were chosen over others because they are likely more susceptible to tariffs. Some of these products have been reviewed by CNET or have been featured in some of our best lists.

• iPhone 16, 128GB
• Duracell AA batteries, 24-pack
• Samsung DU7200 65-inch TV
• Xbox Series X
• Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case
• HP 962 CMY Printer Ink
• Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank
• Bose TV speaker
• Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush
• Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook, 256GB
• Starbucks 28-ounce ground dark roast coffee

Below, we’ll get into more about each individual product.

iPhone 16

The iPhone is the most popular smartphone brand in the US so this was a clear priority for price tracking. The iPhone has also emerged as a major focal point for conversations about tariffs, given its popularity and its susceptibility to import taxes given its overseas production, largely in China. Trump has reportedly been fixated on the idea that the iPhone can and should be manufactured in the US, an idea that experts have dismissed as a fantasy. Estimates have also suggested that a US-made iPhone would cost as much as $3,500.

In April, Apple flew bulk shipments of iPhones into the US to get a stockpile here ahead of tariffs kicking in. In recent weeks, reports have indicated that the company is working on moving all manufacturing of US-bound iPhones out of China to India to evade the worst of Trump’s tariff agenda. However, it’s also been reported that the iPhone 19, planned for release in 2027, will need to stay in China, because of the level of complexity planned for its design, tied to the iPhone line’s 20th anniversary. On May 12, further reports emerged suggesting that Apple plans to raise the price of the iPhone with the forthcoming iPhone 17 line, but that it also plans to avoid attributing this to Trump’s tariffs.

Duracell AA batteries

A lot of the tech products in your home might boast a rechargeable energy source but individual batteries are still an everyday essential and I can tell you from experience that as soon as you forget about them, you’ll be needing to restock. The Duracell AAs we’re tracking are some of the bestselling batteries on Amazon.

Samsung DU7200 TV

Alongside smartphones, televisions are some of the most popular tech products out there, even if they’re an infrequent purchase. This particular product is a popular entry-level 4K TV and was CNET’s pick for best overall budget TV for 2025. Unlike a lot of tech products that have key supply lines in China, Samsung is a South Korean company, so it might have some measure of tariff resistance. In recent days, this model has fluctuated from $400, where its been for most of the year so far, and $470, where it sits today. These fluctuations don’t seem to be influenced by tariffs, at least for the time being.

Xbox Series X

Video game software and hardware are a market segment expected to be hit hard by the Trump tariffs. Microsoft’s Xbox is the first console brand to see price hikes — the company cited «market conditions» along with the rising cost of development. Most notably, this included an increase in the price of the flagship Xbox Series X, up from $500 to $600. Numerous Xbox accessories were also affected, and the company also said that «certain» games will eventually see a price hike from $70 to $80.

Initially, we were tracking the price of the much more popular Nintendo Switch as a representative of the gaming market. Nintendo has not yet hiked the price of its handheld-console hybrid and stressed that the $450 price tag of the upcoming Switch 2 has not yet been inflated because of tariffs. Sony, meanwhile, has so far only increased prices on its PlayStation hardware in markets outside the US.

AirPods Pro 2

The latest iteration of Apple’s wildly popular true-wireless earbuds are here to represent the headphone market. Much to the chagrin of the audiophiles out there, a quick look at sales charts on Amazon shows you just how much the brand dominates all headphone sales. The AirPods Pro 2 have hovered steadily around $200 on Amazon in 2025, but were on sale for $169 the first few days of May before jumping back up.

HP 962 CMY printer ink

This HP printer ink includes cyan, magenta and yellow all in one product and recently saw its price jump from around $72 — where it stayed for most of 2025 — to $80, which is around its highest price over the last five years. We will be keeping tabs to see if this is a long-term change or a brief uptick.

This product replaced Overture PLA Filament for 3D printers in this piece, but we’re still tracking that item.

Anker 10,000-mAh, 30-watt power bank

Anker’s accessories are perennially popular in the tech space and the company has already announced that some of its products will get more expensive as a direct result of tariffs. This specific product has also been featured in some of CNET’s lists of the best portable chargers. While the price has remained steady throughout the year, it is currently on sale for $16 on Amazon, but only for Prime members.

Bose TV speaker

Soundbars have become important purchases, given the often iffy quality of the speakers built into TVs. While not the biggest or the best offering in the space, the Bose TV Speaker is one of the more affordable soundbar options out there, especially hailing from a brand as popular as Bose.

Oral-B Pro 1000 electric toothbrush

They might be a lot more expensive than their traditional counterparts, but electric toothbrushes remain a popular choice for consumers because of how well they get the job done. I know my dentist won’t let up on how much I need one. This particular Oral-B offering was CNET’s overall choice for the best electric toothbrush for 2025.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook

Lenovo is notable among the big laptop manufacturers for being a Chinese company making its products especially susceptible to Trump’s tariffs.

Starbucks Ground Coffee (28-ounce bag)

Coffee is included in this tracker because of its ubiquity —I’m certainly drinking too much of it these days —and because it’s uniquely susceptible to Trump’s tariff agenda. Famously, coffee beans can only be grown within a certain distance from Earth’s equator, a tropical span largely outside the US and known as the «Coffee Belt.» 

Hawaii is the only part of the US that can produce coffee beans, with data from USAFacts showing that 11.5 million pounds were harvested there in the 2022-23 season — little more than a drop in the mug, as the US consumed 282 times that amount of coffee during that period. Making matters worse, Hawaiian coffee production has declined in the past few years.

All that to say: Americans get almost all of their coffee from overseas, making it one of the most likely products to see price hikes from tariffs.