A weird, new era for games

I ran to Costco today to pick up a Switch 2 Pro controller.

Why?

Well, Nintendo decided to raise prices on the original Switch consoles along with some Switch 2 accessories due to "market conditions" (translation: blame the tariffs). This brings the controller to a whopping $90, which is significantly more than comparable controllers on PS5 or the Xbox Series X/S.

A lot of weird price fluctuations have happened with Nintendo lately, but let's just recap the history of the newer Pro controller:

• First announcement in April: $80
• Mid-April price increase: $85
• August 3 price increase: $90

Which brings us to Costco, which is selling the controller at what is now a steal at $75 – this is probably the cheapest it'll be for a long time. Nintendo itself warned that other increases "may be necessary in the future" for both hardware and other accessories. So if you really want a Switch 2, it's better to grab one now just in case (it's a big reason why I finally got one a few weeks back).

Nintendo isn't the only one doing this: Microsoft increased the price of its Xbox consoles just a few months ago, and while Sony hasn't yet touched the price of the PS5 in the US, the company has already increased it in other parts of the world.

Gone are the days of older consoles getting cheaper as time goes on. Now it feels like you have to be an early adopter if you want to lock in the best price possible.

It's the worst kind of FOMO.