Washington, DC – President Donald Trump’s decision to implement a 90-day halt on high tariffs for numerous countries could potentially benefit Nintendo. This development presents an opportunity for the company to increase the shipment of its Switch 2 units from Vietnam to the United States. Recent customs data, as reported by Bloomberg, indicates that Nintendo has been building up inventory of Switch 2 units from Vietnam in anticipation of the console’s upcoming launch on June 5th.
Prior to the imposition of the pause, the Trump administration had imposed a 46 percent tariff on goods coming from Vietnam, where Nintendo produces some of its hardware. The uncertainty surrounding these tariffs had prompted Nintendo to postpone the scheduled preorders for the Switch 2 in the US, originally set for April 9th. At present, a 10 percent tariff remains in place for countries that have not retaliated against Trump’s tariffs, resulting in a reduced tariff rate for consoles imported from Vietnam to the US.
Nintendo has confirmed that it has already dispatched “some” inventory of Switch 2 units to the US, a move that could help the company meet the anticipated high demand for the console. According to Bloomberg, one of Nintendo’s key assemblers for the Switch 2 in Vietnam has significantly escalated its shipments to the US in recent months.
Hosiden Corp., identified as one of the primary Switch 2 assemblers, reportedly sent more devices to the US from Vietnam in February than in the previous six months combined, based on customs data provided by NBD. Data reveals that in January, Vietnam exported 383,000 game console units to the US, while this number surged to over 725,000 units in February.
Nintendo has not disclosed details regarding when preorders in the US (and Canada) will commence, or if there will be a price adjustment to accommodate tariffs. However, with the current lower tariff rate in effect, it appears likely that Nintendo will strive to deliver as many Switch 2 consoles to the US as possible before the potential implementation of higher tariffs in the future.