“Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,” Nintendo said in an official statement. Translation? Prices might go up even more—and nobody knows by how much.

Already, the console is drawing heat for what fans call “next-gen pricing madness.” With Mario Kart World rumored to retail at $79.99, the Switch 2 is feeling less like a family console and more like a collector’s item you store in a glass case next to your mortgage paperwork.

Online, gamers are furious. “All my excitement is gone right now. This feels awful,” one fan wrote. Another was more cutting: “We’re trying to figure out if we can raise the price another $50 and blame it on ‘tariffs.’”

One particularly sharp take compared the shift from budget-friendly Nintendo to big-budget Nintendo as “a betrayal of the company’s soul.” After all, wasn’t this the brand that thrived on quirky charm, not capitalistic chaos?

The irony couldn’t be more painful. Video games, often celebrated as an escape from real-world stress, are now being held hostage by it. Trump’s economic crusade, designed to bolster American production, may now be blowing up the very imports that fuel joy across millions of households.

And let’s be honest—gamers have long tolerated console shortages, joy-con drift, and terrible online servers. But this? Watching your favorite pastime fall victim to geopolitical power moves? That’s an L even seasoned speedrunners didn’t see coming.

For now, Nintendo remains tight-lipped on when pre-orders will resume or whether prices will rise. But fans are already preparing for the worst—memeing their misery while refreshing news updates in hopes that someone, somewhere, will press pause on the madness. Until then, players might want to hang onto their OG Switches a little tighter. Because in this bizarre new level of late-stage capitalism, even Mario needs a bailout.