Nintendo is adamant on going its own way with its home consoles, releasing the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025 in the middle of the current console generation. Nintendo has always carved out its own part of the gaming industry, having a strong appeal to families with its consoles, especially because they tend to be far cheaper than the PlayStation and Xbox. With a company that has as long a history of making home consoles as Nintendo, adjusting the console prices for inflation reveals some very interesting truths about their relative prices.

Nintendo has been a pillar of the gaming industry for almost as long as the industry has been around, but the company is amazingly far older than many would expect. Founded on September 23, 1889, in Kyoto, Nintendo used to make Hanafuda cards, a type of Japanese playing card, until 1949, before massively diversifying from Disney-branded playing cards, to toys and working with arcades. This eventually culminated in Nintendo making its first home console and eventually becoming the industry giant it is today.

8 The Nintendo Entertainment System Launched In 1985 At $199

It Would Now Cost $587.51 Adjusted For Inflation

While Nintendo began in gaming at the arcades and the handheld Game & Watch, its first home console came in 1985 with the Nintendo Entertainment System (shortened to NES). It launched at $199, which seems cheap, but when adjusted for inflation (using the in2013dollar I Inflation Calculator), it would cost $587.51 in 2025, being more expensive than the PS5's digital and base versions ($399 and $499 respectively) when it was released in 2020. It makes the NES the most expensive Nintendo home console so far when adjusted for inflation.

The NES launched in Japan at a price of ¥14,800 in 1983, two years before the US release.

The NES really was the beginning of the Nintendo people know today and where many of its biggest IPs got their start on home consoles. Iconic games like the first Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Metroid, Dragon Quest, Castlevania, and many more were released on the NES, giving it one of the most impressive game libraries for any console. These games would have to be iconic to justify the now $587.51 it would cost now, although the market for home consoles was much smaller back in 1985 compared to today.

7 1991 Saw The Release Of The Super Nintendo Entertainment System At $199

It Would Cost $464.14 When Adjusted For 2025

The NES was succeeded by the creatively named Super Nintendo Entertainment System (known better as the SNES), and although it came out six years later, the price remained the same at $199. Because of the six-year difference, inflation makes the SNES considerably cheaper than the NES at $464.14, more than $100 cheaper today. This makes it cheaper than the Xbox Series X at launch ($499 in 2020), but still one of the more expensive home consoles on Nintendo's roster, at least when inflation is involved.

The SNES saw the release of a bunch of 'super' sequels that took advantage of the console's superior firepower compared to the NES. The likes of Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Super Bomberman, and Super Metroid were launched as sequels, but some big IPs began on the SNES too. F-Zero got its first title on the console, along with Star Fox, Secrets of Mana, and the cult classic EarthBound. Weirdly, platformers based on Disney titles were also popular on the SNES, like the Aladdin and Lion King games, famous for their difficulty.

6 The Nintendo 64 Cost $199 Back In 1996

It Would Cost $402.91 After Inflation

Five years later, Nintendo would release the Nintendo 64, being named after the 64-bit U, and although the console was ready to launch in mid-1995, it was delayed until 1996 so that launch titles could be completed. In 1996, it launched at $199, the same as the NES and the SNES. Inflation treats this pricing quite kindly, costing $402.91 in 2025, and it is somewhat odd, and perhaps kind, that Nintendo kept the price of its consoles the same for over ten years. This is a trend that would continue for Nintendo's next console.

The Nintendo 64 is famous for some of the company's best-regarded games, despite being a company known for its consistent quality. The N64 came with classics like Super Mario 64 (still popular with speed runners today), Starfox 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Perfect Dark, and GoldenEye 007. This console has some of Nintendo's greatest classics, bringing many of the storied IPs forward and producing titles that people still think are the best in their respective series, namely Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64.

5 The Nintendo GameCube Launched At $199 In 2001

It Costs $356.95 After Being Adjusted For Inflation

The Nintendo GameCube was the first Nintendo console of the millennium and the last to adhere strictly to the $199 price in the US, launching in 2001. When adjusted for inflation, it would cost $356.95 as of writing, making it the cheapest console in today's money, but the cheaper price doesn't make it any less iconic. Its boot-up introduction is well known to many today, having been memed heavily, and although it had the tough job of following up the N64's amazing roster, it had some incredible games in its library.

Super Smash Bros. Melee (which still has a strong footing in ESports today), Super Mario Sunshine (underrated), the first Luigi's Mansion, Zelda: Windwaker, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, and Soulcalibur 2 all came to GameCube and made use of its superior visuals. Some of these titles, namely Smash Bros. Melee and Soulcalibur 2 are still regarded as the best in their series. Despite vast improvements in hardware, the price remained the same as the NES back in 1985, although this changed with the launch of Nintendo's next console.

4 2006 Saw The Release Of The Nintendo Wii At $249

Costing $392.36 After Adjusting For Inflation

Back in the mid-to-late 2000s, it would have been harder to find a household without the Nintendo Wii, adding motion controls to home consoles. Despite a price increase to $249, it was still considerably cheaper than the alternatives at the time (the PS3 and Xbox 360), making it $392.36 in today's money. Its price, motion controls, and family-friendly game library made it the perfect console for families around the world, despite its inferior hardware compared to its competitors, and its backwards compatibility kept GameCube titles alive.

The Wii also allowed players to plug in a GameCube controller, doubling down on the backwards compatibility.

The Wii is probably most famous for Wii Sports, a game that almost everyone born before the Wii has played at some point, as well as the start of the Just Dance series. Games like Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl made sure that Nintendo's long-term IPs remained healthy, and health was somewhat the name of the game with the Wii. Its promotion of movement led to Wii Fit, and the motion controls allowed non-gamers to get involved as a family activity.

3 Nintendo Wii U Launched In 2012 at $299 (Standard) and $349 (Deluxe)

It would cost $413.70 (Standard) and $482.88 (Deluxe) In 2025

The Wii U perhaps isn't as fondly ed as many other consoles, largely due to its confusing identity and many not seeing a reason to spend the extra money on it. Costing $299 as standard and $349 for the deluxe version in 2012, the prices were still relatively low back then, costing $413.70 and $482.88 today, but this didn't help the Wii U's case. The tablet design and poor marketing did the console little favors, but it still had some great games on it that later found themselves ported to the Switch.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the first Splatoon, New Super Mario Bros. U, and a couple couple of Zelda remasters for Wind Waker and Twilight Princess helped round out a decent library, even if many didn't bother buying the console. Strangely, the Wii U also brought Bayonetta, of all games, to Nintendo's roster, which is odd given how the franchise goes so heavily against Nintendo's family-friendly vibe. Still, the Wii U is probably seen as Nintendo's first and (currently) only failure in the home console space, which did lead it to a massive success.

2 The Nintendo Switch Launched With A Bang In 2017 At $299

It Would Cost $387.50 In 2025

The Nintendo Switch was a game-changer for Nintendo in 2017, combining handheld and home consoles together in a family-friendly package that won back the audience from the Wii, while having a great enough roster to pull in some more avid gamers. Launching at a relatively cheap price of $299, especially compared to the competition, the Switch was all about versatility, acting as a console that could entice hard-core gamers and grannies alike. When adjusted for inflation, it would cost $387.50 today.

According to Nintendo, the Switch has sold 150.86 million units as of December 31, 2024.

The Switch began a renaissance for Nintendo with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pikman 4, Metroid Dread, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Kirby and The Forgotten Land, and many more. It kept the family fun aspect with the extremely stressful Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Party Jamboree. The Switch even saw games that let some of the princesses shine, as was the case with Zelda: Echos of Wisdom and Princess Peach: Showtime, showing both innovation and an acknowledgment of the company's roots.

1 The Nintendo Switch 2 Will Launch At $449.99

It's Still Not Nintendo's Most Expensive Console Including Inflation

The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch at $449.99 on June 5, 2025. This is a hefty sum compared to the first Switch, and while it isn't too far off what was expected of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it is a big jump, unless inflation is taken into . It is still cheaper than the NES and SNES (after adjusting) and cheaper than the Wii U Deluxe. Inflation and rising prices have been an issue recently, and the Switch 2 is a victim of that, but after the Nintendo Direct for the Switch 2 stream, it promises a lot of features and games to make up for it.

The Nintendo Switch 2 looks like it will be packing some serious hardware, promising players 120FPS and heavy-duty, third-party games like Cyberpunk 2077, Borderlands 4, and Hogwarts Legacy will all be coming to the console. It will also have some third-party exclusives, like FromSoftware's Bloodborne-like title, Dusk Bloods. That doesn't mean the Switch 2 will be all third-party, with a new Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, and Kirby Air Riders. After its first year, the Switch 2 should have an impressive library, especially compared to the competition at launch.

Source: in2013dollar.com, Nintendo of America/YouTube