On Tuesday the Switch 2 went up €30 across Europe, from €469.99 to €499.99. On its own that's a shrug. Put beside the rest of the year it's something else: the Switch 2 was the cheap option, and now the cheapest brand-new console you can walk out of a shop with in Ireland costs five hundred euro. Whichever one you pick.
Where European prices actually sit now
Three rounds of increases landed this year. Sony went first in April, raising every PS5 model by €100. Microsoft's rises took effect on 1 August. Nintendo's, announced back in May, came in on 1 September. Recommended European prices as things stand:
| Nintendo Switch 2 | €499.99 (was €469.99) |
| Xbox Series S 512GB | €499.99 (was €349.99) |
| Xbox Series S 1TB | €599.99 (was €399.99) |
| PS5 Digital Edition | €599.99 (was €499.99) |
| PS5 with disc drive | €649.99 (was €549.99) |
| Xbox Series X 1TB, disc | €799.99 (was €599.99) |
| PS5 Pro | €899.99 (was €799.99) |
The Series S is the one that stings. It was sold as the affordable way into the generation at €349.99, and it now costs the same as a Switch 2. That's a machine most people were only ever going to buy on price.
Why it keeps happening
It's the same story that's been running through every hardware post this year: memory. Consoles are stuffed with RAM and flash storage, and AI datacentres are outbidding the games industry for both. Nintendo's own explanation pointed at "changes in market conditions", and the memory shortage is the market condition it means. Nobody credible is forecasting cuts in the next year, so waiting for the old prices to come back isn't a plan.
New at €500, or second-hand?
At these prices the used market suddenly makes a lot of sense. It has real downsides too, so weigh both:
What second-hand costs you
- No manufacturer warranty, and no comeback if it fails in a month
- Unknown history: dust, heat, and how hard it was used
- Consoles banned from online services can't be undone by you
- Controllers are usually the most worn part, and rarely mentioned
What it gets you
- Frequently half the new price for the same games
- Disc models mean cheap second-hand games too
- Older stock at pre-increase prices still sits on some shelves
- Even with a repair budget set aside, you're often still ahead
Checking a used console before you hand over cash
Ten minutes of checking is the difference between a bargain and someone else's problem. Do this in front of the seller, plugged in and switched on:
- Boot it and sign in, to confirm it isn't account-locked or console-banned
- Listen to the fan under load; a game menu is idle, a real game is the test
- Feel the exhaust after fifteen minutes. Very hot air plus loud fan means a clean-out is due
- Wiggle the HDMI cable gently at the console end and watch for flicker or dropout
- Put a disc in and take it out twice on disc models
- Test both sticks in a menu, hands off the pad, and check nothing drifts
- Check the serial number matches the box, and get a receipt or message trail
If you already own one
The console under your telly gained value this year without you doing a thing. A machine bought for €399 is now backed by a €500 replacement, so the maths on maintenance has shifted.
A deep clean and fresh thermal paste. A stick module in a drifting controller. An HDMI port after somebody caught the cable. Each costs a fraction of a replacement, and each gets dearer the longer it's left.
What I'd do
The Switch 2 rise on 1 September closed the last gap under €500, and the reasons behind it aren't going away quickly. Buying new? Buy the library you'll actually play, because the bargain console doesn't exist any more. Buying used? Run through the checks above before money changes hands. And if the one you have is running hot or drifting, get it seen to now rather than after it dies.
