I will be honest: a year ago, I didn't even know what tariffs were. But now that they have become a central pillar of US foreign policy - for reasons no one knows about except the president - I have become a lot more knowledgeable on the subject. Last week's 'Liberation Day' announcements not only slowed down the Nintendo Switch 2 unveiling, but they set in motion a global chain of events that could affect everything Americans buy in the near future - including video games.
The tariff situation has yet to be resolved, and as we have come to expect from this administration, everything can change completely in an instant. But for now, it's best to take this with a grain of salt, as Nintendo has delayed Switch 2 pre-orders until we have more information.
As a result of President Trump's reciprocal tariffs it is being speculated that the price of many imported goods will increase. You may already know which items are currently available and in what quantities, but if you're considering making some purchases now to avoid overpaying (and don't mind taking financial advice from an armchair economist who's currently wearing Pikachu slippers) then here are some gaming essentials that are currently at risk of being heavily taxed.
PC Hardware You Need to Know About
If you're looking for a new Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics card, you're now facing some problems. It's hard to find them in stock it's even harder to find them in stock at MSRP, and it is hard to find them in stock at MSRP before the tariffs go into effect? It's a tough job. Your best option is to take a few days off from work and go camping at your local Micro Center. Maybe bring a very very long book.
GPUs aren't the only hardware that's manufactured outside of the US. While some memory is manufactured in the US, Samsung and Hynix both manufacture in Korea. 80 percent of motherboards are made in Taiwan or China, while hard drives and SSDs are typically made in Malaysia, Thailand, China, or Singapore.
Essentially, if you need PC parts there is a good chance they'll be imported, which means new tariffs will be imposed on them.
Top Handheld Emulators You Can Buy
It is been amazing to see a surge in handheld retro consoles over the past few years. Companies like Vocal and Retroid are offering some really impressive devices at surprisingly affordable prices. If you're interested in emulating any type of retro game, from the Atari and Game Boy to the Wii it is easier and better than ever.
Some of the most popular devices like the Retroid Pocket 5 are currently available for around $220, while cheaper but high quality devices like the Unburnic RG40xx can be found on Amazon for less than $100. Both of these devices are made by Chinese companies on which the President has just announced a 34 percent tariff. There's no guarantee that these devices will remain this cheap for long.
The Trading Card Games
Fortunately, many Japanese TCGs are now printed in the U.S. as well. The 24 percent tariff on Japan won't affects Pokemon cards and but there are many TCGs that are imported directly from the Japan. This includes Bandai games like One Piece Digimon Gundam Flesh & Blood, and Weiss Schwartz. Altered comes from Paris while the upcoming League of Legends TCG, Riftbound, is launching in China first it is unclear if it will be printed stateside or imported.
The Physical Games
Switch cartridges are manufactured by Taiwanese company Macronix, so Nintendo is hesitant to start pre-orders this week. For PlayStation and Xbox games nearly all video game discs are made in Mexico these days. If the 25 percent tariff remains in place analysts predict that either the cost will be passed on to customers and or else physical games will die out entirely and digital games will take their place.
My intention is not to scare you into buying more games, but it is important to know where your products come from and how they might be affected by these tariffs. If you are planning on buying an imported item it is better to do it sooner rather than later. If you are looking to buy something just because you are afraid you will miss out on a good deal that's called FOMO and you are better off without it.
Keep your eyes open as the tariff situation develops and whenever everything gets more expensive at least you will know why it is happening.
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