Somewhere between one sellout and the next, one unit opened up behind this banner.
Direct Answer & TL;DR
Nintendo Switch 2’s official Korean price went from ₩648,000 ($470) to ₩758,000 ($550) on September 1. Three days before that, I bought a console-only unit at the old price through Digital Grab, the limited-quantity sale inside Emart’s app.
It had been sold out the whole time. I opened the app once, and the buy button was live. I checked out, and it went right back to sold out.
Physical stores bundled it with a game I didn’t want. Karrot (Danggeun Market, Korea’s used-goods app) listings at the old price sold almost instantly. For someone who just wanted the console at retail price, a hypermarket chain’s app-only sale was the way that actually worked.
Table of contents
Switch 1 Was Already Plenty of Fun
We already had a Nintendo Switch 1 at home. I had a great time with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The kids loved Bubble Bobble. So a Switch 2 wasn’t something we needed.
Then the price-hike news showed up.
Word That the Price Was Going Up ₩110,000
Nintendo Korea announced in late June that it was changing the Switch 2’s suggested retail price. The increase: ₩110,000.
| Price | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Before | ₩648,000 (~$470) | Through Aug 31 |
| After | ₩758,000 (~$550) | From Sept 1 |
| Difference | +₩110,000 (~$80) | About 17% |
Source: Nintendo Korea’s announcement, as reported by ZDNet Korea. The Switch 1 lineup had already gone up in May.
The reasons the company gave were “changes in market conditions” and a “review of global business viability.” I didn’t need it. But if I was going to buy one eventually anyway, buying now made more sense.
The Path to Paying Retail Was Narrower Than I Thought
Only after deciding to buy did I find out how hard it was to get a console-only unit at retail price.
| Route | What I found | My take |
|---|---|---|
| Nearby physical stores | A few units left, but console-only purchase wasn’t allowed — you had to buy a game with it | I didn’t want to pay for a game I wasn’t going to play |
| Yongsan I’Park Mall (a Seoul electronics and shopping hub) | Looked like they sold around 100 units every morning. Lining up seemed to work | Getting there felt like too much |
| Karrot (Danggeun Market) | Listings around the new, higher price existed. Anything at the old retail price sold the moment it was posted | Too hard to catch |
| Emart’s Digital Grab app | Sold out, continuously | The option I had left |
To buy just the console, a game I wasn’t going to play kept getting attached as a condition. That didn’t sit right with me. The only route to paying retail for the console alone turned out to be a single app.
I Opened the App. That’s All I Did.
It was Saturday afternoon, August 29. I opened Digital Grab in the Emart app. No notification had come in. I hadn’t been mashing refresh. I just checked, once.
Available to buy.
The button that had been sold out the whole time was live. I didn’t think it over. I checked out immediately.
Switch 2 console (standard edition), ₩648,000 (~$470), no discount. Still ₩110,000 less than the price three days later.
When I looked again right after paying, it was back to sold out. My guess: someone’s cancellation freed up one unit, and I happened to open the app at that exact moment. There’s no way to confirm it. The timing just lined up.
Same day, 15:55. The button was back to “Sold out!”
Digital Grab works on in-store pickup. Paying gets you a voucher, and you pick up the item at a designated store within a set window. Mine was September 5 through 7.
September 7, and the Kids Were Genuinely Happy
I went to pick it up on the last day of the window, September 7. I brought the box home, and the kids were genuinely happy.
Then they asked. “Why aren’t you hooking up the Switch 2?”
Now What?
Honestly, the box is still sealed. We’re still playing on the Switch 1. The Switch 2 I saved ₩110,000 on is sitting in its box, waiting its turn.
Now that I actually have it, I haven’t decided what to play on it. Any Switch 2 game recommendations for someone who liked Zelda and kids who like Bubble Bobble?
🔗 References
- Nintendo Korea Raises Switch 2 Domestic Price to ₩758,000 Starting September - ZDNet Korea — ₩648,000 → ₩758,000 from September 1, the stated reasons, and the Switch 1 lineup’s May increase
- Notice on Nintendo Switch 2 Price Change - Nintendo Korea — Nintendo Korea’s official notice