Do you ever look at something, laugh out loud, and immediately start crying? That was me the second I saw the Nintendo Switch 2 price tag.

• $499.99. For the bundle(!)
• $449.99. For the base model(!!)
• $79.99. For Mario Kart World (!!!)

And before anyone gets defensive, yes, it’s got a fancy new Nvidia chip, a better screen, and all the GameShare bells and Joy-Con whistles. But let’s be real: most of us weren’t sitting around with half a grand burning a hole in our sweatpants. This isn’t just about gaming. It’s not even about the Nintendo Switch 2 itself. This is about the bigger problem we’ve been dodging since the ‘70s: American wages are stuck in a time loop worse than any Zelda dungeon.

When Hardware Gets Upgraded, but Our Paychecks Don’t

Nintendo isn’t totally to blame here. The Nintendo Switch 2 is loaded with upgrades, including a next-gen Nvidia chip that reportedly costs up to $150 per unit, nearly double the price of the original model’s guts. That kind of tech flex doesn’t come cheap.

But here’s where things get spicy: Nintendo paused Nintendo Switch 2 U.S. pre-orders because of looming 54% tariffs on Chinese electronics. Yeah. That’s not a random business choice, that’s direct fallout from government trade policies, they were even hit when they moved production of Nintendo Switch 2 to Vietnam. They got hit with a potential 46% tarriff. Once again, everyday consumers are footing the bill while policy-makers shrug and say “inflation’s down, what are you complaining about?”

Spoiler: We’re still broke.

Wages Have Been on Pause Since the First NES

Let’s take a time warp, shall we? Since 1979, productivity in the U.S. has gone up. A lot. But wages? Womp womp. The average middle-income worker saw just 16.8% wage growth over nearly 40 years. That’s basically the economic version of playing 100 hours of Fire Emblem and still being level 1.

Why? As the Economic Policy Institute bluntly puts it, wage stagnation wasn’t some natural market fluke.

“It was the result of policy decisions made on behalf of those with the most income, wealth, and power.”

Read: Lawmakers made deliberate choices that benefited CEOs, not you.

We saw it in:

• The decline of unions (less bargaining power = lower wages)
• The failure to raise the minimum wage to match inflation
• Trade policies that made offshoring easier than pressing Start
• Weak labor laws that let companies misclassify employees and commit wage theft with barely a slap on the wrist

If that feels like a rigged game, it’s because it is.

But Inflation Is Cooling, Right? Then Why Am I Still Poor?

Good question, hypothetical reader. According to Forbes, 73% of American workers are still living paycheck to paycheck. Even with inflation “cooling,” prices are still high, and wages haven’t caught up, especially in essentials like rent, food, and medical care. Add in shrinkflation (looking at you, potato chip bags), and it’s no wonder people feel poorer than ever.

And while wage growth surged during the pandemic recovery, it’s slowing again. The Atlanta Fed says it’s still above pre-pandemic levels, but that gain? Not equally shared. Tech bros are doing fine. Retail workers? Not so much.

You Can’t Buy a Console on $7.25 an Hour

Let’s talk about the federal minimum wage, which has been $7.25 since 2009. That’s the equivalent of showing up to a boss fight in Dark Souls with a wooden spoon.

Drexel University flat-out says that minimum wage workers can’t afford basic living expenses in any U.S. state. Not one. And while 31 states are hiking wages in 2025 thanks to worker pressure, it’s still too little, too late for a lot of people trying to participate in even small luxuries, like, you know, affording consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 to keep them sane.

The Switch 2 Is a Symbol, Not Just a Console

Listen. we love Nintendo. we will cry real tears when we boot up one the games on the Nintendo Switch 2, if we can ever get one. But the $499 price tag isn’t just about new tech, it’s a reminder of the disconnect between how we live and how the system expects us to live.

We’re not whining because we want everything handed to us. We’re asking:

• Why is basic enjoyment priced like a privilege?
• Why are wages still stuck in 2009 when everything else has leveled up?
• Why are workers expected to stretch every dollar while corporations rake in record profits and government policy looks the other way?

Fix the System, Not Just the Console

If you want people to afford what they love, be it the Nintendo Switch 2, sneakers, or sandwiches, then we need to stop blaming the consumer and start fixing the policy mess that got us here:

• Raise the minimum wage
• Strengthen labor protections
• Rein in corporate hoarding and stock buybacks
• Prioritize full employment
• Actually enforce labor laws

Or hey, keep ignoring it. But don’t be surprised when a lot of us start hugging our dusty Nintendo Switch 1s like life rafts while staring longily at the Nintendo Switch 2 cruise ship passing our way, asking why we’re always the ones expected to adapt, sacrifice, or settle.

Note: This article contains opinions from the writer