Last updated on March 4th, 2026
This week, Trump released his nonsensical and needless tariffs on virtually all imports into the United States. Most countries will have a minimum 10% tariff slapped on goods, while various countries have higher tariff amounts; Japan is at 24%, while China is at 34%. TechDirt has an article explaining all of this in detail, including the multiple flaws behind the tariffs: flawed assumptions; confusion about the difference between tariffs and trade deficits; flawed math; possible use of AI; and so on.
Initially, I assumed Trump and company were specifically targeting Asian countries (to punish manufacturers using non-China Asian sources). However, it looks like I assumed too much of Trump and his “brain trust,” as it’s just a coincidence.
Unless something changes, the country is almost certainly heading for a recession, as well as facing major price inflation on all sorts of goods. That includes things I blog about: video games, comics, electronics, physical media, and so on. Below, I look at several of my recurring blog topics affected by Trump’s tariffs.
Video games
Nintendo’s Switch 2 was announced this week. Due for release June 5, it’ll cost $449 for the console, or $499 bundled with a new version of “Mario Kart,” “Mario Kart World.” The “Mario Kart” game by itself will cost a whopping $80. Given the original Switch is still on sale at its launch price (of $299), I wouldn’t expect a price drop for the Switch 2 in the near future.
While the Switch 2 is an improvement over the original Switch, part of the original Switch’s appeal is that it’s a reasonably inexpensive device. $449 puts it at the price range of a more high-end console, such as the PlayStation 5 (starting at $449) or the Xbox Series X (costing $499).
Despite memes going around, I’m pretty sure Trump has never heard of (or cares about) Nintendo or Mario. As I wrote during his first term, he clearly holds the stereotypical Boomer view of video games as “time wasters for kids”/”they’re full of violence.” Otherwise, as someone who embodies every negative stereotype about being elderly, Trump likely hasn’t paid attention to video games since “Pac-Man.”
That said, Nintendo certainly is aware of the tariff nonsense; the steeper pricing likely is in part to cover such. As of this writing, Nintendo’s put a hold on Switch 2 pre-orders, presumably to reassess things given the tariffs are steeper than expected. I also assume PlayStation and Xbox will see similar price hikes for the next generation of consoles.
Sorry PC gamers, but tariffs will affect you as well—computers and PC parts will also certainly see price hikes.
Comics
Most American single-issue comics are published in Canada, which is facing a 25% tariff. As others have noted, comic publishing can’t shift back to the US easily. Thus, I can see Marvel and DC raise the price of standard-issue comics—you can probably kiss the $4 single-issue comic price point goodbye?
Graphic novels (published in Canada and China) also should see similar price hikes. All this, of course, also affects local comic shop owners.
DVDs and Blu-rays
DVDs and Blu-rays already have seen annual sales drop below $1 billion; tariffs aren’t likely to help matters. While Mexico (a major producer of DVDs, Blu-rays, and vinyl records) isn’t directly affected by this week’s tariffs, it is affected by a previous round.
While physical media’s fate is a bit vague, DVD and Blu-ray players, of course, will definitely be affected, along with other electronics like record players (see below).
Electronics
Since China (and a few other Asian countries) make the vast majority of Americans’ electronics, I definitely expect to see prices on computers (and computer parts), TV sets, smartphones, tablets, etc. take a hike. That’s not good news for anyone wanting a new laptop, building a gaming PC, or buying hard drives for Plex/Jellyfin servers.
There’s a reason I upgraded what electronics I could during last Black Friday/Christmas, before Trump took office. I couldn’t do much about video games besides waiting for newer consoles. That said, given the Switch 2’s price hike over the original, it looks like I’ll be holding onto my Xbox Series S for the foreseeable future. (Unless there’s a reason to consider buying the Switch 1 at all at this point?) Overall, if the worst comes to pass regarding price hikes, I’ll definitely be making the most of my existing electronics over the next several years.
Image by Joshua Amaro from Pixabay
