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Costco’s great Switch 2 console bundle includes over $100 in free stuff
Costco is offering a $499.99 bundle for the Nintendo Switch 2 that includes a 256GB microSD Express card and a one-year Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, together worth over $100. The deal is notable because it lands just before Nintendo raises the standalone console's price by $50 to $499.99 from 1 September 2026, meaning Costco members can currently get the console plus extras for the same price the console alone will soon cost.
The microSD Express card, usually priced at $59, addresses the Switch 2's 256GB internal storage limit, which typically fills up quickly given that first-party Nintendo titles run 10–25GB and larger third-party games can reach 50GB; the extra card should hold roughly 5 to 20 more games. The Switch Online Expansion Pack, normally $49.99 a year, adds classic GameCube, Game Boy Advance, N64 and Virtual Boy titles alongside cloud saves and online play, and crucially includes the Switch 2 upgrade packs for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
In short
- Costco bundles Switch 2, 256GB microSD card and NSO for $499.99
- Deal beats Nintendo's upcoming $50 price rise from 1 September 2026
- Bundle includes over $100 worth of extras at no added cost
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
This bundle delivers documented savings for consumers who would purchase these items regardless. The microSD card is practically essential given that Nintendo games consume 10-50GB each, and the online subscription adds genuine functionality. Costco members receive over $100 in retail value for no premium, representing real financial benefit before prices rise significantly on 1 September.
The case against
Whilst the bundle contains real retail value, it exemplifies a troubling pattern: Nintendo designed the Switch 2 with inadequate base storage, and now bundles essential add-ons into special offers to make a price increase seem more palatable. The 'great value' narrative masks a fundamental issue—consumers must pay extra to get a complete product, and celebrating bundles that let them do so at yesterday's prices obscures rather than challenges this anti-consumer approach.
Explained simply
The Nintendo Switch 2 is a video game console made by Nintendo, a Japanese company known for games such as The Legend of Zelda. It has 256GB of built-in storage for downloaded games, which can take up a lot of space.
A microSD Express card adds room to store more games. Nintendo Switch Online is a paid membership for online play and cloud saves; its Expansion Pack tier also gives access to older Nintendo games and extra content for some newer titles.
Costco is a membership-based retailer, and its bundle combines the console with storage and a year of the higher-tier subscription. The price change matters because it affects what buyers may pay for the console on its own.