Will Tariffs affectively END Gaming Handhelds in USA in 2025?

I was talking to my wife a couple weeks ago as elections were heating up in the United States and came to the realization that this hobby may soon be unobtainable. I’m not one to get into politics but I do think we need to start thinking about a burning question a lot of us have. Will we be able to afford Retro Handhelds in 2025?

The USA is in an awkward position right now because a lot of things are unknown and one of the biggest questions in this market is around a 60% proposed tariff on goods coming from China starting in 2025. If you are asking it’s because you understand that this tariff doesn’t cost China anything but it is more a 60% penalty imposed on individuals who decide to purchase from China.

I would say most if not all the handhelds we are receiving today are coming from the Chinese market to the United States as it sits. This tariff is supposed to spark manufacturing in the USA by discouraging purchasing goods and services from China. Even if there is some spark of innovation into building Retro Handhelds in the United States the parts that go in them will still be tariffed so prices won’t see any substantial decreases from “home” manufacturing. This could really cause our hobby to take a hit. Surprise it’s not Nintendo this time.

I would imagine if these tariffs are to go into effect we will have some time after an announcement. Maybe the manufacturers in China should look at getting there flagships to market early next year if they want to move inventory. I’m not sure if these tariffs are going to go into effect or not so personally I’m going to keep reviewing these handhelds at the same rate.

If we do find ourselves here in the United States struggling to afford handhelds due to tariffs I’m not going to get overly concerned. This community figured out how to hack the Nintendo Switch within days of launch… someone will find us a mule to get handhelds around the same prices we pay today. Most the tools in the US are from currently banned or tariffed Chinese markets that are imported through a middleman for example. We got this!

Are you worried about how tarrifs could affect the Retro Handheld hobby? Are you looking to pickup your dream handheld prior to them going into effect?

GameOn

CellPhish