Switch Do you Agree with the Switch 2 Price?

[Egg (McMuffin) Man]

I wish that the games and the console were cheaper, but I understand why things are the way they are. Everything is going up in price now and I absolutely hate it, but there is a reason this is happening and it's not just because of greed. If you're upset about the Switch, try going grocery shopping.

Given the current situation I think that the price is acceptable, but this also means that I'll probably buy fewer games than I did previously. This isn't limited to Nintendo either, lots of games sell for even higher here in Japan, and this has been the case for many years now.

 

[Deleted member 179251]

As a wise man once said, "Nintendo Switch 2 is releasing, that means Nintendo Switch prices will go down, and I would finally be able to afford a Wii U."

 

[soulsas]

Yeah, the projected price of around R$4.000 for the Switch 2 in Brazil is a serious gut punch, and it highlights a persistent issue in the Brazilian gaming market: the massive barrier created by taxes, import fees, and lack of local production.
R$4.000 is more than the monthly minimum wage in Brazil. That means for a huge portion of the population, the Switch 2 will be a luxury item, not a mainstream gaming platform. This completely undercuts Nintendo's historical strength in Brazil: being the "family-friendly" and more affordable console.

 

[regretro]

€90 for physical copies of games can be acceptable to me, but that is conditional; they have to 1) work as delivered, without downloading any more data, 2) stay on the cartridge, so I can save the internal space a digital copy would occupy, and 3) unrestricted transferability (i.e. can be resold).

Now, for digital copies of the same game, €90 is unacceptably high. I checked the box of Shadows of the Empire for Nintendo 64 some time ago, and yes, they were even more expensive back then. But digital games comes with restrictions that were unavailable to distributors back then. They have a limited life span, when the game store is gone in two decades, you can't just pop in the cartridge and play. They can't be resold, everyone who wants it is a new sale. Distributing them is a fraction of producing cartridges or disks, and then shipping them around the world, occupying warehouse space and all that entails.

For these reasons, digital copies should be way cheaper than their physical counterparts. Like half. In practice, the digital stores (even on Nintendo) have sales where titles are frequently 60-90% off. I think I have paid full price for only one digital title on the Switch; Super Smash Bros, which I wanted on release. Nintendo are too greedy when it comes to their own titles though, they rarely go below 33% off. For that reason, I have bought physical copies for the Switch whenever possible. I can sell them if I didn't care for the game, and lend it to a friend without restrictions. For this reason alone, I will probably continue to buy physical, even with the abominable "key cartridges".

 

[TropicalFreeze3499]

I don't support anything costing $450, but I get it. If the Switch 2 can output 4K and consistent 60fps or 1080p at 120fps like they say, then it defiantly is a technological leap compared to the Switch 1. I mean, a PS5 and XBX were $500 on launch, so it's to be expected with those specs.

The game prices though? No way. And the fact that Doug Bowser came out to say the prices are "variable prices", basically what Nintendo think that game should cost based on the development of it. In that case, why is a port of a Kirby game $80? The added content is just the levels having different paths and blue crystals on them and now Kirby can eat a giant spring. A new open world Mario Kart makes more sense in that argument of "variable pricing", but defiantly not an "enhanced" Switch port.

 

[YuriSukiSan]

No, we shouldn't be treated like chattel.

 

[DjQuick2008]

Apparently theyve scrapped the whole if your a nintendo member you get served first. Its my 40th on June 4th so yeah id be interested in a switch and the new mario kart think £425 is the going bundle rate in the uk.

 

[Deleted member 257420]

Yeah it’s fair, anything to piss off gamers is a win in my books. /j

I guess when you consider stuff like inflation sure but fuck me man those extra’s.

 

[Bomberman]

The price of the system to me is a little high but not outrageous.

I have seen people defend the increase in price of games saying but N64/SNES games. Well with those games cartridges were very expensive to manufacture so the price got passed to the consumer. Even CDs being cheaper had the data on the disc.

The reason for digital game prices being raised substantially is irredeemable especially since that extra profit won't trickle down to the devs but largely remain with the suits.

Nintendo games rarely go on sale digitally as well. Sony and Microsoft pushed the price of digital games and emboldened Nintendo to do the same. There is a reason many people are turning to PC gaming and it is the more fairly priced games. Not many people enjoy having to tinker with settings and the UI of windows but its a bullet they are willing to bite for a more consumer friendly environment.

Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony should be ashamed of themselves for working together to push anti consumer practices. If you want to eliminate physical game sales than do it. Do not mislead customers into thinking they have full game data on disc/cart. If you are going to raise the price pass the profit onto the people that actually develop the games and pour their soul into making what we love. However most these workers just want gamers to enjoy their games (there are far more profitable venues to make money for those gifted with programming skills). I am not saying they don't want to be paid more (who doesn't), I just don't think many devs agree with this price increase either.

 

[LightningmanEXE]

Honestly? if the price were the only issue, I'd be 100% fine with it. it's maybe a little high, but well within reason.

it's the price of games, charging for backwards compatibility updates, weird game library limitations, cartridge's devoid of a game in general, insistence on a service based model for old games, lack of real innovation, the games themselves not interesting me...

I could go on and on, but here is the thing. I am a fan of what Nintendo used to look like, but I'm at a point in my life I can't forgive a bad mindset. It's not a mismanaged release or a mistake of any kind, this is precisely what the vision was, and I will not support it because of that.

 

[Ikagura]

The 3DS at launch would've been 355$ today.

 

[DieDieDanmakuDoll]

I do not understand the controversy personally. When I was a kid you were out of luck if you could not get the new system, there was no way to get new releases. How I see it raised prices for the games and console make sense to maintain profit since for the forseen future they will let buyers play these new games made for a new console on the old model. This is fairly unprecedented in the market is it not? And offers consumers benefits we did not have before. We will no longer have to wait out scalpers hogging the system units since we can pop them in the Switch 1 from launch. This could save us a lot of the trouble scalpers during modern launches. (Remember the PS5 craziness? This could mitigate much of that.) Nintendo still has to keep profit though to make up for all the players who are going to camp out on the first system right?

I understand that some figures at the company have not handled this decision with tact, though for now it seems to me a fair enough trade-off for letting Switch 1 owners keep up without paying for the Switch 2. Though this may remain to be seen due to factors of how many games will be Switch 2 exclusives for hardware limitations.

 

[Stingy Perry Stingy Perry]

The price isn’t justified at all and worst it all Nintendo is charging for the use of Switch 2 chat service which is a Discord clone but definitely more primitive than the original.

 

[newageretrohippie]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but the trump tariffs are a big consideration for the launch.

Nintendo has moved much of their manufacturing to Cambodia and Vietnam. The tariffs on those countries were very high (48 and 49 % respectively)

Nintendo's claimed value/cost per unit is evidently about $335, so the tarrifs on that put the cost per unit at over $500.

Now it looks like all the tariffs have been temporarily repealed (except china). I believe the tariffs are unconstitutional, myself... anybody ever heard of the boston tea party, lol? I dont think they will stand and i think the switch 2 price might settle out at 399, especially if they dont fly off shelves at first...

(but i'll prolly buy one, heh)

U.S. tariff pause could give Nintendo time to amass a Switch 2 stockpile

A 90-day reprieve for countries due to be hit by heightened U.S. tariffs has created a window of opportunity for the Japanese company.

www.gamedeveloper.com

 

[wilddogsdivorce]

just going off the specs, i don't think 450 is that terrible of an asking price. the games? nah, dawg. hard pass. i might buy a switch 2 and keep it in a box until we bust that thang open. but i'm not really sure about that. it'd be completely useless, until the security is broken. seeing as how the games aren't even on the carts anymore... i think there's a lot more issues with the whole thing than the prices, really. my games are all just gone when nintendo decides to stop serving those files. that's insane.

 

[retroking84]

I'm a long time Nintendo fan, but this time i think Switch 2 can wait. Mario kart it is not enough to push me to buy this console because there are no games that are worth it. I think that a fair price for this console would have been 399,00 euros (i'm from Italy, sorry). The first party games are really expensive too.

 

[Deleted member 386808]

It's cheaper in Japan: Nintendo is releasing a Switch 2 on the domestic market, which is also intended exclusively for the domestic market. It will cost only 49,980 yen there, which is roughly 310 euros. That's easily 160 euros less, a massive difference.

Why is the console so cheap there? There are two reasons:
It's a purely Japanese version: You can't change the language; the console operates exclusively and entirely in Japanese. It can also only be used with a Nintendo Account that has the country/region setting set to Japan.
Probably because of the weak yen: Nintendo apparently wants to prevent resellers and scalpers from abroad from exploiting the currently weak exchange rate of the currency to make a profit.

 

[Ikagura]

just going off the specs, i don't think 450 is that terrible of an asking price.

People often forget one important factor: it's a handheld.

Sure, a laptop, for the same price, will never be as powerful as a desktop.

Although 399.99 would've been better.

As for the games I only got two in my interests but that's it.

 

[Matricks]

What about tax and importscosts, customs adds easily 30%+ and no warranty oversea and wrong languages.
Its NO WORTH it except for rich fancyboys!

 

[LSDMemeEmulator]

I don't have too much of a problem with the price of the console, it's not good but as long as it's a bit below the 500 mark I'd say that's okay. 80 dollar games is where I draw the line. It's a very tone deaf action from Nintendo and something all of you should keep in mind is that Nintendo games rarely get good discounts even years past release. That stuff adds up if you mostly play on their consoles you know. Having to pay money to get upgraded performance on old switch games is crazy as well, that's genuinely absurd to me. But really none of this is surprising, Nintendo has a habit of making dumb, egotistical decisions after having massive success (like the Switch). Theyre kind of like Sisyphus in that regard

 

[Ikagura]

Accepting the PS5 Pro price was merely the beginning.

 

[tranzittruther]

Imagine my disappointment, I was already outraged when they started making you pay for the internet on your console... Inflation or not, these prices are CRAZY considering the state a lot of games come out on these days, plus the way Nintendo is, they will be selling for full price for years. How is any of this fair to costumers?

 

[SunnyPhoenixFire]

It's cheaper in Japan: Nintendo is releasing a Switch 2 on the domestic market, which is also intended exclusively for the domestic market. It will cost only 49,980 yen there, which is roughly 310 euros. That's easily 160 euros less, a massive difference.

Why is the console so cheap there? There are two reasons:
It's a purely Japanese version: You can't change the language; the console operates exclusively and entirely in Japanese. It can also only be used with a Nintendo Account that has the country/region setting set to Japan.
Probably because of the weak yen: Nintendo apparently wants to prevent resellers and scalpers from abroad from exploiting the currently weak exchange rate of the currency to make a profit.

We all know it's purely corporate greed that has them region-lock their own exclusive cheaper version of the console. It could be that cheap everywhere, but they raised their prices because of greed. Like Riot Games pricing certain cosmetics higher because they know most gamers in certain regions have zero self-control and will buy anything to look superior.

Can't wait until Switch 2 games are emulated on PC. You'll probably see tons of people importing Japanese Switch 2s and modding them to run emulated games for free.

 

[marky]

Firstly... taxes, duties and import costs. The global version in Japan is also cheaper than many other countries.
But this is because you have different tariffs and inflation in each country. In addition, there are distributor commissions.
E.g. Switch 2 prices on Amazon: French amazon 449.97 , Spanish €477.76, German €485.79

For comparison, in Poland the Switch 2 costs PLN 2199 which converts at the current exchange rate to €512.67.
Despite the fact that Poles on average earn far less than the French, Germans or Spaniards....

Probably because of the weak yen: Nintendo apparently wants to prevent resellers and scalpers from abroad from exploiting the currently weak exchange rate of the currency to make a profit.

Not probably, but certainly. Nintendo decided to protect their home market in this way, which they have, after all, always dominated, because if they didn't, then regardless of price, Japanese gamers would have a problem buying a console because most would be bought up and sold overseas by scalpers.
This is so for those who believe that capital has no nationality.

 

[partymembervii]

as many have said before, the console price is whatever, the game prices are where the problem starts, and it certainly doesnt end with the fact the tech demo game isnt a pack-in. i kind of hope the launch goes poorly so nintendo might see that pricing out most of their audience and responding with "well if they cant afford it theres still the original switch :)" as if there is zero risk of it soon being phased out or discontinued altogether, then where does thatleave us less well off gamers? just gotta watch videos of people wealthy enough to buy in? no thanks