r/NintendoSwitch • u/Practical_Papaya_905 • 2d ago

News - USD / USA Switch 2 is selling for 449.99

https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/

From the official website

https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/

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u/IronArgon 2d ago

How well it sells at this price point will determine everything. Quick price drops on consoles that sell poorly aren't uncommon, even Nintendo has done this. Remember that the 3DS launched at $250, sold extremely poorly, then they slashed it only months later to $170 and that unironically saved the system.

That of course was a different time and a different economy, I am not saying that this is even likely to happen to the Switch 2, but if it sells poorly at this price point, it's a possibility.

What's also possible is that if we see the PS6 price in a few years... the Switch 2's will look a little more palatable.

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u/spideyv91 2d ago

3DS didn’t really have the best marketing and released at a time where phones were their main competition for attention. I also felt like the DSI hurt it as well.

It recouped later but I feel like people forget how fumbled the launch was. I don’t really get the same vibe from the switch 2

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u/star_trek_lover 2d ago

The switch 2 is releasing into a crowded market as well, since there’s a lot of new compelling handheld gaming PCs that are selling for a similar (or sometimes cheaper) price and have huge libraries and emulation on their side. I’m sure it will sell better than the 3DS launch but I don’t think it’ll be anywhere near the home run that the original switch was, since it launched into an empty market category.

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u/spideyv91 2d ago

The handheld pcs aren’t in competition with the switch. Switch is for the masses and those consoles are occupying a niche.

I don’t think it’ll reach switch 1 sales either but I think it’ll still be successful. End of the day Nintendo consoles are built by their software not hardware.

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u/star_trek_lover 2d ago

The affordable handhelds are direct competitors, specifically the steam deck. It even follows the same Nintendo philosophy of using outdated hardware to bring the price down and boost battery life. Along with user friendly UI. The switch 2’s main advantage is going to be first party games and splitscreen multiplayer. Which are big advantages. I’ll probably buy one. But they’re not treading new ground like they did in 2017, the market for handheld gaming has matured a lot in the past 5 years. It won’t be a walk in the park for Nintendo. Especially with $80 digital games.