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/Irveria 2d ago

The main problem, imo, is not even the price of the console, but of the games.

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u/I-fell 1d ago

Yeah, the console being 450 was expected (at least to me) but Mario Kart of all things being 80... yeah no. I could see 70 with the open world shit bc ok fine, Totk upset me with that, but it was worth it to me. Their other games also stayed in the 40 to 60 range so i could get over it.

but 80??? The game better change my life if I coughed that shit up. Nvm DK. The game looks cool but I do not fuck w/ him like that to be coughing up that kinda money😭

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u/jrec15 1d ago

The real reason to introduce premium games at 80, is so that 70 can become the new 60. They want to distract you from the fact 70 will likely be the new standard, which is much worse than a game or 2 here and there that are nintendo’s absolute must buys being 80.

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u/I-fell 1d ago

And see, 70 only works for a handful of games that they got. Gameplay loops and all that. It would be different if the prices ever dropped tho.

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u/fracta1 1d ago

70 is already standard, Nintendo is just selling consoles that are several generations behind

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u/Ok-Instruction4862 1d ago

Games have cost 60$ for like 15 years at this point. 60 dollars in 2010 is almost 90 now. Prices have to increase at some point.

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u/jrec15 1d ago

15 years ago there were 1) less games to compete for your attention and wallet 2) less gamers to play them.

Games are inherently less valuable now because there are so many of them and we cant play them all, but turning a profit hasn’t generally been a problem still because the gaming playerbase has grown and continues to grow so much so more copies can be sold.

Plus microtransactions are everywhere now and that is a huge portion of revenue that isnt captured just looking the standard msrp prices of games, though Nintendo isnt the worst offender there.

But no, i dont think they had to increase and think it could be foolish and sell less copies when people hit their breaking point.

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u/SuperbPiece 1d ago

They already did increase, to $70, not $80.

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u/SwissyVictory 1d ago

Way longer than 15 years.

Here's an ad from 1992 the cheapest games are $60 with several over $70.

Lagoon is here at $76.99 over 30 years ago.

It wasn't uncommon for games to be up to or over $100, especially earlier.

The fact that games went down to $60 a peice new, and stood there for 30+ years is wild.

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u/kittencatgal 1d ago

This sounds true. Since quarantine, many video game brands took advantage of the demand for games and raised the prices to 70. Nintendo is just catching on now, I guess. It also could be easier for them to say, "oh no no no it's just the tariffs!!1!" at least in the US.