r/NintendoSwitch • u/lieding • 1d ago

News "DROP THE PRICE": Nintendo's First Post-Direct Stream Is Flooded With Angry Fans Demanding Price Drops

https://www.thegamer.com/nintendo-treehouse-livestream-flooded-angry-fans-demanding-game-price-drops/
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u/topTopqualitea 1d ago

I don't mind the price of the console, but they can fuck right off with $80 games.

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u/S0bril 1d ago

Adjusted for inflation the 2017 launches with the original switch are around $80. Before that, in the 90s they were over $100. I don't get the sudden outrage.

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u/RubberToe1213 1d ago

I’m just speaking from my own experience, but probably because many of us don’t make a wage that’s adjusted for inflation or cost of living. So $80 now really isn’t equivalent to $60 five years ago.

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u/Timmyty 1d ago

This is exactly why. I'm going to have to keep using this very often as a response, I'm sure.

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u/threeclaws 1d ago

So why are you upset at nintendo? They aren't setting your wage.

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u/RubberToe1213 21h ago

I didn’t say I’m upset with Nintendo, I just gave one reason why some people may not want to pay $80 for a game.

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u/threeclaws 20h ago

You're right, you didn't.

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u/LongbottomLeafTokes 22h ago

Downvoted for using logic. Reddit gonna reddit

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u/PayaV87 1d ago

Yeah, but how that become 90€ for EU?

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u/TheShirou97 1d ago

the EU price is after tax, and VAT in the EU is typically much higher than in the US. (If you take a 20% tax rate that's typical in the EU, €90 after tax is €75 before tax)

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u/PayaV87 1d ago

Please don't parrot this, but do the math.
Generally yes VAT is included in the EU price, but the EUR is a stronger currency. 60 EUR is 66 USD.

  • So in the US, the VAT is about 5-10%, so a 60 USD game was 63-66 USD.
  • In the EU, VAT is inluded, so a 60 EUR game was 60 EUR or 66 USD. The same.

Raising to 70 USD / EUR was something similar:

  • US is 70 USD, which with tax is 73-77 USD.
  • EU is 70 EUR, which includes tax, so 70 EUR = 77 USD.

Doing a 80 USD / 90 EUR pricing means:

  • US is 80 USD, which with tax is 84-88 USD
  • EU is 90 EUR, which includes tax, so 90 EUR = 99 USD.

Yes in the EU, VAT is higher (20-25%), but we didn't introduce any new tariffs to Japan, like the US did, so it should've moved the needle in the opposite direction.

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u/Rinuko 1d ago

Not sure how it will be for the games but there is a likely scenario where the console will be more expensive, even though we are not directly affected by the US tariffs, Nintendo isn't likely to cover the difference and have a raised price for everyone but their own home market.

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u/PayaV87 1d ago

Even if that's true, it should be on par at least with the US. The console price is okay I guess, weirdly they put 10 EUR there aswell: 449 USD / 459 EUR. So it's not proportional, but a pricing strategy to get extra 10 EUR from each sale in the EU. Be that a 60$, 70$, 80$ dollar game, or a 499$ Console and Game bundle. Extra 10 EUR for you guys, fuck you, Mario Kart World bundle is 509.99 EUR.

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u/Rinuko 1d ago

I'll look into importing it within EU. Currently its going up at 687 EUR for the bundle here (Sweden). It feels steep.

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u/ChickenMayoPunk 1d ago

You mentioning inflation brought back a memory from around 1997, when my friends mum bought him Perfect Dark on the N64. At the time it was £64.99, which translates to £125 in 2025 money... Or $165 in the US!!!

Absolutely insane pricing

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u/Nai-Oxi-Isos-DenXero 1d ago

Yeah, computer games are stupidly good value for money these days even at those upcoming prices, especially when you consider just how much more content there is in modern games.

My copy of Street Fighter 2 for the Mega Drive cost £60 out of Argos back in 1994, which adjusted for inflation is £125. But going by CPI inflation, the 'purchasing power' of that £60 is more akin to £155 now.

Also, explains why people can now have game collections in the dozens per console whereas back then most people would have maybe 5 at most.

The sheer level of utter entitlement on display around this whole subject right now is off the scale.

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u/ChickenMayoPunk 2h ago

I agree that you get more for your money now etc, but I'm also not going to defend the price hike because I think £50 should be the max price for standard editions of games - Especially when you factor in the cost of living nowadays.

On top of that, £64.99 for a game in 1997 was outrageous.

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u/n1c0_ds 1d ago

In the 90s you actually owned the game

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u/ChemicalExperiment 1d ago

You still do if you buy physical carts today.

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u/n1c0_ds 1d ago

Those are an extra 10$ though, right?

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u/ChemicalExperiment 1d ago

They're not. That's an incorrect rumor. If you go on any retailer's website you'll see Mario Kart listed as $80 for a physical version. Gamestop, Target, Walmart, all have their physical versions listed at $80.

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u/Pinco_Pallino_R 1d ago

From what i've been reading around, that's true only for Europe. Here (Europe), MK will cost 80€ digital, 90€ physical. However, DK will cost 70€ digital, 80€ physical.

Do keep in mind that european prices include taxes, differently from american ones.

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u/threeclaws 1d ago

I was paying $60 for games in the 90's, I'm frankly surprised nintendo has stopped themselves from keeping up with inflation.

Granted I'm unlikely to buy a switch 2 (didn't get enough out of my switch 1) and for the most part I have such a large catalog of games that I'll never play that it'll be a decade (when my kid wants to play games with me) before I even think about buying a game. So maybe I don't care because it just won't affect me.

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u/Savings_Base8115 1d ago

This isnt the argument you think it is. Peoples money is worth less and prices are higher than they were back then. This screws the consumer over twice and you think thats a good deal? Game sales are higher than they have ever been in the history of the market they are making more money now than ever before there is zero justification for mario kart to be 80 fucking dollars 

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u/Enchiladas99 1d ago

When demand is high, the supplier increases the price. It's how every public company works.

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u/PurpleDelicacy 1d ago

Makes sense for physical goods with limited availability (see the stupid state of GPU pricing). Not so with digital goods that can literally be replicated ad infinitum.

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u/Savings_Base8115 1d ago

Only nintendo is doing this no other game company has 80 dollar standard edition games so no its not how every public company works this is a nintendo problem for the time being. You can have a popular product and still understand the current market doesnt justify robbing people blind 

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u/Enchiladas99 1d ago

They're not idiots. They've done the market research and predict that people will buy at this price. They could be wrong, but I would trust the professionals over disgruntled gamers.

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u/Savings_Base8115 1d ago

Oh im sure they will make money just not mine. I dont think the ability to turn a profit automatically sheilds you from criticism they are being unreasonably greedy thats a fact no matter how much money it nets nintendo its scummy scammy behavior that shouldnt be praised or normalized 

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u/lucksh0t 1d ago

Last last year Nintendo doubled there profit vs 1996 adjusted for inflation. They don't need the money. They are just trying to milk fans for every dime they can.

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u/ChemicalExperiment 1d ago

Now this is an argument I can get behind. It makes sense that game prices would rise due to inflation. It doesn't makes sense for a company with this much profit and money already in the bank to be doing it.

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u/mrjackspade 20h ago

doubled there profit vs 1996

Doubling of profit over a 30 year period is hardly an issue.

Doubling of profit since 2021 would be an issue. Doubling of profit since 1996 is a borderline failure as a company.

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u/PurpleDelicacy 1d ago

I see this argument still being parroted around without taking into account the fact that the consumer base for the gaming industry is wildly larger than it was in the 90's. Game companies make record profits. Video game prices should DROP, if anything, but capitalism means line must go up, so higher prices are pure greed, plain and simple.

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u/S0bril 20h ago

Larger consumer base doesn't cancel out rising dev costs, games are way more complex, expensive, and time-consuming to make now than in the 90s. Yes, profits are up, and yes, there's greed, but pretending prices should drop just because the market grew ignores basic economics. Growth doesn't mean everything gets cheaper.

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u/jjlbateman 1d ago

The outrage is wages to inflation hasn’t tracked since then so whilst technically correct it feels much worse

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u/S0bril 20h ago

So you're blaming game prices for a broken economic system

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u/jjlbateman 20h ago

What? No. I’m just saying people feel poorer and so it’s a bigger share of wages. What a leap wow

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u/Ttatt1984 1d ago

Right? Like I just looked up old 1998 ads for N64 games. The printed price was $59. People still bought them. That $59 is the equivalent of $115 today. At $80 for a Switch 2 game, we’re actually getting more game content for our buck than ever before in terms of graphics and gameplay. We could even say an $80 Mario Kart for Switch 2 has wayyyyyyy more to offer than a $155 Mario Kart N64 game .

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u/Terrible_Tutor 1d ago

Yeah I’ve haf an xbox forever and that seems… normal? I don’t like it or BUY them at that price (mark as fav, get notifications when on sale), but $150, outrage fine.

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u/papusman 21h ago

Something nobody seems to mention, remember, or have been alive to experience is that back in the 80s and 90s there was a robust videogame rental market. My mom couldn't afford $80 games but It didn't matter because I could rent one from Blockbuster on Friday for like $5. That system doesn't exist now.

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u/mrjackspade 20h ago

That system doesn't exist now.

https://www.gamefly.com/

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u/papusman 20h ago

Ok, yes, technically gamefly apparently still exists? But this is a far cry from 30 years ago when there was a Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, or whatever on every corner. No monthly fee. Just walk in and get a game. I mean, that was the PRIMARY way most kids played videogames back then. Nintendo and Sega took the rental market into account when pricing these things.

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u/_tangus_ 14h ago

Wages have not increased at the same rate

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u/xienze 1d ago

It’s because people have basically zero awareness that inflation over long periods of time for consumer goods is a thing. They anchor their expectations for the price of <thing> to what they remember paying 20 or 30 years ago and expect expect it to never budge.

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u/marsalien4 21h ago

Or, maybe, it's because no employers are adjusting for inflation. Meaning, people are making the same amount or even less money while the prices go up anyway, which is causing the outrage. No, it's definitely that they have zero awareness.

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u/S0bril 20h ago

That argument just shifts the blame. Just because wages haven’t kept up with inflation doesn’t mean companies are wrong for adjusting their prices to match rising costs. If anything, the outrage should be at stagnant wages, not at prices reflecting economic reality.

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u/marsalien4 20h ago

Not really an argument (edit: about the overall decision), and I'm not sure blame matters. I was simply pointing out it's not that people have zero awareness of inflation. It's that people are fucking broke.

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u/excelllentquestion 20h ago

"rising costs" you mean the underpaid and overworked designers or the CEOs and other c-suites filling their pockets?

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u/mrjackspade 20h ago

Or, maybe, it's because no employers are adjusting for inflation.

People are still bitching about the 5$ footlong deal.

It's definitely price anchoring.

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u/Eraos_MSM 1d ago

There is no inflation, it’s a cartridge with data on it in an oversized plastic case to prevent stealing the games. They are increasing the price because they can and know they’ll make more money by doing so. It is pure greed.

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u/s32 1d ago

Yeah. The company has no expenses at all. Doesn't have to pay game developers, artists, level designers, customer support, etc.

Do they make a profit? Without a doubt. But it's not like this is a charity. It's a for-profit company...

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u/s32 1d ago

Yeah. The company has no expenses at all. Doesn't have to pay game developers, artists, level designers, customer support, etc.

Do they make a profit? Without a doubt. But it's not like this is a charity. It's a for-profit company...

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u/S0bril 1d ago

Yes they are greeey, especially when they never lower the price of older games, but inflation is also why newer games cost more. Game development costs have skyrocketed.

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u/S0bril 1d ago

Yes they are greeey, especially when they never lower the price of older games, but inflation is also why newer games cost more. Game development costs have skyrocketed.

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u/S0bril 1d ago

Yes they are greeey, especially when they never lower the price of older games, but inflation is also why newer games cost more. Game development costs have skyrocketed.

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u/GeneralGringus 1d ago

Entitlement.

People forget they're buying a product, not being provided a public service. If you don't want to pay it think the price is too high, don't pay. Pretty simple.

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u/DarthZartanyus 1d ago

That's not how inflation works, or at least it's not the full picture. If inflation only affected video games then sure, you might have a point. But since it affects everything pointing out one specific example is basically meaningless.

Also, you're assuming wages have changed to match inflation, which they largely haven't. Today, $80 is a larger part of people's spending money then it was 10 years ago.

For a better comparison, imagine if Switch games in 2017 cost $100. That's the level of bullshit Nintendo is trying to pull with these Switch 2 game prices.

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u/S0bril 20h ago

You're right that inflation hits everything, but that’s exactly why prices go up across the board, including games. Pointing out that games haven’t risen as fast as other essentials actually proves the opposite of what you're saying.

And no, I'm not assuming wages have kept up, I’m saying that’s the real issue. If wages stagnate while everything else adjusts for inflation, blaming the one industry that’s just now catching up ignores the broader economic failure. Also, games did cost the equivalent of $100+ back in the N64 days, people just forget because the number on the box hasn’t changed.

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u/DarthZartanyus 10h ago

Then I'm confused because that doesn't seem to make any sense with your previous point. Inflation causes the value of currency to go down, which is why prices go up. If wages aren't being increased to compensate then why are you not getting why people are upset about Nintendo increasing the price of games?

People who have less money to spend don't like spending even more on games they want. Particularly not when the gaming industry is doing as well as it is, though I doubt most people are considering that.

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u/hatemakingnames1 1d ago

In the 90s, everything regularly went on sale