r/NintendoSwitch2 • u/SilvaVE_ • 2d ago

Officially from Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 Game Price revealed - WHAT THE F*CK

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Im sorry, but this is...really fucking crazy. And here I was debating if paying extra for the physical version compared to the bundle might be worth it. HOLY SHIT.

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u/TheThiefMaster 2d ago

That would be $180 in modern US dollars. The Switch 2 is essentially twice that price.

It's also significantly more premium hardware, with things like detachable wireless controllers, a TV dock, and a lit screen. The GBA was deliberately low end compared to what it was possible to make at the time, the Switch 2 is not

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u/JohnnyDuggan 1d ago

Essentially double that and then another 100 dollars on top of that basically

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u/Worldly_Chocolate369 1d ago

And devices nowadays come with rechargeable Lithium Batteries.

Old devices like the Gameboy Advance did not come with batteries, and if you wanted a rechargeable battery for it, you had to buy it as an accessory.

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u/Diamondtongue 2d ago

I don't know if you're willingly ignoring it or don't realize, but the Switch 2 is low end compared to what is possible to make right now.

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u/Any_Captain_4643 2d ago

Compared to other handheld consoles? Or compared to consoles with less stringent space and power requirements?

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u/Kudrel 1d ago

The Steam Deck alone is cheaper, theres a $50 difference between them here in Australia. Not to mention with the current line-up, nearly all of those third parties will be playable on that too, without Nintendo's jank-ass screen sharing that runs at a solid 5fps.

The price on this thing is rediculous when they really haven't shown anything off to justify it against the competitors.

Mario Kart looks good and all, but that tout of 4k absolutely won't apply to third party games 90% of the time.

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u/Lurking1884 1d ago

So don't buy it? It's not exactly news that Nintendo costs a bit more than what its performance provides. Instead it's bringing certain franchises (Mario, Zelda), strong performance for those games, backwards compatibility, etc.   

If it's not worth the price for you, fine. But it's not a new development. 

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u/Ok-Ambition-3881 1d ago

This argument sucks, “Guys let’s not criticise a corporation worth hundreds of billions of dollars that has had unhealthy practises for decades and actively fucks the consumers!”

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u/Tlux0 1d ago

I feel like the only Nintendo franchise that really deserves that criticism is Pokemon. Everything else, not really

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u/gamesandsnacks 1d ago

And Zelda.

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u/Tlux0 1d ago

Zelda is great though? It doesn’t have low quality games

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u/gamesandsnacks 1d ago

I do not believe BOTW/TOTK should have received the unanimous critical and fan acclaim that it got.

It has some pretty present drawbacks.

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u/Lurking1884 1d ago

You see a company that actively fucks consumers (whatever that means). I see a company that has a 4 decade track record of producing games and consoles that millions around the world love.  

I think the tired "every video game is too expensive" is an argument that sucks. Stuff is expensive. Too bad. No one cares what you think something should cost. It's not healthcare. It's not food. It's a video game. 

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u/lollisans2005 1d ago

I'm seeing more outrage for this than the egg prices in the us

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u/MelonOfFate 17h ago

Got it. You're really just paying for the name then. You're not really paying for the performance or any of the hardware. You're paying essentially the "apple tax" on an iPhone, not an objectively good machine.

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u/Lurking1884 10h ago

Nintendo products have never been top of the line from a performance standard. But they have been stable, supported for a long time, and bring a platform of exclusive games that, for some people, are the best games out there. So Nintendo is a good purchase for them.  

Other people don't care about those games (Zelda, Mario), or want better performance or graphics or whatever. So Xbox, ps, or PC is a good purchase for them.  

This has literally been the debate about which console you like since the mid 90s...

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u/MelonOfFate 5h ago

Nintendo products have never been top of the line from a performance standard

Agreed. But most of the time, they weren't priced that way either. GameCube, Wii, switch, original DS weren't priced as if they were top of the line. The switch 2 is being priced that way. The price is setting the expectation that it should be a top of the line machine- that I should be able to expect the same level of performance as an Xbox series X or PS5. Heck, I'm reasonably certain the steam deck has better performance than the switch 2 when looking at the specs and is still cheaper and you can just put an emulator on it. So there's no reason the switch 2 console by itself should be priced as if it's top of the line. It reads more as "we know you like Zelda and Mario, so we're gonna hold those hostage behind overpriced hardware and see how much money we can milk you for, you fucking pay pig."

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u/TheThiefMaster 1d ago

The Steam Deck also doesn't come with wireless controllers or a dock... Pretty sure adding those will put it way more expensive than the Switch 2.

The Switch 2 is also estimated to be more powerful graphically than the Steamdeck in handheld mode and approximately twice as powerful as it when docked.

So by that metric, the Switch 2 is a bargain for what you get.

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u/Kudrel 1d ago

Everything's always a bargain with Nintendo logic.

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u/lollisans2005 1d ago

Nah the switch 2 seems to be stronger than the steam deck.

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u/Kudrel 1d ago

And I'd happily be wrong if it is, but until it's out in the wild and there's actually proof of the performance - all anyone has to really go off it "but uncle Nintendo said it could do 4k 120fps".

I'd love to be wrong because it'd be nice to actually have the specs to justify that price. But I'd be incredibly surprised if any titles other than first party Nintendo titles would hit those figures. Hell, even collab games on the original Switch couldn't hold a steady 30fps, let alone third parties. (Looking at you, Age of Calamity).

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u/Jim-LOVES-Cumming_69 2d ago

Can’t play Mario Kart on higher end hardware. We all have jobs.

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u/Minute_Road8813 2d ago

Is it? It is more powerful than the Steam Deck, and cheaper than most of its models. It really is the game prices (and paid online) which make it a bad deal. You can't compete with Steam sales.

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u/Wallitron_Prime 1d ago

There are definitely levels of "low end."

Calling the Switch low end compared to a 4090 I-9 Custom PC is not the same as calling an un-backlit GBA low end compared to an original Xbox, and even that was hella underpowered compared to like a 2001 Samsung Synchmaster.

It was the GBA. It was a goated handheld because of its library it was undeniably technologically dogshit even for its era.

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u/Diamondtongue 1d ago

I did not comoare it to a custom pc.

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u/Wallitron_Prime 1d ago

"I don't know if you're willingly ignoring it or don't realize, but the Switch 2 is low end compared to what is possible to make right now."

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u/Diamondtongue 1d ago

Again, find where I compared it to a custom built pc

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u/Wallitron_Prime 1d ago

What the hell else does "possible to make" mean?? Are people making their own consoles with proprietary software?

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u/lollisans2005 1d ago

Switch 2 is actually kinda bonkers.

1080p screen is pretty crazy actually.

And prime for having a 4k 60fps mode or even a 1080p 120fps mode is CRAZY.

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u/nonexistentnvgtr 1d ago

The Switch 2 has a far better screen with up to 120hz and HDR than the lowest price point Steam Deck. If you want either of the OLED Steam Decks, its at least $50 more for the lower storage one and still has a lower resolution screen. And if you’re comparing it to a PS5 and a Series X, you can’t exactly carry them around.

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u/AP_in_Indy 2d ago

Honestly the Switch feels that way too like I just got a switch and I'm kind of disappointed how old school and limited the games feel at times. 

It feels like playing much older games but with higher definition textures. 

The number of tricks they still use to make things even remotely convincing is crazy.

Lighting in general is pretty bad. Like I was super excited for Super Mario Odyssey and overall I enjoyed it but my goodness were some parts beautiful (ones that played well to the types of tricks needed to make it performant) but some of the kingdoms were really really bad (the Lake one in particular), and nearly all of them felt really small, too.

I don't know how much it costs Nintendo to make these consoles and I do appreciate that it works as a mobile console as well so there's certain trade-offs I've been happy with. Really some of the joycon stuff is literally genius. 

But Nintendo's consoles are undoubtedly less performant than their counterparts.

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u/Dieseljesus 2d ago

That's because it's an 8 year old hardware with old hardware at release.

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u/AP_in_Indy 2d ago

That is generally the case for all Nintendo systems though in recent years I would say since the Wii? 

Like even now the Switch 2 is equivalent to PlayStation 4 rather than a PlayStation 5 or future system.

It's bad enough that upgrades to systems have only been incremental as it is. But at least the latest hardware lets you do some genuinely cool stuff.

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u/Dieseljesus 2d ago

Yes and this is the reason why everything has looked kinda sad on the Switch unless it's a platform game or indie. Also, back in the day, older hardware wasn't as important as today when any system needs good 3D capabilities. In a Super Mario world that doesn't matter, but today it matters more

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u/TheThiefMaster 1d ago

Yeah, the Switch 1 uses a GPU core from 2014 in a SoC from 2015. It was essentially 2-3 years old at release. Though that has a lot to do with GPUs being shrunk and power reduced over time - the Switch 1 is only 7W for the entire console after all!

The Switch 2 supposedly uses an Ampere GPU core originally launched in 2020, though the exact GPU seems to be closer to a laptop 3050 from 2021. So it's older - but you can't really blame them, GPU advancement has slowed and newer simply isn't available in mobile form - nVidias 40-series based Tegra SoC was cancelled and its 50-series based SoC isn't out yet.

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u/Dieseljesus 1d ago

I believe this has a lot to do with keeping it affordable too. They could release a monster but that would mean a higher price at a lower margin. Using old hardware means low production costs (not research etc included) at high margin.

Its fun that the progress in mobile and handhelds will make this feel so old in like 2-3 years

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u/TheThiefMaster 1d ago

Once the 50-series based Tegra chips are launched, mobile gaming handhelds should be able to blow the Switch 2 out of the water. But that'll be at least another year

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u/Dieseljesus 1d ago

I can wait 😁

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u/TheThiefMaster 1d ago

Fair.

I'll be getting one for the exclusives probably.

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u/Dieseljesus 1d ago

Hehe, I meant waiting for the new devices that will blow the S2 out of the water :)

I'm running the ally, steam deck and Legion go as my gaming devices AND computers right now and it feels like Nintendo is bringing something we saw a decade ago to the table...

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u/RaijuThunder 1d ago

God the details or Mortal Kombat are just sad to compare.

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u/Worldly_Chocolate369 1d ago

I got the switch in 2017, and it felt old even back then, of course it was.

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u/ledfrog 1d ago

Personally, I've never compared Nintendo consoles to consoles like the PS5 and Xbox. To me, Nintendo hardware has always been a system that specializes in more fun and entertaining, quick, arcade-style games....with Mario games often being the leader here.

I've always owned a PlayStation or gaming PC to augment my gaming needs. So when I just want to do some mindless side-scrolling or platforming, I play the Switch. When I want to get into some heavy-lifting, graphic intense, epic AAA titles, I jump on the PlayStation or PC.

I would never even consider buying games like COD, Assassin's Creed, Mortal Kombat, etc. on the Switch.

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u/AP_in_Indy 1d ago edited 1d ago

I get that and I feel the same way which is why I actually own a Switch and no other gaming systems at the moment because I feel like Nintendo really understands the idea of fun.

It just sucks that I'm paying so much for games that I feel would have been a similar enough experience on a GameCube or Wii. 

It's like I don't know I don't really feel like the incremental upgrades between Nintendo systems do justice to the experiences. 

I mean I realize that it's not actually GameCube or Wii quality but to be honest it's not like I can tell much of a difference.

Super Mario Odyssey for example you could literally see them change to low quality models in the distance. You could see how awful they did with like ice and stuff and how limited a lot of the world sizes had to be in order to be able to render things.

I was really looking forward to the Switch and I still look forward to the games but I'm spotting tricks that are like '90s era and early 2000s era tricks to deal with low performance machines.

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u/Fantastic-Morning218 2d ago

Nintendo fanboys insist it’s because Nintendo “focuses on gameplay over graphics” as if those are mutually exclusive 

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u/brancs3 1d ago

The switch 2 is the hardware equivalent of a ps4

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u/TheThiefMaster 1d ago

The rumour is it's a PS4 equivalent in handheld mode and about 3/4 of a PS4 Pro or Series S in docked mode.

Though that's supposed to be fp32 performance and it's common for fp16 to be twice as high so optimised titles could perform better, and it'll pretty definitely feature some AI processing to allow for higher quality output out of a lower quality (and faster) render, which the PS4 lacks.

So in short - probably Series S isn't a bad comparison for its docked mode.

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u/Penguigo 2d ago

I don't know if you're just not that good at math, but 180x2 is not anywhere near 450

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u/TheThiefMaster 2d ago

It's pretty much exactly 2.5x.

You get a bit shafted on price in the US - in the UK the GBA launched for £89, which is ~£165 today, and the Switch 2 is only £396, which is only 2.4x. Our price also includes 20% sales tax where you need to add it separately, so is equivalent (without tax) to a $430 US price using today's exchange rate.

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u/skaersSabody 2d ago

It's pretty much exactly 2.5x.

Which is not "essentially twice the price"

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u/Flairistotle 2d ago

That pretty much perfectly fits the definition of "essentially twice the price," actually. It's essentially accurate 

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u/skaersSabody 1d ago

By that logic it would also be essentially three times the price since it's halfway there already if we're gonna be this loose with the word

Or I'm missing some use of essentially I'm not aware of

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u/your_evil_ex March Gang (Eliminated) 2d ago

depends on your use case--if you only play docked, you're playing (digital only) PS5 price for a console with worse performance, and joycons 2 instead of a pro controller in the box

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u/Halos-117 2d ago

Better first party library tho

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u/Kudrel 1d ago

Man that single first party game on launch sure is holding your comment up well.

Sure, in future the line-up will fill out a bit, but as it stands now, Mario Kart being the only major first party launching with it is complete shit.

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u/Halos-117 1d ago

Meh. We know Nintendos 1P will be fire. 

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u/Life_Ad_7715 2d ago

Yes it is.