Switch 2 Game Price Reactions

How did you land on the name “Nintendo Switch 2”?
Kawamoto: There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one.
We even considered ideas like “Super Nintendo Switch.” However, Super NES (25), which came out after the NES (26), couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn't feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we'd like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo.
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DIED 1998, BORN 2025
WELCOME BACK SUPER NINTENDO
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can't believe you need to pay for the console tour

I get that games have stagnated at the $60 price for a very long time despite inflation, but the games aren't physical anymore, the industry is much larger and more profitable and there's DLC, microtransactions and shit anyways

like the industry grew multiple times over despite the $60 price point sticking. there's no reason for going any higher
 
It was going to happen eventually. No profit-seeking corporation can abstain from a potential source of additional revenue forever, and games have been sixty bucks since I was a kid. Someone was inevitably going to bump their prices up. My hope is that, with current economic conditions, Nintendo will end up pricing themselves out of the range of much of their consumer base, and they'll be forced to back down on this to some extent. I have my doubts.
 
Well, this is it. I've been priced out by Nintendo.

I genuinely went from "OH MY GOD YESYESYESYESYES I'M GETTING THIS DAY ONE" to "oh this is just straight up not affordable for me" in a matter of minutes yesterday. It's honestly a little heartbreaking for me seeing how I was actually really looking forward to playing on the Switch 2, but it's also just plain stupid. Just about $450 for the thing without any games...? Um, what gives, Nintendo? I guess we aren't here to discuss the price of the console, though, so...

The games.

Holy. Fuck. The games. Did we seriously need a $10-20 (maybe more) uptick in price? Are these games really and truly going to be worth that much? I'd say no; I'd even go so far as to say a lot of them aren't worth the $60 they are right now. And with Nintendo absolutely refusing to put anything on sale 99% of the time... well, it looks like we're gonna be paying a whole bunch more for a while now. The console's tech demo is paid, too, which I think is... a really poor decision, to say the least. I shouldn't have to explain why. Also, what's the deal with physical getting pricier than digital now? It's always been cheaper to at least some degree, so why change it now? And on top of that, game key cards? You have to go out of your way to spend more buying physical only so you can have a download key and not a cartridge??? Whatever they're smoking over at Nintendo HQ, I'd like some.

Maybe I'm reading too far into this. Or not enough. Regardless, I'm pretty upset at all the pricing stuff going on with the Switch 2.

honest reaction

P.S. What do you even abbreviate Mario Kart World as? MKW overlaps with Mario Kart Wii, but I've also seen people call it MKWii. Maybe MKWorld would work...
 
...is it wrong that my hype for the games and the console hasn't died down? Like, objectively the price inflation is pretty messed up, especially long term, and it's gonna take a good while for me to save up enough to get everything I want.

Though with that said, all the new games they had showcased still look pretty hype and could definitely pick them up once I have the console. Mario Kart World in particular looks to be a huge jump for the series in terms of... everything really.

Idk, maybe I'm just blind to money matters.
 
I'm diving headfirst into the shark tank here, but i mostly* think these game price raises are expected and not particularly problematic*.

Big ticket Wii games generally sold for $50.
For the Wii U, that went up to $60. $10 increase.
For the Switch 1, that mostly stayed at $60, but some rare ones were $70. $0-$10 increase.
For the Switch 2, it seems** to mostly be $70, but some rare ones will be $80. $10 increase across the board.

**This is not confirmed, but I would be very surprised if their main ticket DK platformer was $10 cheaper than other main titles, so that's why I'm making the prediction I am now. My commentary could change if this read is wrong.

These prices adjusted for current U.S. inflation, upon release of the relevant consoles:
Wii: 50 -> ~80
Wii U: 60 -> ~83
Switch 1: 60-70 -> ~80-90
Switch 2: 70-80

These figures are presented in a way that is slightly unfavorable to my argument. I only have U.S. inflation data up to February of this year, when inflation is higher than that now, and it will be higher still when the console actually releases. On the other hand, though, I'm using U.S. data, and the situation in other countries may differ.

This price change seems very in line with past behavior. If adjusting for inflation, a bit more lenient if anything. Additionally, games remain very cheap relative to their cost to produce, and relative to the enjoyment you can extract from them.

I think a lot of the backlash is people not wanting to pay more, which like, fair enough. We seldom want to pay more. The increased price of the console, which does seem aberrantly high, may figure into that too. But trying to remove my personal paying preferences from the mix, talking about the game prices in isolation and not the console price, I don't think the backlash is entirely reasonable.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

*There are two things about these price raises that I think are + may become a big deal.

First, for people like Samirsin outside the primary market who are paying much more markup, I understand your backlash a lot more. My post is only for people in primary markets. (And even then, there may be something about PAL region / Japan I don't know.)

Second, the increased price for some physical games worries me. We should remember that, as far as I know, it is only some physical games, only in Europe, to have the price raise. However, alongside it obviously being unfortunate for our European friends, it could also bode ominously for future hindered access to physical games.

I'm not sure how much I want to get into a protracted debate about this. I think my argument has credibility and that someone oughta put it out there for a fuller picture on the question, but I've gotten into some pretty predictable and unpleasant argument loops around topics like this before. If I see a disagreeing post that makes a good point, I'll try to at least react to it.
 
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Adeleine said:
I'm diving headfirst into the shark tank here, but i mostly* think these game price raises are expected and not particularly problematic*.

Big ticket Wii games generally sold for $50.
For the Wii U, that went up to $60. $10 increase.
For the Switch 1, that mostly stayed at $60, but some rare ones were $70. $0-$10 increase.
For the Switch 2, it seems** to mostly be $70, but some rare ones will be $80. $10 increase across the board.

**This is not confirmed, but I would be very surprised if their main ticket DK platformer was $10 cheaper than other main titles, so that's why I'm making the prediction I am now. My commentary could change if this read is wrong.

These prices adjusted for current U.S. inflation, upon release of the relevant consoles:
Wii: 50 -> ~80
Wii U: 60 -> ~83
Switch 1: 60-70 -> ~80-90
Switch 2: 70-80

These figures are presented in a way that is slightly unfavorable to my argument. I only have U.S. inflation data up to February of this year, when inflation is higher than that now, and it will be higher still when the console actually releases. On the other hand, though, I'm using U.S. data, and the situation in other countries may differ.

This price change seems very in line with past behavior. If adjusting for inflation, a bit more lenient if anything. Additionally, games remain very cheap relative to their cost to produce, and relative to the enjoyment you can extract from them.

I think a lot of the backlash is people not wanting to pay more, which like, fair enough. We seldom want to pay more. The increased price of the console, which does seem aberrantly high, may figure into that too. But trying to remove my personal paying preferences from the mix, talking about the game prices in isolation and not the console price, I don't think the backlash is entirely reasonable.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

*There are two things about these price raises that I think are + may become a big deal.

First, for people like Samirsin outside the primary market who are paying much more markup, I understand your backlash a lot more. My post is only for people in primary markets. (And even then, there may be something about PAL region / Japan I don't know.)

Second, the increased price for some physical games worries me. We should remember that, as far as I know, it is only some physical games, only in Europe, to have the price raise. However, alongside it obviously being unfortunate for our European friends, it could also bode ominously for future hindered access to physical games.

I'm not sure how much I want to get into a protracted debate about this. I think my argument has credibility and that someone oughta put it out there for a fuller picture on the question, but I've gotten into some pretty predictable and unpleasant argument loops around topics like this before. If I see a disagreeing post that makes a good point, I'll try to at least react to it.
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Problem is Nintendo games never, ever go down in price. I think if this was just limited to new games like Mario Kart and Donkey Kong then it wouldn’t be too bad. But they out here selling BOTW Switch 2 edition for $70 and its like Bro This Game is Almost 10 Years Old. It can’t be like, $50?

I’m still buying the damn thing Day 1 but… I’ll be still slightly less happy about it!
 
here's my take:
  • a) people will kick off about being charged more money, at any point, without exception.
  • b) even if the price rises are "in line with inflation", people's disposable incomes may not have risen in line with inflation (indeed when many countries are still in a cost of living crisis).
  • c) sets a precedent for other games, some of which already charge £70 (such as cod or fifa) to turn the dial even more. also noteworthy for countries like the UK and most of the EU that already pay a higher dollar amount than "standard USD", effectively meaning a higher degree of price gouging. this seems like a slippery slope argument, which usually indicates nothing of substance, but given some devs have publicly said they're waiting for gta6 to get closer so they can avoid competing, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume they'll be eyeing up gta's price and how much they can replicate it (so i'd expect much the same here).
  • d) physical now being more than digital makes sense on a cost basis, but why the change is only happening now can only really be percieved to be intentionally harming the resale market for profit (at least to me). cartridges now also effectively lie to the consumer (instead being glorified download codes), which i would guess targets people that specifically set out to buy physical for ownership of the game, by making their entire motive redundant (because owning the cartridge no longer means fundementally owning the game), thus pumping digital sales even higher. also, in everything i could find they've mentioned on virtual game cards, there's no mention of what happens if you sell the actual switch 2 game cart and someone not in your family group puts it in their console -> resale market may not even exist (or at the very least, if you have to eject it first, make it unbelieveably painful to verify when buying).
  • e) they have the gall to charge for a technical showcase and for mostly-performance (at least as far as we know) updates that could realistically be free. it's also unclear (i'd guess no) if you can buy switch 2 upgrades of switch 1 games you have the cart of but aren't digital.
  • f) nintendo-specific games being mega-priced is bad because there are almost never offers as substantial as something you might see on steam, if present at all (particularly combined with their war against second-hand).
 
Adeleine said:
Big ticket Wii games generally sold for $50.
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at a point in time where $60 was already standard for competitors. Which made sense, considering the much lower production costs of Wii games. Also made sense considering that a large factor in the success of the Wii was the recession at the time. Being $50 cheaper than the basic 360 at the time and having games that were 10-20$ cheaper on average was a huge factor. Even more so when you consider that there was no need to pay for online

the rest of your arguments take inflation into consideration, but neglect that

a) people used to have more expendable income
b) the 60$ price point stayed for a very long time and had the industry grow many times over, despite technically stagnating in the face of inflation
c) Games make a ton of money through DLCs and microtransactions. A Pokemon game used to be 40$, that's all, you had the whole game. With DLCs it's now, what, 90-100$?
d) Wii games were physical. Wii U and Switch games are still largely physically bought. The 80$ price point does not involve any production or distribution costs. There's not even any cut that Nintendo gives to anyone with their first party titles, the games are sold on their own service. The 90$ price point for physical games is fucking bonkers

just saying, if I wanted to have the whole Pokemon experience, I'd have to pay

80$ for the base game
30-40$ for the DLCs
20$ for a year of Nintendo online (as long as Nintendo doesn't raise the price, which let's be honest, they probably will)
That's already 130-140$. Now if I included Pokemon Home, 16$ for a year, good chance it'll be over 150$
 
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