Kotaku - Switch is Dominating PS4 in Japan

[Zekkyou]

Wyrdness said:

Kerotan said:

In an age where iPhones are selling gangbusters at $700 the Switch will look quite cheap to the consumer.  Especially as a shiny new piece of portable hardware.  

 

And $400-500 has been the standard launch price for consoles the last 2 gens.  

 

It's also both a handheld and hybrid so it will have consumers from both markets purchasing.  The fact it's selling like a portable in Japan shouldn't be a surprise to nobody. 

Almost everybody gets their iPhones and such for free on contract deals, often the upfront cost is like 100 quid or so if the contract requires any at all, no one is really paying 700-800 quid upfront.

You're right that most people don't buy their phone upfront (and that does significantly change how the purchase is perceived, so i'm not sure why Ketotan chose it as an example), but the phone isn't 'free on contract deals', the price is just included in your monthly bill. It often actually ends up cost you more, depending on the contract.