The Switch 2 is in trouble IMO

[Soundwave]

PotentHerbs said:

Soundwave said:

Some people whining on the internet is not really getting "slammed". $70 and even $80 games is inevitable for everyone, people who are so shocked by that don't understand a goddamn thing about what's been happening in the industry and how high budgets are getting and also probably don't understand inflation as a concept either. 

Movie tickets used to be $8 flat fifteen, twenty years ago. Shit changes. Today it's $20 in some places. Pricing for most entertainment has gone higher, gamers just think that shouldn't apply to them ever and think magical fantasy economics where games and hardware forever stay within the same pricing range as they were in like 2005 should exist forever. It's just ridiculous. 

It's also not 2005 in the sense that the vast majority (probably upwards of 70%) of Nintendo's audience are adults now and the pricing will reflect that too. When you go into a LEGO store and see like $300-$400+ price tags for a lot of their premium "toy" sets I think most people can understand those products are meant for adults, not really children even though a kid can enjoy it too. 

I would say its more than some people. I don't think us who post on enthusiast boards are blinded by inflation as a concept. You could bump a few threads on here and see other users make the same argument you are making right now. 

Its the fact that Nintendo is the one pushing the envelope on it. The same Nintendo everyone thought were immune to long development times and ballooning budgets. The same Nintendo that has dropped out the graphical arms race. The premium console experience is not the space Nintendo will excel in. But it is the space they brought the Switch 2 onto when they made their games more expensive than PS5 titles. Sure, a lot of people are going to buy the Switch 2 for its hybrid capabilities and handheld factor, but its higher prices eats into their more family friendly market.

Except Nintendo has been flourishing in the premium side of the market. The premium $350 OLED Switch was a massive success, much moreso than the budget Switch Lite model. 

Nintendo has not dropped their price on hardware basically the entire generation either whereas it used to be customary for Nintendo to go running and cut the price of their hardware sometimes as quickly as 6 months into a new generation. The Switch 1 is eight years old and is still quite expensive for the either of the regular models that can connect to a TV whereas all previous Nintendo consoles (barring the Wii U which was basically discontinued due to selling so low) have been dirt cheap by the end of their product cycle. 

I saw a news report the other day on LEGO and how the new CEO inherited the company about a decade ago and it was a mess focused on kids only and low margin, low cost products, when they started to target adults more and higher end kits with higher price points, their yearly revenue has gone through the roof over the last decade and the company has never been as popular. This checks out from what I see at my mall too, the LEGO store there is always freaking packed and half the people in there seem to be adults with no children. 

Last edited by Soundwave - on 03 April 2025