Can Nintendo turn Switch 2's pricing disaster around? And how?

[Hardstuck-Platinum]

RolStoppable said:

Hardstuck-Platinum said:

Genuine question here.  If you were standing in the street with two screens, one running Mario kart 8 deluxe and the other running Mario Kart world, do you believe you could convince the public that the difference is worth the extra 30$ (your selling physical editions to people), and a new system? I don't think it would be doable. They look very similar. In fact, I thought it was MK8 when they first revealed Mario kart world. This wasn't the case with the Mario kart Wii and Mario kart 8. Mario kart 8 looked so much better. So, if the two Mario karts look so similar how are the public going to perceive the value difference that your post was trying to highlight. 

Louie just explained how little graphics mean and the first thing you ask about is graphics.

The value difference between MK8D and MKW was already evident in its reveal, it will be all the more clear after next week's Direct. World doesn't only provide a good number of all-new tracks that are embedded in an actual world (a first for the MK series), but also new vehicle types (boats and planes) as well as the ability to slide on rails and walls. The question of value is not "does it look differently", but "does it play differently."

Eight years ago people seriously questioned if Breath of the Wild can sell the Switch. At least back then the Zelda series came off a sales disappointment in Skyward Sword that sold only around 4m copies, but the different direction that BotW took shouldn't have been ignored either way. The denial and stupidity on display was bad enough.

But here you are and question Mario Kart which is coming of a game that is closing in on 70 million copies sold when the only thing that concerns people about Switch 2 is the pricing. Pricing that happens to be comparable to the PS5. Switch 1 was declared dead on arrival because when it came out, the console itself cost as much as the PS4 with a game. But clearly, pricing that is comparable to the current PS console is not a disadvantage, because Switch is a hybrid whereas PS doesn't have this same important value for a video game console. Sony's solution to compete with Nintendo is not only more expensive (PS5 + PS Portal), but also technologically inferior. And Xbox is even less of a factor this time around.

Just because I used the words "looks similar" doesn't mean I was talking solely about graphics. Surely that was obvious. I just googled "Mario kart 8 improvements over Mario kart wii", and this is the response. 

Mario Kart 8 vs Wii Improvements

Mario Kart 8 introduced several gameplay improvements over Mario Kart Wii. It featured new anti-gravity sections where players could drive on walls and ceilings, adding a fresh dimension to racing. Additionally, Mario Kart 8 included motorbikes and 12-player racing from Mario Kart Wii, but it also added hang gliders, underwater racing, and vehicle customization from Mario Kart 7. These features enhanced the gameplay experience and provided more variety in terms of gameplay mechanics and level design

Clearly there was a lot of things added to MK8 that made it's overall look and feel different than MKWii, but YOU chose to make it all about graphics, not me

Last edited by Hardstuck-Platinum - on 09 April 2025