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

CaptainExplosion on 06 April 2025
sc94597 said:
CaptainExplosion said:

But if we don't buy they may also be discouraged from making new games. -_-

Nintendo almost certainly employs pricing analysts who analyze historical sales data and who with the assistance of data scientists/analysts can project potential future sales expectations based on what-if scenarios. If the games aren't initially selling, and then there is a larger volume of purchases than expected given the initial low sales, after a price drop, then it tells them that the price was incorrectly set and pricing was the issue not interest in the title or its development. I wouldn't be surprised if they're choosing which games to set to $80 or $70 based on a similar model. 

But they haven't dropped a price on the Switch 1 or it's launch games, and they're at least 8 years old now.



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sc94597 on 06 April 2025
CaptainExplosion said:
sc94597 said:

Nintendo almost certainly employs pricing analysts who analyze historical sales data and who with the assistance of data scientists/analysts can project potential future sales expectations based on what-if scenarios. If the games aren't initially selling, and then there is a larger volume of purchases than expected given the initial low sales, after a price drop, then it tells them that the price was incorrectly set and pricing was the issue not interest in the title or its development. I wouldn't be surprised if they're choosing which games to set to $80 or $70 based on a similar model. 

But they haven't dropped a price on the Switch 1 or it's launch games, and they're at least 8 years old now.

Because they don't need to. The games are selling beyond their expectations (which is likely why they're doing the increase now.) We're talking about the scenario where the Switch 2 games aren't selling to their expectations. 



CaptainExplosion on 06 April 2025
sc94597 said:
CaptainExplosion said:

But they haven't dropped a price on the Switch 1 or it's launch games, and they're at least 8 years old now.

Because they don't need to. The games are selling beyond their expectations (which is likely why they're doing the increase now.) We're talking about the scenario where the Switch 2 games aren't selling to their expectations. 

True. Plus someone on this thread said that Mario Kart World is likely made on a lower budget than, say, GTA6, so even with a price cut to $60 USD it'll still be profitable.



Soundwave on 06 April 2025

Lowering/adjusting software pricing is no huge deal, you can do that any time if you want.

The hardware pricing ... people just need to accept times have changed and Nintendo serves a more premium, older market base these days. $450 is about correct for a Switch 2, that's not some massive overprice, it's not some junk hardware with bottom of the barrel components, it's decent enough hardware and asking a fair price for it is reasonable.



CaptainExplosion on 06 April 2025
Soundwave said:

Lowering/adjusting software pricing is no huge deal, you can do that any time if you want.

The hardware pricing ... people just need to accept times have changed and Nintendo serves a more premium, older market base these days. $450 is about correct for a Switch 2, that's not some massive overprice, it's not some junk hardware with bottom of the barrel components, it's decent enough hardware and asking a fair price for it is reasonable.

I get that times have changed, but in Canada it costs even more. And what about younger gamers who will wanna play Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World? They're being left out. -_-



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Soundwave on 06 April 2025
CaptainExplosion said:
Soundwave said:

Lowering/adjusting software pricing is no huge deal, you can do that any time if you want.

The hardware pricing ... people just need to accept times have changed and Nintendo serves a more premium, older market base these days. $450 is about correct for a Switch 2, that's not some massive overprice, it's not some junk hardware with bottom of the barrel components, it's decent enough hardware and asking a fair price for it is reasonable.

I get that times have changed, but in Canada it costs even more. And what about younger gamers who will wanna play Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World? They're being left out. -_-

Really young children aren't Nintendo's core demographic anymore and haven't been a for a while. Just is what it is. 

For entry level gaming children, you can pick up the $300 Switch or even cheaper Switch Lite and they can enjoy Mario Kart 8 and DKC: Tropical Freeze there until a cheaper Switch 2 Lite (or whatever is the cheaper model) eventually comes out. 

Either that or their parents just have to decide maybe a Switch 2 is "expensive", but it's also likely to be used to 5+ years whereas a lot of other toys and things like that won't be and it's a lot cheaper than say a trip to Disneyland or something else a parent promised and has grown way too expensive to make work. 



sc94597 on 06 April 2025

Honestly most people I know with young kids (I am 31, so about that age) buy Nintendo platforms for themselves and share them with their children. This isn't the 80s-00's when most parents didn't grow up playing video games and therefore saw video games as "a waste."



CaptainExplosion on 06 April 2025
Soundwave said:
CaptainExplosion said:

I get that times have changed, but in Canada it costs even more. And what about younger gamers who will wanna play Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World? They're being left out. -_-

Really young children aren't Nintendo's core demographic anymore and haven't been a for a while. Just is what it is. 

For you children, you can pick up the $300 Switch or even cheaper Switch Lite and they can enjoy Mario Kart and DK Bananza there until a cheaper Switch 2 Lite (or whatever is the cheaper model) eventually comes out. 

Either that or their parents just have to decide maybe a Switch 2 is "expensive", but it's also likely to be used to 5+ years whereas a lot of other toys and things like that won't be and it's a lot cheaper than say a trip to Disneyland or something else a parent promised and has grown way too expensive to make work. 

When you put it that way they might as well have made the Switch 2 launch games as child unfriendly as possible. Time for Candy Kong to take her top off and for Samus to rip out a space pirate's spine, I guess.

sc94597 said:

Honestly most people I know with young kids (I am 31, so about that age) buy Nintendo platforms for themselves and share them with their children. This isn't the 80s-00's when most parents didn't grow up playing video games.

Fair point, but I still see this in Nintendo:



Hardstuck-Platinum on 06 April 2025

It will only turn around if Nintendo are forced into accepting that they need to turn it around, just like the PS3 and Xbone. It took really low preorders/sales for Sony/MS to make drastic changes to the PS3 and Xbone. Problem is, is that it's not just the console itself, but the games too. 80$ for kirby and the forgotten land? That game launched in 2022 and It's more expensive than DK Bananza! Sadly, i think it's going to take 3DS 250$ or Wii U level disaster for them to eat humble pie and change course



SvennoJ on 06 April 2025
JackHandy said:
SvennoJ said:

Gaming media isn't helping

https://www.eurogamer.net/buying-physical-copies-of-nintendo-switch-2s-upgraded-games-you-should-probably-read-this

With rumors that releases of Switch 2 upgraded versions are still the old cards with a download code, that the next person has to re-buy when selling / loaning your cartridge. Nintendo is entering XOne reveal territory here...

Not just a pricing disaster. At least the WiiU was 100% BC without hoops.

Speaking of BC, did you know they're mostly going the emulation rout? Just saw this last night. The Switch 2 doesn't have the hardware to natively play Switch 1 games, so Nintendo is having to do some sort of funky mixed thing to get the games to work. 

Yeah I read that, hence I wonder how well they will run on Switch 2.
Will they be able to run in 'docked mode' to reach 1080p with stable performance?
And is it true emulation without having to download anything?

Digital Foundry is carefully optimistic, suggesting 5x the pixel throughput
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2025-switch-2s-full-reveal-analysed-how-powerful-is-nintendos-new-hardware
Should be plenty 'overhead' to emulate Switch 1 docked mode on Switch 2 handheld.