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Forums - Sales - Five reasons why I am not bothered by Nintendo's Switch 2 hardware and software pricing

The_Liquid_Laser on 22 April 2025
RolStoppable said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:

No way.  I'm expecting a situation like the DS -> 3DS transition.  They'll come up with some solution to salvage the system next year once they realize how badly they've screwed up.  Switch 2 will still sell well in Japan, but it won't come close to Switch 1 sales in any other region.  The screwed up launch year will do permanent damage to hardware sales, much like it did with the 3DS.

What did they screw up? What does Switch 2 even have in common with the 3DS? The only thing that can be argued is price, but price is directly tied to perceived value and the Switch concept is a proven value that this time around launches with much better third party support than its predecessor. But other than that?

Selling point of the hardware: Hybrid console vs. stereoscopic 3D which failed and in turn made the price tag unjustifiable. Tremendous advantage for Switch 2.

Launch window first party software: Sequel to megaseller Mario Kart 8 and a new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong developed by EAD Tokyo vs. Nintendogs+Cats and Pilotwings Resort. Ndogs+Cats may have been a sequel to a megaseller, but it had no defining characters and game universe that protected it from copycats, unlike Mario Kart. Another tremendous advantage for Switch 2.

First year first party software: The 3DS ultimately managed to somewhat match the launch window lineup of Switch 2 through ten months, but Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 were handheld games while Switch 2 games aren't; they are much grander in scope. Too bad for the 3DS that Switch 2 is getting many more noteworthy games in its seven month stretch, including a new Pokémon game and the highly anticipated Metroid Prime 4. Another landslide victory for Switch 2.

First year third party software: Let's make this short, the 3DS had almost nothing worth mentioning, so Switch 2's low effort ports already give it the edge here.

Additional offerings: The NSO library for classic video game consoles is so far ahead of anything the 3DS had in addition to its regular games, so there's no shortage of games to play on Switch 2.

It's as if people have forgotten how botched the 3DS launch was due to the system being rushed to the market without an adequate software pipeline to back it up.

You're hilarious.  If this were the Titanic, you'd be saying, "Where did they screw up other than hitting that iceberg?"

I do understand that YOU like the Switch 2, and that YOU are excited to get one and play Mario Kart.  YOU are not bothered by the price.  Your opinion about YOU personally is not invalid.  However, there are people that loved the Wii U and Gamecube, too.  When you are talking about hardware sales, you need to ask "How does EVERYONE feel?"  You haven't learned to read the writing on the wall.  People were spamming the chat in Nintendo Treehouse Live with "CUT THE PRICE!"  That is a huge warning flag.  I've never seen anything like this in response to a console reveal.  This is worse than how people reacted to the XBox 1 reveal, and that was a huge debacle. 

When people complain about the price, they are actually complaining about the value, i.e. the actual cost vs. how much they feel it should cost.  The most common ways that console value is increased is either 1) cut the hardware price or 2) release several highly desirable games.  This is why the Switch 2 is just like the 3DS.  Both are perceived to be a terrible value at launch, but they can also eventually salvage the console like Nintendo did with the 3DS (or Microsoft with the XBox 1.)  It's not a Wii U situation where the poor value (e.g. the gamepad) is an integral part of the system.

The price is also not the only mistake they're making, but I'm not going to list 10-ish reasons here, because you'll still react with a sentiment "They made no mistakes other than hitting that iceberg."  Instead I'll just say that time wins more converts than reason.  When Nintendo releases their financial report ending the recently started fiscal year, you'll have realized you overestimated the public's desire for the Switch 2, if not sooner.



curl-6 bet me that PS5 + X|S sales would reach 56m before year end 2023 and he was right.
My Bet With curl-6

My Threads:
Master Thread, Game of the Year/Decade
Switch Will Be #1 All Time
Zelda Will Outsell Mario (Achieved)
How Much Will MH Rise sell?
My Bet With Metallox

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KLXVER on 22 April 2025
The_Liquid_Laser said:
RolStoppable said:

What did they screw up? What does Switch 2 even have in common with the 3DS? The only thing that can be argued is price, but price is directly tied to perceived value and the Switch concept is a proven value that this time around launches with much better third party support than its predecessor. But other than that?

Selling point of the hardware: Hybrid console vs. stereoscopic 3D which failed and in turn made the price tag unjustifiable. Tremendous advantage for Switch 2.

Launch window first party software: Sequel to megaseller Mario Kart 8 and a new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong developed by EAD Tokyo vs. Nintendogs+Cats and Pilotwings Resort. Ndogs+Cats may have been a sequel to a megaseller, but it had no defining characters and game universe that protected it from copycats, unlike Mario Kart. Another tremendous advantage for Switch 2.

First year first party software: The 3DS ultimately managed to somewhat match the launch window lineup of Switch 2 through ten months, but Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 were handheld games while Switch 2 games aren't; they are much grander in scope. Too bad for the 3DS that Switch 2 is getting many more noteworthy games in its seven month stretch, including a new Pokémon game and the highly anticipated Metroid Prime 4. Another landslide victory for Switch 2.

First year third party software: Let's make this short, the 3DS had almost nothing worth mentioning, so Switch 2's low effort ports already give it the edge here.

Additional offerings: The NSO library for classic video game consoles is so far ahead of anything the 3DS had in addition to its regular games, so there's no shortage of games to play on Switch 2.

It's as if people have forgotten how botched the 3DS launch was due to the system being rushed to the market without an adequate software pipeline to back it up.

You're hilarious.  If this were the Titanic, you'd be saying, "Where did they screw up other than hitting that iceberg?"

I do understand that YOU like the Switch 2, and that YOU are excited to get one and play Mario Kart.  YOU are not bothered by the price.  Your opinion about YOU personally is not invalid.  However, there are people that loved the Wii U and Gamecube, too.  When you are talking about hardware sales, you need to ask "How does EVERYONE feel?"  You haven't learned to read the writing on the wall.  People were spamming the chat in Nintendo Treehouse Live with "CUT THE PRICE!"  That is a huge warning flag.  I've never seen anything like this in response to a console reveal.  This is worse than how people reacted to the XBox 1 reveal, and that was a huge debacle. 

When people complain about the price, they are actually complaining about the value, i.e. the actual cost vs. how much they feel it should cost.  The most common ways that console value is increased is either 1) cut the hardware price or 2) release several highly desirable games.  This is why the Switch 2 is just like the 3DS.  Both are perceived to be a terrible value at launch, but they can also eventually salvage the console like Nintendo did with the 3DS (or Microsoft with the XBox 1.)  It's not a Wii U situation where the poor value (e.g. the gamepad) is an integral part of the system.

The price is also not the only mistake they're making, but I'm not going to list 10-ish reasons here, because you'll still react with a sentiment "They made no mistakes other than hitting that iceberg."  Instead I'll just say that time wins more converts than reason.  When Nintendo releases their financial report ending the recently started fiscal year, you'll have realized you overestimated the public's desire for the Switch 2, if not sooner.

I agree the price is high, but I really dont think many people understand how beloved the Switch is. Seen several people who were not really into Nintendo and now the Switch is their favorite console of all time. Its insane. This is not a Wii to WiiU situation at all. I watch a lot of collection videos and even people who dont do that kind of content, people who just do vlogs are still doing Switch collection videos. This console is not just a "gimmick" people played a couple of games and put down like the Wii. Its truly a phenomenon. The Switch 2 will do very well I think.



CourageTCD on 22 April 2025

Let's be real, people are complaining about Mario Kart World's price, not the Switch 2's. What could possibly happen is a lot of people buying the Switch 2 and not buying Mario Kart World. But how long will they keep avoiding buying the most important game in the console? Eventually, wheter by getting it in a bundle, buying a retail copy, waiting for a discount or even buying it a full price, these people WILL buy Mario Kart World. I see Switch 2's sales being in danger more due to our current economical situation rather than because of its current price tag



The_Liquid_Laser on 22 April 2025
KLXVER said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:

You're hilarious.  If this were the Titanic, you'd be saying, "Where did they screw up other than hitting that iceberg?"

I do understand that YOU like the Switch 2, and that YOU are excited to get one and play Mario Kart.  YOU are not bothered by the price.  Your opinion about YOU personally is not invalid.  However, there are people that loved the Wii U and Gamecube, too.  When you are talking about hardware sales, you need to ask "How does EVERYONE feel?"  You haven't learned to read the writing on the wall.  People were spamming the chat in Nintendo Treehouse Live with "CUT THE PRICE!"  That is a huge warning flag.  I've never seen anything like this in response to a console reveal.  This is worse than how people reacted to the XBox 1 reveal, and that was a huge debacle. 

When people complain about the price, they are actually complaining about the value, i.e. the actual cost vs. how much they feel it should cost.  The most common ways that console value is increased is either 1) cut the hardware price or 2) release several highly desirable games.  This is why the Switch 2 is just like the 3DS.  Both are perceived to be a terrible value at launch, but they can also eventually salvage the console like Nintendo did with the 3DS (or Microsoft with the XBox 1.)  It's not a Wii U situation where the poor value (e.g. the gamepad) is an integral part of the system.

The price is also not the only mistake they're making, but I'm not going to list 10-ish reasons here, because you'll still react with a sentiment "They made no mistakes other than hitting that iceberg."  Instead I'll just say that time wins more converts than reason.  When Nintendo releases their financial report ending the recently started fiscal year, you'll have realized you overestimated the public's desire for the Switch 2, if not sooner.

I agree the price is high, but I really dont think many people understand how beloved the Switch is. Seen several people who were not really into Nintendo and now the Switch is their favorite console of all time. Its insane. This is not a Wii to WiiU situation at all. I watch a lot of collection videos and even people who dont do that kind of content, people who just do vlogs are still doing Switch collection videos. This console is not just a "gimmick" people played a couple of games and put down like the Wii. Its truly a phenomenon. The Switch 2 will do very well I think.

I agree the Switch is a very beloved system.  I think you underestimate how beloved the Wii is.  It's also a very beloved system.  For the first couple of years after the Switch released, Ubisoft still released Just Dance on the Wii, because it was the most popular SKU.



curl-6 bet me that PS5 + X|S sales would reach 56m before year end 2023 and he was right.
My Bet With curl-6

My Threads:
Master Thread, Game of the Year/Decade
Switch Will Be #1 All Time
Zelda Will Outsell Mario (Achieved)
How Much Will MH Rise sell?
My Bet With Metallox

zorg1000 on 22 April 2025
The_Liquid_Laser said:
RolStoppable said:

What did they screw up? What does Switch 2 even have in common with the 3DS? The only thing that can be argued is price, but price is directly tied to perceived value and the Switch concept is a proven value that this time around launches with much better third party support than its predecessor. But other than that?

Selling point of the hardware: Hybrid console vs. stereoscopic 3D which failed and in turn made the price tag unjustifiable. Tremendous advantage for Switch 2.

Launch window first party software: Sequel to megaseller Mario Kart 8 and a new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong developed by EAD Tokyo vs. Nintendogs+Cats and Pilotwings Resort. Ndogs+Cats may have been a sequel to a megaseller, but it had no defining characters and game universe that protected it from copycats, unlike Mario Kart. Another tremendous advantage for Switch 2.

First year first party software: The 3DS ultimately managed to somewhat match the launch window lineup of Switch 2 through ten months, but Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 were handheld games while Switch 2 games aren't; they are much grander in scope. Too bad for the 3DS that Switch 2 is getting many more noteworthy games in its seven month stretch, including a new Pokémon game and the highly anticipated Metroid Prime 4. Another landslide victory for Switch 2.

First year third party software: Let's make this short, the 3DS had almost nothing worth mentioning, so Switch 2's low effort ports already give it the edge here.

Additional offerings: The NSO library for classic video game consoles is so far ahead of anything the 3DS had in addition to its regular games, so there's no shortage of games to play on Switch 2.

It's as if people have forgotten how botched the 3DS launch was due to the system being rushed to the market without an adequate software pipeline to back it up.

You're hilarious.  If this were the Titanic, you'd be saying, "Where did they screw up other than hitting that iceberg?"

I do understand that YOU like the Switch 2, and that YOU are excited to get one and play Mario Kart.  YOU are not bothered by the price.  Your opinion about YOU personally is not invalid.  However, there are people that loved the Wii U and Gamecube, too.  When you are talking about hardware sales, you need to ask "How does EVERYONE feel?"  You haven't learned to read the writing on the wall.  People were spamming the chat in Nintendo Treehouse Live with "CUT THE PRICE!"  That is a huge warning flag.  I've never seen anything like this in response to a console reveal.  This is worse than how people reacted to the XBox 1 reveal, and that was a huge debacle. 

When people complain about the price, they are actually complaining about the value, i.e. the actual cost vs. how much they feel it should cost.  The most common ways that console value is increased is either 1) cut the hardware price or 2) release several highly desirable games.  This is why the Switch 2 is just like the 3DS.  Both are perceived to be a terrible value at launch, but they can also eventually salvage the console like Nintendo did with the 3DS (or Microsoft with the XBox 1.)  It's not a Wii U situation where the poor value (e.g. the gamepad) is an integral part of the system.

The price is also not the only mistake they're making, but I'm not going to list 10-ish reasons here, because you'll still react with a sentiment "They made no mistakes other than hitting that iceberg."  Instead I'll just say that time wins more converts than reason.  When Nintendo releases their financial report ending the recently started fiscal year, you'll have realized you overestimated the public's desire for the Switch 2, if not sooner.

If you won’t give us 10-ish reasons, how about 3? And I don’t mean bullshit reasons like “no 3D Mario at launch!” or “Sakurai should be working on Smash instead of Kirby!”

The only complaints I’ve seen about Switch 2 are the price. People aren’t really complaining about the console specs, software lineup or hardware features. 3DS had a rough start for a combination of reasons outside of simply price:

-based around a gimmick that wasn’t nearly as popular as they hoped (Switch 2 does not have a new gimmick as the main focus. Things like mouse controls, camera & game chat are merely extra features)

-easy for the average consumer to mistake it for a DS revision rather than a successor (Switch 2 is the most straightforward name a successor could have)

-did not launch with a killer app and had a post-launch drought, lets compare the launch years:

3DS launch year

March-Nintendogs+Cats, Pilotwings Resort

June-Ocarina of Time 3D

September-Star Fox 64 3D

October-Pokemon Rumble Blast

November-Super Mario 3D Land

December-Mario Kart 7

Switch 2 launch year

June-Mario Kart World, Welcome Tour, Zelda: BotW/TotK ports

July-Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Party Jamboree port

August-Kirby Forgotten Land port

Summer-Drag x Drive

2025-Metroid Prime 4

2025-Kirby Air Riders

Late 2025-Pokemon Legends

Winter-Hyrule Warriors

In order for Switch 2 to be in the same situation as 3DS, it would need to be named something like Switch Together where the camera & chat were the main focus and the lineup looked something like this:

March-Drag x Drive, Welcome Tour

June-Breath of the Wild port

September-Mario Party Jamboree port

October-Kirby Air Riders

November-Donkey Kong Bananza

December-Mario Kart World



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

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KLXVER on 23 April 2025
The_Liquid_Laser said:
KLXVER said:

I agree the price is high, but I really dont think many people understand how beloved the Switch is. Seen several people who were not really into Nintendo and now the Switch is their favorite console of all time. Its insane. This is not a Wii to WiiU situation at all. I watch a lot of collection videos and even people who dont do that kind of content, people who just do vlogs are still doing Switch collection videos. This console is not just a "gimmick" people played a couple of games and put down like the Wii. Its truly a phenomenon. The Switch 2 will do very well I think.

I agree the Switch is a very beloved system.  I think you underestimate how beloved the Wii is.  It's also a very beloved system.  For the first couple of years after the Switch released, Ubisoft still released Just Dance on the Wii, because it was the most popular SKU.

That is true. It was a very beloved system for some. I just think the Switch is on another level. It has the casual crowd and the core gamers. Its truely a system for everyone.



RolStoppable on 23 April 2025
The_Liquid_Laser said:

You're hilarious.  If this were the Titanic, you'd be saying, "Where did they screw up other than hitting that iceberg?"

I do understand that YOU like the Switch 2, and that YOU are excited to get one and play Mario Kart.  YOU are not bothered by the price.  Your opinion about YOU personally is not invalid.  However, there are people that loved the Wii U and Gamecube, too.  When you are talking about hardware sales, you need to ask "How does EVERYONE feel?"  You haven't learned to read the writing on the wall.  People were spamming the chat in Nintendo Treehouse Live with "CUT THE PRICE!"  That is a huge warning flag.  I've never seen anything like this in response to a console reveal.  This is worse than how people reacted to the XBox 1 reveal, and that was a huge debacle. 

When people complain about the price, they are actually complaining about the value, i.e. the actual cost vs. how much they feel it should cost.  The most common ways that console value is increased is either 1) cut the hardware price or 2) release several highly desirable games.  This is why the Switch 2 is just like the 3DS.  Both are perceived to be a terrible value at launch, but they can also eventually salvage the console like Nintendo did with the 3DS (or Microsoft with the XBox 1.)  It's not a Wii U situation where the poor value (e.g. the gamepad) is an integral part of the system.

The price is also not the only mistake they're making, but I'm not going to list 10-ish reasons here, because you'll still react with a sentiment "They made no mistakes other than hitting that iceberg."  Instead I'll just say that time wins more converts than reason.  When Nintendo releases their financial report ending the recently started fiscal year, you'll have realized you overestimated the public's desire for the Switch 2, if not sooner.

You are the guy who is coming off an idiotic prediction for the two most recently launched consoles, namely the PS5 and Xbox Series. You predicted a substantial decline due to Switch's popularity and you ended up being off by miles.

You are the one who has to prove that he understands the market. When your best argument is that trolls spammed a chat, you have no ground to stand on. The internet is not representative of the real world, hence why all the trolling regarding Switch 1 - which was bombarded with many more reasons than price alone in early 2017 - fell flat on its face. The reason why you won't be making an actual argument is because you have none.



Legend11 correctly predicted that GTA IV will outsell Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I was wrong.

Wyrdness on 23 April 2025

Tbh the is no comparison between Switch 2 and the 3DS/WiiU I really don't get the notion for a start both communication and naming are far better the is no real confusion to be had here, no one mistook a PS2 for a PS1 for reference, secondly both 3DS and WiiU did something that cost them the success of their predecessors they shifted to focus on a different type of audience as DS and Wii actively catered to the blue ocean consumers while their successors did a hard turn for the red ocean consumers while only throwing scraps towards the former.

In contrast Switch just continues what it was doing before with no hard shift in who it targets also throwing the gimmick claim at Switch is fully incorrect as hybrid form factor is far from a gimmick, being able to play your library anywhere through one device is a massive QOL, convenience and money saver for a lot of people. Only real complaint is the software pricing but the industry was already on that path anyway.



archbrix on 23 April 2025

So much of this anger at Nintendo could have been avoided of only Mario Kart World had been $70. I think everything else could have remained the same and it would have resulted in only a fraction of the backlash we're seeing. Is Mario Kart World worth $80? Maybe. It is to me, but I still think that Nintendo should have waited until the next Zelda game before issuing a higher than normal game price (similar to the TOTK situation on Switch). People would still complain about it, but by then GTA6 will have already launched and upped the ante on game prices, making a Switch 2 game price hike a bit easier to swallow. The bigger concern I have is that more big 1st party Nintendo games (besides something massive like Zelda) will see similar price hikes; games that we should all expect to be $70. Mario Kart is something that is loved by everyone from children to grandmas. Making the price a bit more "accessible" is important for something with such broad reach appeal. But either way, here we are.

Fortunately, Nintendo has given us a means to sidestep Kart's high price with the launch bundle, effectively making the game a surprisingly reasonable $50. Seriously, I doubt that we will ever see this game that cheap this entire generation, even years form now on Mario Day. So it basically comes down to either, buy the bundle now even if you didn't plan on getting Kart this soon, or if you have zero interest in Mario Kart but still want a Switch 2, you buy the system for $449 and never have to worry about $80 Mario Kart anyway.

Before the April 2 Direct I completely expected to pay $500 for my Switch 2 and a new Mario Kart (I predicted the console at $429 and Kart at $69, though I expected a physical MKW for that price) so for me, the launch of Switch 2 regarding prices and games is fine. For example, if it is indeed true that Nintendo is taking a small loss on hardware, would it have been better if Switch 2 increased in price by $10 a SKU to break even, but Welcome Tour was thrown in for "free"? This way, the console price remains in check and I don't have to buy Welcome Tour. I also don't have to buy a new Pro controller since my old ones will work fine, and presumably, so will any Hori, 8BitDo, etc controllers. That certainly saves me some cash, so Nintendo is doing some things right by consumers. Not supporting regular SD cards to play our old Switch 1 stuff still sucks, though.

Finally, do I think that this negativity we've seen is going to stunt sales? Nope. The hardware is in line with what is reasonably expected in today's market and the value matches the price. The general consensus is that the tech is great and as long as there are enough good games in the pipeline, Switch 2 should do very well based on what we can expect so far.



Mr.GameCrazy on 23 April 2025
RolStoppable said:
The_Liquid_Laser said:

You're hilarious.  If this were the Titanic, you'd be saying, "Where did they screw up other than hitting that iceberg?"

I do understand that YOU like the Switch 2, and that YOU are excited to get one and play Mario Kart.  YOU are not bothered by the price.  Your opinion about YOU personally is not invalid.  However, there are people that loved the Wii U and Gamecube, too.  When you are talking about hardware sales, you need to ask "How does EVERYONE feel?"  You haven't learned to read the writing on the wall.  People were spamming the chat in Nintendo Treehouse Live with "CUT THE PRICE!"  That is a huge warning flag.  I've never seen anything like this in response to a console reveal.  This is worse than how people reacted to the XBox 1 reveal, and that was a huge debacle. 

When people complain about the price, they are actually complaining about the value, i.e. the actual cost vs. how much they feel it should cost.  The most common ways that console value is increased is either 1) cut the hardware price or 2) release several highly desirable games.  This is why the Switch 2 is just like the 3DS.  Both are perceived to be a terrible value at launch, but they can also eventually salvage the console like Nintendo did with the 3DS (or Microsoft with the XBox 1.)  It's not a Wii U situation where the poor value (e.g. the gamepad) is an integral part of the system.

The price is also not the only mistake they're making, but I'm not going to list 10-ish reasons here, because you'll still react with a sentiment "They made no mistakes other than hitting that iceberg."  Instead I'll just say that time wins more converts than reason.  When Nintendo releases their financial report ending the recently started fiscal year, you'll have realized you overestimated the public's desire for the Switch 2, if not sooner.

You are the guy who is coming off an idiotic prediction for the two most recently launched consoles, namely the PS5 and Xbox Series. You predicted a substantial decline due to Switch's popularity and you ended up being off by miles.

You are the one who has to prove that he understands the market. When your best argument is that trolls spammed a chat, you have no ground to stand on. The internet is not representative of the real world, hence why all the trolling regarding Switch 1 - which was bombarded with many more reasons than price alone in early 2017 - fell flat on its face. The reason why you won't be making an actual argument is because you have none.

I remember when there was controversy over GameFreak cutting some Pokémon from Sword and Shield, "Bring back the National Pokédex" was mentioned often, but the games went on to be very successful.