A few weeks ago, Nintendo hosted their April Nintendo Direct, where they had an in-depth exploration of the Switch 2, its features, and the games coming alongside it. Alongside the presentation, Nintendo finally revealed the pricing of the console and the first party games coming alongside it: $450 for the console, $70 for most first party games (Donkey Kong Bananza), and $80 for Mario Kart World. In Europe and other markets, physical copies for these games are approximately €10 extra. Many gamers were shocked when the prices were revealed.
“The jump from the $300 MSRP [of the Switch 1] to $450 is wild,” Edward Nguyen expressed.
The disbelief over this sticker shock can be largely attributed to the historical standard that most people are accustomed to. Most Nintendo consoles have been priced pretty cheap compared to their competitors; all prior Nintendo consoles had an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) between $200 and $350, while other consoles had MSRP listings as high as $500. The Switch 2’s MSRP makes it the most expensive Nintendo console ever released, by a margin of $150.
What is perhaps more surprising than the historical price hike of the console is the pricing of the games themselves. With the release of Mario Kart World, Nintendo has now normalized $80 as the new price cap for video games. For decades, the most expensive games would only cost $60, regardless of inflation. $70 games only started getting pushed in the last few years, and they’ve faced extreme criticism from the public.
“I think the prices of games are already ridiculous, I only play games when they are on sale,” Lily O’Brien commented.
Many gamers have decided to skip out on buying the new generation. In addition to simply not being able to afford the Switch 2, many have decided that the console is not offering enough new features to justify the price. Some also hope that the backlash from the pricing will convince Nintendo to cut the prices prior to launch.
Lexx explains, “I know that I’m not going to buy, and that’s about as much as you can do. Hopefully, they listen.”
