Amongst our collective positivity at seeing new details, a lot of us are furious about the Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing for accessories, games, and more. Some can be justified, but some aspects are a little less excusable.
Every new generation of console is more expensive than the last, across the board – in fact, it’s the same with all tech like mobiles, power banks, and more. This is due to innovations and higher quality components going into the item, though production costs, wages, and taxes also play a part. For the Switch 2, we have new features, better specs, and a larger screen to justify the price.
It’s the extra items that are concerning some of us. For instance, if you’re in the US and let’s say you want the console with all the trimmings and a copy of Donkey Kong Bananza, you’re going to need to fork out $569.97 for the console, game, and a camera attachment. If you want to try the Switch 2’s tech demo game, Welcome Tour, that’ll cost extra, though there’s no listed price just yet. This is the part that’s grinding the most gears, as a gamified tutorial should surely come as a free item, not a paid experience.
Any other controllers, spare Joy-Cons, and carrying cases will also cost you. The Switch 2 itself comes with Joy-Con grips, straps, an HDMI cable, and an AC adapter charger as well as the console, so luckily, you get the basics boxed in. Some good news, though, is that Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster will only run you $39.99.
Interestingly, the prices listed on European sites include different prices for physical and digital versions of the games. There’s currently no confirmation that this is the case in the US just yet.
@pockettactics We got to check out the #NintendoSwitch2 ahead of its June release date, and this year’s most-anticipated console is well worth the wait 🎮✨
The prices also fluctuate depending on the region you’re in. Looking at Mario Kart World, it costs $79 USD, around$114 AUD, €90, and around £75 in the UK for a physical copy. Digital copies come in slightly cheaper at €79.99/£66.99. Compare this to $59.99 USD/£49.99 for 2017’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and you can see quite a bit of a jump.
However, Breath of the Wild cost more than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at launch (£59.99), with Tears of the Kingdom costing around $10 more than other recent first-party titles. Let’s hope that Mario Kart World is the premium game on Switch 2, and that others will cost a little less, as most other Nintendo titles did compared to BOTW.
From a personal place, while I don’t like paying more money for games, unfortunately, I’ve come to realize that new things do just cost more. Looking at an inflation calculator, the $299.99 price point of the original Switch in 2017 would equate to $390.51 today. Breath of the Wild’s 2017 price of $59.99 would be $78.09 today, too, so maybe Mario Kart World’s price is justified after all from an economic standpoint. Also, Ocarina of Time would cost well over $100!
If you’re still eager to get your hands on the new console, you can see where to snag a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order here, and check out our full round-up of everything announced in the Switch 2 Direct.