Like many, my head is left spinning from yesterday morning’s Nintendo Direct. We got to see so many amazing games and we finally got to see all the new bells and whistles behind the hardware. When the showcase was over, there was nothing but excitement. Until we all started getting the details.
$449.99 USD for the Switch Console by itself and $500 for the console with Mario Kart World Bundle. Which was to be expected based off rumors and analyst speculation. However, the thing nobody saw coming, was the $80 dollar games. To put a cherry on top, physical games will cost $10 dollars more. This prices a physical copy of Mario Kart World at $90 dollars.
I have a ton of mixed feelings on this like most of you do, but after sleeping on it, I think I’ve made up my mind on how I feel about it. In this article I cover those thoughts, but I also interviewed my wife for her thoughts. She brings a unique perspective to the subject. She has a love for Nintendo, has kids, but isn’t a gamer and would for sure like to spend money elsewhere.
At the cost of being cliche, I want to give you a little background on how I feel about Nintendo. I’ll try to keep it short and get to the meat of it quickly, but I think its important you know where I’m coming from when I tell you my thoughts on the price tag.
Mario 64 was the first time I ever played a video game. Mario Kart was my second game. I have a great love for the nostalgia that comes from experiencing N64, Gamecube, and Wii games with friends and family. When I see a copy of Pokemon Stadium, I am immediately met with fond memories from my childhood. You could say I’ve been a Nintendo fan since I could talk honestly. However, I wouldn’t say that.
As I got older, I grew away from the system during the Wii era. Not that Nintendo did anything specific to lose me, my heart simply belonged to Halo. My tastes in games changed and I found myself not picking up the Wii remote very often. I’ve owned a Wii U, 3DS, and a Switch. But between all three, I put more time in to Pokemon X on the 3DS than any other titles on those consoles. If I’m being completely blunt about my time with those consoles, I can safely tell you that I’ve put more time in to Pokemon Go than total game time accumulated between those three consoles.
My Switch has gathered so much dust. I even sold it this past year for extra cash. I knew the Switch 2 was coming fairly soon, I figured I would upgrade. So I went in to the Nintendo Direct yesterday with every intention of buying one. However, I ended my day with on a disheartened note.
Once I found out about the standard price for games being $80 dollars, I was out. I want to play so many games from that showcase! Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Dream Racers, and Metroid 4. But to buy two Switch 2 games would set me back $160. Only two games. Listen, I just paid more than that for a Collectors Edition of Assassins Creed Shadows. Worth is subjective and I won’t sit here and argue that two Nintendo games aren’t worth that.
The thought that I can’t get out of my head, is that, if I buy only 2 games for the Switch 2. The price increase of that (if I bought physical) would come out to $60 dollars. The cost of Astro Bot, my personal 2024 GOTY and GSC’s, is worth $60 dollars brand new. It would be very hard for you to convince me, that a single one of those games is worth a significant increase in price hike because the quality is there where Astro Bot isn’t.
Even when you look at the new FromSoftware game that comes out next year, it starts getting even harder to swallow this pill. Elden Ring Nightreign comes out soon at the cost of $50 dollars. Its hard to reason why you would put a PvPvE niche game like that for $80 dollars on one console exclusively. If any other creator did that, they would be the laughing stock of the entire industry. Games like Battlefield 2042 were viewed at as a failure for not having enough content at a $70 USD price tag.
I talked myself out of wanting a Switch 2 very easily. However, I just as easily talked myself back in to it. So much so, I’m determined to get my hands on one this year.
Its been eight years since the Nintendo Switch launched and yet, the mere fact that I considered getting another one instead of getting the 2 is exactly what drove me to my decision. The original Switch has maintained its value over that time. Consoles are appreciating instead of depreciating.
I can easily give you a lot of reasons to criticize Nintendo for how they run things. But one thing you can’t criticize them for is how they value their consoles and games.
I know that when I buy the Nintendo Switch 2, that its safe to say, it will maintain that worth for at least the next 8 years. The same can be said for their games.
When I buy a Ubisoft game, I can expect to see a sale for that game fairly soon after it releases. A lot of us can safely say, we will wait for a sale and not buy something on day 1. However, games like Mario Kart are different. A game that is 12 years old is still priced the same. If you are lucky, you can get 15 bucks off on a black Friday sale.
Listen, I’m not a salesman for Nintendo nor am I a fan boy. I write this as a passionate video game consumer who cares about my wallet. I’m not crazy well off and I have a family that relies on me for income. So when I spend money on things like this, I put a lot of thought and planning in to it.
This is why the $80-90 price tag on games originally killed it for me. Its not sustainable for me to constantly play the newest and greatest games all the time with that much of a difference. But this is Nintendo we are talking about.
When I buy Mario Kart World, that game will be played for countless hours by myself, friends, and family. At the risk of sounding cheesy, the memories I will make with my family playing these games will be priceless. I’m not out here buying more than 2 switch games a year, but when I do, its for games that I keep and are enjoyed with others.
You now know my usage of the first switch, so why would I feel like the switch 2 would be different? I don’t think it will be drastically different at all. But the money I put in to the console and games will last me at least 8-10 years. It feels a lot less expensive when you put it in that perspective.
Now let me be clear, all I am saying is that Nintendo games are worth the $80-90 dollar price tag. I am just as concerned as everyone else is about the precedent this sets for other companies. That is an entirely different conversation for another time.
What do you think? Is the price increase okay or unacceptable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! To hear what the rest of the team here at GSC thinks, take a listen to this week’s podcast below.
