The Nintendo Switch 2’s high price point came as a surprise, and not a pleasant one, when it was revealed after the console’s Direct. The console itself is going to cost $450 at launch, $500 if it comes bundled with launch title Mario Kart World. It also revealed that World will cost $80. This seemed like a huge jump up in price from Nintendo’s previous titles, and potentially one that players couldn’t afford. Is this going to be the norm going forward?
In an interview with The Washington Post, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said that this is part of the company’s “variable pricing” approach to games. “We’ll look at each game, really look at the development that’s gone into the game, the breadth and depth of the gameplay, if you will, the durability over time and the repeatability of gameplay experiences.” He added that the company hadn’t set a benchmark, so players don’t need to expect every game to cost $80 at launch.
On the surface of it, this price doesn’t necessarily seem that terrible. After all, the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 with disc drive both cost $500 at launch and those consoles are practically geriatric at this point. However, in this as in all things, Nintendo marches to the beat of a different drummer than its flashier cousins. The original Switch launched with a $300 price tag, the same as its Wii U predecessor, and that seemed like a reasonable price for what was essentially a juiced-up handheld.
The price is right — but can we pay it?
Even if one doesn’t take into account things like the U.S.A.’s tariffs, which might have played a role in the boosted console price, if not the games, there’s one big problem with Bowser’s remark about variable pricing: Doesn’t it mean that we could potentially pay more for some games in the future? Saying, “Yes, this is the new normal, get used to it,” would be one thing, but at least then we’d have a concrete idea of what to expect.
Even if we take the most generous interpretation of his words to mean that they charged a princely sum for Mario Kart World because it has replayability; deep, rich gameplay; and a lengthy development cycle, it’s still not exactly reassuring. First, because Mario Kart titles often get new tracks post-launch that cost even more money — see for example, Mario Kart 8’s Booster Course Pass. Second, because this is the title that Nintendo wants to use to sell its new console. That’s the price that’s meant to appeal to hungry consumers.
Gaming has been getting, and will continue to get, more expensive by the year. I don’t necessarily blame Nintendo for asking us to pay more for their titles. But telling us that this might not be the limit is not exactly the reassurance that Bowser and Nintendo were probably hoping it would be.
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