Why the Switch 2’s Price Was Never Going to Hamper Its Success

A desirable games library and proven form factor overcomes the issue of a surprisingly high price tag.

At the start of April, Nintendo’s hugely-anticipated Switch 2 Direct blowout ended on an ominous note.

The presentation had been exciting, showing off a variety of cool new features and a wide array of upcoming games, but one significant detail had been left out – the price. It didn’t take long for fans’ fears of a significant price hike to be confirmed. Nintendo later announced on the newly-launched Switch 2 website that the console will cost $449, a $150 increase over the original Switch’s $299 launch price

Anger that Nintendo wasn’t upfront about the price was paired with panic about the implications for the console’s success, particularly after it was announced that Mario Kart World, the Switch 2’s big launch game, will cost $80.

Afterall, who would pay $450 – pretty much the same cost as a PS5 or Xbox Series X – for a console that’s essentially last-gen tech? Very soon these fears would be quashed, though, as Bloomberg reported that the Switch 2 is on course to be the biggest console launch of all time, with predictions that it could sell 6-8 million units.

In Nintendo’s biggest failure we can actually see some of the reasons why the Switch 2 is going to thrive.

The Virtual Boy, released 20 years ago, was Nintendo’s first and so far only genuine attempt at virtual reality. The science fiction-like concept of VR has always been appealing, and the popularity of the technology today has proven that, but back in 1995 even state of the art VR tech was nowhere near ready for mass consumption.

And Nintendo’s Virtual Boy was far from state of the art. The company made many sacrifices to get the device on shelves. The console had to be stood on a table and you had to stoop to peek inside the viewport, inside of which the games were bathed in a bloody red hue.

Then there were the various reports of headaches caused by the thing. The tech simply didn’t function how players imagined it would – this was no Star Trek machine that could transport you to different worlds. Unsurprisingly, people didn’t want it.

The Switch 2, despite its high price, is nothing like the Virtual Boy. Instead, it’s best compared to the Wii, which featured motion control technology that worked to a high standard and was a breath of fresh air that people desired. It changed the rules of how games could be played and significantly expanded the gaming population – you were as likely to find a Wii in a retirement home as you were in a kid's bedroom.

Final Verdict

Nintendo’s unique place in the games industry boils down to the fact that it makes games that set standards and people will happily pay a premium to play them. However, relevant to the competition, you don’t have to pay a premium to get the Switch 2 – it's perfectly in line with the rest of the industry.