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Title: Is the $450 Nintendo Switch 2 too expensive?

Date: Wed, 21 May 2025 20:59:43 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/is-t...

It seems fitting that Nintendo didnΓÇÖt reveal the Switch 2ΓÇÖs $450 price
during its Direct stream this morning ΓÇö it would have just bummed everyone
out. After spending an hour hearing about how the Switch 2 practically fixes
almost every problem we had with the original console, and seeing teasers for
exciting games like Mario Kart World, why spoil the good vibes with the harsh
reality of market economics? Instead, Nintendo revealed the consoleΓÇÖs price
in the lowliest of media communications: A simple press release.

My first reaction was shock. $450 for a mostly portable console? ThatΓÇÖs the
same retail price as the PlayStation 5, a system thatΓÇÖs also currently on
sale for $400 together with Astro-Bot. Sure, the Switch 2 is vastly superior
to the original Switch, but it likely doesnΓÇÖt have PS5-level hardware. The
price jump is also surprising since the original Switch launched at $300 in
2017. Can you imagine we thought the $350 Switch OLED was too high-priced?

Unfortunately, itΓÇÖs not 2017. NVIDIA now has mid-range GPUs selling for
upwards of $600, the cost of almost every product has gone up, and massive
companies like Nintendo are bracing for the potential impact of the Trump
administrationΓÇÖs long-threatened tariffs.

A $450 Switch 2 is expensive, IΓÇÖm not denying that. But in the current
economic landscape, I would hesitate to call it too expensive.

Nintendo

Consider this: The Switch 2 is just $50 more than the cheapest Steam Deck, a
portable PC gaming handheld with significantly slower hardware, a smaller and
lower quality (7-inch, 1280 by 800, 60Hz) screen, and a much bulkier frame.
The Switch 2, meanwhile, is just as thin as the original model, it has a 7.9-
inch 1080p screen that can run up to 120fps with HDR, and itΓÇÖs powerful
enough to play games at up to 4K/60fps while docked. Based on the games
weΓÇÖve seen so far, the Switch 2 seems surprisingly powerful for its size.

The Switch 2 also improves on its controls with the Joy-Con 2, which now
magnetically attach to the consoles, feature larger analog sticks and can
also work as mice across a variety of services. You wonΓÇÖt be removing the
Steam DeckΓÇÖs controls without the use of a small saw. And IΓÇÖve yet to see
a handheld PC maker deliver removable controls that are as comfortable and
easy to use as the original Switch (that means you, Lenovo). NintendoΓÇÖs
original Joy-Con were far from perfect, but they did the job, and IΓÇÖd wager
the company has learned enough to make the Joy-Con 2f even better.

Nintendo

And while you can technically dock other PC gaming handhelds, they wonΓÇÖt
see the performance upgrade Nintendo is claiming with the Switch 2. The
company says its new console can reach up to 4K/60fps for some titles, thanks
to an additional fan in the dock. We donΓÇÖt know exactly whatΓÇÖs powering
the Switch 2 yet, so Nintendo could be drastically overselling its
capabilities. But given how seamless docking worked on the first Switch
(where it also delivered a bit of a performance upgrade, sans an additional
fan), itΓÇÖs also something I think Nintendo has optimized more than PC
companies, who are only just now dipping their toes into portable gaming.

Maybe IΓÇÖm just trying to justify my own purchases (I just realized IΓÇÖll
probably need a second Switch 2 for my kid), but I just canΓÇÖt get too angry
about a $450 Switch 2. If we see many more $80 games like Mario Kart World,
though, we should absolutely riot in the streets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/is-t...
expensive-195750206.html?src=rss

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