A Gamers Thought (Nintendo Switch 2 GREED)

 

Written By: Sam Delong-There was a time when Nintendo was the premier name in video games. For decades, many of us just referred to "Playing Nintendo" as the term for being a gamer. The Japanese-based company brought us many iconic franchises, delivering legendary and well-known characters and franchises. Nintendo predicted the downfall of the arcade market and invented the idea of home consoles as we know them today. Nintendo's reputation has also made it synonymous with beloved, child-friendly characters and established it as the family-friendly console. Around the start of the GameCube generation, Nintendo started experimenting with new ideas and teaching, delivering a 3D Mario and Link. They were on the cornerstone of innovation, while looking at the market in their unique (and sometimes confusing) way.

However, Nintendo's reliance on these characters has painted them into a corner. The original Switch blazed a trail by being a hybrid console. It plays iconic Nintendo titles, even if they only ran at 30 fps. And while the PlayStation and XBOX battled over graphical power... Nintendo Switch had a niche in cozy gaming, even though it was locked at 60 hertz. And all of this was fine because Nintendo wasn't trying to compete with its bigger console brothers. Nintendo also had the market perception of being the budget-friendly family console.

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Then, a few weeks ago, that all changed. The Nintendo Switch 2 barreled onto the scene with a $450 price tag and $80 digital games. And while I am sure many Nintendo fans are psyched for Metroid Prime 4 and new Mario Kart, it's a big ask. And it highlights a glaring problem. The fact that Nintendo is, and always has been, anti-consumer. As a Publisher, Nintendo goes months, or even years, without new first-party releases.

From a technology point of view, the house of Mario is also pathetically behind the times. The Switch 2 has voice chat -- which is great -- if the other platforms hadn't integrated those features 10 years ago. Nintendo also regularly releases ports -- not remasters -- of 15-year-old games for full price, and now has the nerve to charge $70 for "upgraded" versions of games like Breath of the Wild despite being 8 years old. While the Switch 2 pre-orders are currently a mess -- guess who gets priority? Those who pay for Nintendo Online.

Nintendo is comfortable with bleeding you dry -- all for at best 3 launch games, for the same price as other consoles, that is already way ahead of the game. Nintendo has lost touch with its audience. They are alienating their core audience by trying to compete in the console wars. Something that its core audience does not and never has cared about. And they are alienating those who might be new to the Nintendo ecosystem by placing it in a pricing structure based on greed.