When the Nintendo Switch was unveiled to the world not too long ago and with the launch of the new system around the corner, the public still have a mixed (and often negative) opinion in regards to the price of the Switch. The Telegraph have conducted a lengthy interview with two of Nintendo’s most prestigious employee’s who have had major involvement in the Switch’s development; Shinya Takahashi and Yoshiaki Koizumi.
They both reiterated that the Joy-Con will have a big involvement with putting minds at rest and they believe that a constant stream of games will be suffice in realising the true value. Read the excerpt below from the interview for a more in-depth explanation:
While there is definitely more buzz, some have suggested the price is too high. How do you respond to that?
Takahashi I think different people have a different sense of the value of the system. And while we’ve heard some folks respond that way, there are certainly people that look at Switch and the versatility of the playstyle and the different types of play that it offers and they feel it is a suitable pricepoint. It comes down a little bit to personal opinion, we think there is quite a bit of value in the system.
Often the conversation over pricing is to do with the Switch’s comparative power, do you find that frustrating when you think about what else the Switch offers?
Koizumi When we talk about the Joy-Con, it’s important to convey that in this very small size and low weight piece of hardware there are a lot of different components, and many were very important to allow people to experience the different play-styles we’re going for in order to further the concept of how to reach more people with these different types of games. I think that after people experience they will understand the value of all that’s packed in there.
So for those who are making these types of judgments right now, I ‘d really like them to have the opportunity to experience the console and to start thinking about the value of these experiences rather than some of the other factors like power.
Takahashi And of course we’ll continue to release games that will make people understand why we’ve created the Joy-Con in the way that we have as we release more and more games that take advantage of the functionality and understand that value.
PS4: $400
Xbox ONe: $500
Switch: $300
TOO OVERPRICED! NINTENDO IS DEAD! CANCELLING MY ORDER!
Ke
Keep in mind th
Agreed and hey.
You have to use current pricing. A PS4 with Uncharted 4 costs the same as a Switch.
Yes, but as Breader said, they’ve been out for years. This has yet to come out, and people are already asking for a price reduction, yet were fine with the original launch prices of the other systems.
That’s because it’s Nintendo and they think so low of them that they want everything from them for a steal. It’s really a double standard.
No, that’s not it, not even close… Its because even though those console have been out for a couple of years already….they are still more powerful then the Nintendo Switch and able to run games the way 3rd parties require them to be run. More entertainment value outside gaming.
The Switch is built to be portable. You have to think of it in that aspect and in that way it’s pretty damn powerful. Would you rather have a 10 minute battery? Also, it’s mostly western AAA third parties that have the requirements you speak of.
Having less entertainment outside gaming didn’t hurt the 3DS.
…
The 3ds is designed to be a portal console. Not a home console. Apples and ba nu noos.
Sure, it’s powerful for a portable console but weak for a home console and this was supposed to be a home console first and a portable second.
Also it’s great that it has features that the others don’t and I like them for the most part but and it is a big butt, the Switch cant run the 3rd party triple A’s which is much more important then being able to use it as a portable console.
You mention that the games would drain the battery. When portable it should go into “portable mode” and be optimized for performance and efficiency. Just like it is now. They should have included the extra power needed to compete with the new PS and Xbox specs and the headset jacks in the controllers. online through the Switch itself and an Ethernet port in the $100 Dock. They should have sold it at a loss for the first couple of years. They owe us. They sold us two shitty casual consoles in a row. You would think that the Switch is this middle ground console for both casuals and gamers but its not. It heavily favors the casual market….again.
You can’t have a hybrid that’s home console first. The type of thing you’re describing would be astronomically expensive as well. A portable PS4/XB1 equivalent in power? Yeah, have fun paying like $700 or even more for it. Portable and powerful can be a very expensive combination. Why do you think the Switch only has a 720p screen rather than 1080p?
The Wii U and 3DS were the first consoles they ever sold at a loss and look how it turned out for them. It’s absolutely the right move to make a profit on the Switch from day 1.
Wouldn’t have to charge that much(based of Shield specs) since they would be taking a loss and not overcharging in the first place. Could sell it for $399 and be ok.
The comparison of the first consoles you say Nintendo sold at a loss basically balances each other out and so i’m not sure as to the point your trying to make here. One did well and one didn’t to be clear.
720p is to save on battery use. That is fine. The Switch itself can keep the 720p screen. That doesn’t need to change.
Also your missing something…
Power and compatibility over portability should have been their focus on their home console. Also, Future proof over cost effective. What you believe to be crazy is exactly what they have been advertising. A home console that is portable and not a portable console that can be played at home.
The 3DS may have sold good numbers but in no way did it cancel out the massive losses from the whole 8th generation. Remember when the 3DS dropped in price by $80? It took a long while before they were actually making good money after that.
They can market the Switch however they want just like how other companies market their products. The fact remains that it’s portability and price came above power when designing it.
i just want a bundle because it comes out 400$ anyway with a game
Been out for years yet still outdo switch in specs…
So you’re saying every console generation has to cost less than the one before it?
No I’m explaining what peoples thought process might be.
Why would you use current pricing? The switch is just releasing. The ps4 couldve only been 300 out the gate but they charged more because it was a new product. They only lowered the price to raise interest. If anyone was overpricing their systems its sony and MS. They waited years to drop the price, and we will see Nintendo do the same thing. In a year or two the switch will drop to 250 and maybe come with a pack in game.
I’ve explained in another post that that’s how customers would view things: prices NOW. The Switch could still win over people but that’s still how some would view it.
Well that group isnt very bright, are they? I mean imagine you visit a car dealership. They have a 2016 civic and a 2017 civic right next to each other. They’re priced the same. You ask the dealer why, and he says, “they’re both new, the 2016 is just last years model.” You would say “that doesnt make sense! I dont want to pay the same price for an older model, even if it is new! It should be cheaper because its not current. And then your dealer would say “its not like its a video game console, just because its older doesnt mean we can price it cheaper.” And you would say, “thats nonsense!” And you would be right. And so, the moral is you pay a small royalty for buying a new product. Anyone who doesnt know that is stupid. How much does a ps4 pro cost? Thats what the switch should be compared too, because they at least are coming out in the same 1 year span.
I never said it was smart.
This is very different to that analogy. If that 2016 Civic was more powerful than the 2017 Civic, I think the customer would be very much able to understand why the prices were the same. Graphics cards for PC are the same; just because a model is released in 2017 doesn’t mean it has to be, by default, more expensive than a graphics card released in 2016. If an older graphics card is equally (or more) powerful, it will be priced according to that fact. The date it is released does not and should not affect pricing.
The gaming market is fierce in competition, and the fact that Nintendo is coming in late to the party doesn’t mean they should be pricing their console so high. They should, from a business standpoint, be matching the competition as it stands right now, NOT matching the competition as it stood 2 years ago. If someone walks into their local game store and sees the $300 Switch with no games sitting next to a $250 PS4 (updated 2017 slim model, no less) with two games, the choice is pretty obvious; unless we’re talking about a Nintendo fan specifically.
I do not, however, believe the Switch will perform poorly in sales. Many Nintendo fans skipped the Wii U entirely, and are eagerly awaiting something better… and there are a lot of Nintendo fans.
Yes it cost the same but the Switch is new and the ps4 is like 3 yrs old. No comparison at that point.
I’m talking about random customers going into stores who don’t follow things as closely as we do. It could easily not be an issue at all but it’s still a fact.
You dont need to play devil’s advocate for people who arent knowledgable about videogames. If you’re not knowledgable you probably arent buying videogames to begin with. If you adjust for inflation the wii was roughly what the switch will costs at launch. And it was a hit with people who werent gamers. Dont over think it. Its going to sell because it offers something the ps4 and xbone cant. Portabillity.
I think so too.
A current ps4 with uncharted = 250
A current ps4 with COD = 300 (comes with two Cod)
A current ps4 with cod or 3 games = 300
A current Xbox 1S with 1TB and 2 games is 300
A current xbox 1 S with 500GB and 2 games is 250
A current Xbox 1 original with 500GB and 3 games is 200.
Am I missing anything here? Oh, yeah, I’m paying that extra 50 for the dock and joy con. Makes sense. Plastic and a gimmick vibration trying to simulate a girl vibrator. I understand.
Where are you getting those prices? Whenever I walk into GameStop the price of the Uncharted PS4 is $299. I also don’t ever see the CoD bundle anymore.
The rest of your post is just biased hate so I’ll focus on the first part.
Get Twitter and follow Cheapassdeals. He post deals on systems all the time from best buy, Amazon, Target, etc. There’s at least 4 major deals every day for an Xbox and about 1 for a ps4. I’ll never go by GameStop cause GameStop is trash and a gip. They’ll also why season passes, DLC, and why this stupid pre order to get extra contain came from.
Trust me bro, I’m not making this up.
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/ps4-slim-500-gb-uncharted-4-bundle/apd/a9220414/gaming
I actually don’t see any of those bundles anymore except Uncharted. Those might have been just for the holidays.
Playstation 4 Call of Duty Infinite Warfare 500GB (Walmart Exclusive) (White)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Playstation-4-Call-of-Duty-Infinite-Warfare-500GB-Walmart-Exclusive-White/55467838
That explains it then. I don’t go to Walmart often.
Like, look at what I sent you. I get these deals on a daily basis from who I follow on Twitter. I really like games and stuff, so I follow a lot of people on there. And no lie, the deals for PS4, Xbox 1S, and X1 original are cheap. Switch was just priced bad. At least 275. But 300 to me is dead water.
You’re talking about deals that probably don’t happen every day and most people don’t take advantage of. Even when I was at Walmart yesterday they weren’t that cheap. Use the standard prices in comparisons.
The standard is 300 to 250. It goes back and forth.
I’ve never seen $250 in a store.
I just went to Target and so uncharted bundled for 250
Keep in mind that the PS4 and Xbox One’s prices have dropped significantly since launch. And they’re cheaper than the Switch NOW, but this is only years after launch. I believe that the Switch will come out on top in terms of pricing. Because if the PS4 and Xbox One had such significant price drops, I’m sure Nintendo will make it even cheaper.
The switch will have huge impact on games like the ps4
You’re right, and this is why me and my friend choose not to get a Switch. We decided that it was smarter to wait for the games and Nintendo to do a price cut at 250 with a game or 300 with a game. Because we know Nintendo is going to drop the price if the system doesn’t sell by the holidays just like they did for the Wii u and 3DS. Took them until summer time if 2013 to drop the Wii U. Rather not be a guinea pig and do it like that.
Still could have easily cost $250 if it ONLY had the console-portable hybrid feature, or even make a more powerful system.
If I have to pay $300 it better has $300 technology in it! If I find out that Nintendo has been cheap and underpowered the system just to make more cash, I will be pissed off!
}{ A product that is overpriced due to gimmicky technology that is being sold on the basis of upcoming but unannounced software? Thid sounds familiar… }{
Yeah, sounds like a PC.
Wii U!!!!
OMG, you people whine about getting high technology in a $300 device. Are you mad? It’s $300 bucks. Apple is selling underpowered, crappy computers $1500 apiece and yet people are buying them still.
It’s not a $700+ device, it’s a $300 one. Sometimes I feel like even if it was free, people would still whine about it and bring up negative comments. Nowadays, people want everything free, that’s where we’re at as a society, sadly.
Stop whining about the Switch price, it makes you sound like a 13-year old who is unable to afford one.
Yesh! *High five!*
Mac’s are not selling as apple would like. Check the numbers and you’ll see that PC’s and Mac’s have been on the decline for years. Tablets and phones have basically replaced a lot of this. Not to mention, people can get a chrome book that’s cheaper than a frigging switch and does half the stuff a Mac does. A majority of people buy a Mac just to hit the internet and do email anyways, along with seeing that apple logo connect to their already locked down iPhone device :)
Why does everyone think money is worth power? What about the tech? Ninty has way more tech than the others so it’s going to cost more… Ps4 and Xbox one have been out for like nearly 5 years of course they are cheaper! Switch ain’t even out yet, how stupid can people be lol
I am going to hold out for a price drop on the Switch, since Nintendo done burned me with the Wii U $349.99 at launch, then the lack of support for it, then a update from Nintendo bricked my Wii U and had to send it in for repairs and had to pay $100 for Nintendo to repair it. So I will just purchase Zelda Breath of the Wild on the Wii U. Since it would cost over $500 just to play it on the switch because of 300 for the system, 60 for the game, 70 for the pro controller and then having to purchase more storage for the console. So yes the Switch is overpriced for me. So Sony will be getting most of my money this year since I just purchased a slim PS4 bundled with uncharted 4 from walmart in Dec for $249 with games like resident evil 7, Horizon Zero Dawn coming out this year I have no problem waiting for a switch price drop.
Wow bro, I praise you for seeing the light. This is the same thought process I have. People say you don’t HAVE to buy a pro controller. And I have to always explain that Zelda doesn’t have HD rumble (it doesn’t), so I don’t wanna play with the joy controller. I wanna use an actual controller. It’s just said Nintendo sells gimmick controllers and than says “we know you wanna play the way we use to have you play games, so give us 70 dollars for this”. Shits sad bro
Nintendo always sells their consoles for too much. And yea power does play a HUGE factor because it is a gaming device. If multiplatform games for PS4 and XBone can’t work on the Switch because it is underpowered (which I really think it will be) then you are waiting for developers to develop crappy games specifically for the Switch. This results in a failed system when you have a handful of first party titles but nothing else.
And I don’t care about whether the PS4 or XBone were out for 5 years or not, the CURRENT market has the Switch being more expensive than its more powerful competitors.
Why do you assume that 3rd party games for the switch will be crappy?
Because it is right now. Nothing third party for this year looks good at all. Nothing. No game can you try to pitch me looks fun at third party. Only first party is OK. Zelda, Xenoblade, splat, Mario, Shin. Third party is either old ports of games that are about a year to 4 years old (world of goo is a good example). And the new ones are going to be half baked ports from the x1 and ps4. Skyrim is old as hell. Who cares when dark souls 3 is out. Skyrim has a new game 2 years ago. The port of Skyrim the new one came out last year. Nintendo is still old. Sonic is the only new third party outside of the sport games.
Dont forget Yooka-laylee
That game is being ported and I’m not too interested in a game trying to be like similar to another game. Last time we got a “spiritual successor” game, we ended up with Mighty #9. I’ll wait before I jump for joy. Not to mention, that games on ps4 anyways and will mostly play or look better
Okay, theres a lot to unpack there… Its a really different situation. Mighty was plagued with issues, and it had no clear vision, it was just a cash grab. Yookalaylee is a different situation. These guys made their careers working on DK Country, GoldenEye64, Banjo Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing, and Konkers Bad Fur Day. They lived and breathed Nintendo 64. They have a very strong relationship with Nintendo and there is no way the game will play better on ps4 than on a Nintendo Console. The game exists to quench people’s thirst for 3d platformers, a category that first came to exist on the N64 with Super Mario 64. They are making this game to re-live their glory days, not to mention they left RARE to start their own studio because Rare had been bought out by Microsoft and was falling to shit. Their original vision at Rare was being sacrificed by being bought out by Xbox. They were always at their peak when they worked for Nintendo. So no, its not going to be superior on ps4, people with ps4’s dont even give a shit about platformers. This isnt FOR THEM. Its for Nintendo fans. And yeah, while they’re at it, they’re going to to make it for all 3 consoles. The switch version isnt a port. They are all built from the ground up. I dont think you know what the word “port” means…
Let’s stop this conversation by saying where rare is now and why is it where it is because Nintendo didn’t want to buy it. And second, the game is ideal to run faster or better on a stronger switch, which is not a Nintendo switch. And last, the game is a port because it was being made for Wii U and now coming to switch. There’s no way they are ground up with Wii u and than going to waste time and money to do it again for the switch. It’s a port bro.
You can stop your end of the conversation if you want, but you need to have the last word, so thats not likely going to happen. Your not very bright, are you? You cant blame Nintendo for Rare’s failure. Nintendo doesnt buy many studios…they partner with them closely. They dont own Retro, or Yacth Club, or Image and Form, but they work very closely with them and support those developers however they can. They dont want to buy studios because they want those 3rd party studios to have the freedom to do what they want, because thats what makes their games great. Also you just proved to me that you dont know the difference between new software and a port so Im going to stop responding to you and continue talking to the rest of the people in this thread who aren’t trolls looking to bash nintendo for ignorant non existant reasons.
Seriously? Are you that blind? I completely blame Nintendo for rare failing because it was Nintendo who choose not to buy rare and give themselves a chance to be brought out Microsoft. That’s what happen And I’m trolling because I’m bashing Nintendo for making stupid mistakes so they don’t make the same ones and become a good company like they were in the past? Yep, that’s so trolling. You just sound like the many Nintendo fanboys who just breath, to wait for Nintendo to eat and shit whatever they spit out to you. You dumb fans just eat it up.
The arguement that its Nintendo’s fault that Rare failed is so fuckin stupid that talking to you makes my brain hurt. Your gonna completely leave Microsoft out of the picture huh? Even though they bought the studio, your going to blame the company that didnt buy the studio for what happened to that studio after it was bought by MS? Your so fuckin stupid its pointless trying to talk to you. By your logic any game studio thats produced games on Nintendo consoles and then went out of business or flopped has the right to hold Nintendo responsible, because Nintendo “didnt buy them”. You’re an idiot.
Who let who go? Nintendo didn’t make an offer at all for Rare. Microsoft did and if Nintendo wouldn’t, then Microsoft buying them isn’t their fault. They got paid. Microsoft drove rare to the ground at the end of the day, yes, but Nintendo could have avoided that if they didn’t be idiots and just keep rare. Either way, half of the people at rare are in retro anyways.
And the other more important half are developing yookalaylee. Nintendo isnt responsible for saving rare. RARE IS.
Rare couldn’t save themselves is Rare needed someone to buy them. Thanks for proving my point.
And idk who you’re talking to, but you’re lack of communication or vocabulary says you’re more of a moron. Nintendo are idiots. There’s a reason why they lost Final Fantasy, why they lost third party, and why the company is playing gambles on their systems and titles. If you don’t think Nintendo not buying rare says why rare went down, then you aren’t smart. Rare didn’t belong with Microsoft and Nintendo saw that and didn’t do shit about it. They let it happen. And you let a company that isn’t a gaming company run the gaming company to the ground. That makes the most sense in logic. And Nintendo own 49% of them. It was a third party development team. That’s how stupid you are that you know nothing about the company in itself. Rare shouldn’t have never went to Microsoft because everyone knew that wasn’t a right fit for them and that company wouldn’t go anywhere with them. But Nintendo didn’t care and still refused to become a majority share holder from that company. So in the end, the reason why there’s no KI, no real good DK (tropical freeze and returns were good attempts), no Banjoo, no Goldeneye on the virtual console is because Nintendo didn’t buy rare and let it go to Microsoft. No rare titles but Donkey Kong are with Nintendo. That’s because Nintendo let the fucking IP go. That’s Nintendo’s fault. Now go find a better way to be an idiot who knows nothing about games and go get on your knees to be sprayed by Nintendo in the face since you suck their dicks off so much for whatever choices they do
“Rare shouldn’t have never went to Microsoft” …yeah im the moron with vocabulary and communication problems right? Learn to type, and if you want to hate on Nintendo maybe go to a website thats not dedicated to Nintendo news, nobody wants your shitty negativity in here you stupid fuck.
Keep sucking Nintendo off, they love the idiots who will buy their online and get a game for free to lose after a month.
First party team development.
I sure hope my Joy-Cons never break. Because I don’t want to have to pay that crazy price for another set. I’ll be fortunate if I can ever even buy a Pro Controller. What a world we live in. It’s crazy that the controllers are just as expensive (or even more expensive) than the games.
Why the fuck everybody crying about the price ? 300 is worth it plus is a Nintendo console with innovation, is two consoles in one it’s a handheld and home console. Wtf ??? It’s not the wii !!! This is a good price brothers.
Not to me it isn’t because why should I have to pay for a handheld console when I don’t even play them, I only play home consoles, and plus 300 for the console, 120 for 2 game, 70 for the pro controller the real home console controller not those joy-con crap controllers that don’t even have a d-pad on them, and then add in extra storage for another 50 so yeah the switch is over priced that is a grand total of $540 before taxes.
Really. ..you use the dpad?
You dont play portable? Use it at home only
…the joycons comes with the grip that looks likes an original controller. …you new gen gamers just complain like a baby. ..smh.
Just the console itself is a decent price (though it feels like a ripoff with no pack-in game). But for people who plans to buy more Joy-Cons and/or a Pro Controller, and/or games……it’s just too much. Am I the only one who’s disgusted at the price of AAA Switch games? Aren’t cartridges supposed to be cheaper to manufacture? Total BS!
70 for joycons is fine 70 for a pro controller is not fine
300 for the system is good but then you decided to be a dick and make it 330 euro
That’s exchange rates. Nothing to do with them.
Remember though that the pro controller has all the same tech as the joy cons except for the ir camera