Nintendo Switch

Mortus

Ars Legatus Legionis
33,114
Moderator
$80USD for first party games.

That's $115CAD before tax is even calculated. That's.... a very tough pill to swallow.
Yeah, or $90 for physical media. Like I get that inflation is a (unbearable) thing, but we just started seeing $70 be the norm. This isn't going to help that when other publishers see that people are willing to eat another $10.
 

themantis

Ars Scholae Palatinae
829
Subscriptor
Yeah, or $90 for physical media. Like I get that inflation is a (unbearable) thing, but we just started seeing $70 be the norm. This isn't going to help that when other publishers see that people are willing to eat another $10.
Looks like they're going with flexible MSRP pricing for first party games.

Mario Kart World, physical: $90? (does anyone have a source for this?)
Mario Kart World, digital: $80
Mario Kart World, digital, effective price when bundled with Switch 2 hardware: $50

Donkey Kong Bananza: $70

We still don't know pricing for other 2025 Switch 2 exclusive first party games like Drag & Drive, Kirby Air Raiders, or even the should-be-zero-dollars Switch 2 Welcome Tour. I think it's reasonable to assume we'll see some games at $80, some at $70, and some at lower prices. Maybe Switch 2 Welcome Tour will be $50? (which would be, obviously, $50 too high)

Relatedly, I can't find pricing info anywhere for "upgrade packs" for paid DLC to upgrade your Switch 1 game into a "Switch 2 Edition" for games like Breath of the Wild and Metroid Prime 4. The BoTW and ToTK upgrades are more than just HDR and higher framerate, they also add some new features like shareable Ultrahand creations and new story details through voice acting --pretty impressive. How expensive will the upgrade be?

And finally, in good news, a few first-party Switch 1 games will get free downloadable upgrades to add new features like gameshare, to allow one copy of the game to be shared with multiple consoles.
 

Ryan B.

Ars Praefectus
3,597
Subscriptor++
Looks like they're going with flexible MSRP pricing for first party games.

Mario Kart World, physical: $90? (does anyone have a source for this?)
Mario Kart World, digital: $80
Mario Kart World, digital, effective price when bundled with Switch 2 hardware: $50

Donkey Kong Bananza: $70

We still don't know pricing for other 2025 Switch 2 exclusive first party games like Drag & Drive, Kirby Air Raiders, or even the should-be-zero-dollars Switch 2 Welcome Tour. I think it's reasonable to assume we'll see some games at $80, some at $70, and some at lower prices. Maybe Switch 2 Welcome Tour will be $50? (which would be, obviously, $50 too high)

Relatedly, I can't find pricing info anywhere for "upgrade packs" for paid DLC to upgrade your Switch 1 game into a "Switch 2 Edition" for games like Breath of the Wild and Metroid Prime 4. The BoTW and ToTK upgrades are more than just HDR and higher framerate, they also add some new features like shareable Ultrahand creations and new story details through voice acting --pretty impressive. How expensive will the upgrade be?

And finally, in good news, a few first-party Switch 1 games will get free downloadable upgrades to add new features like gameshare, to allow one copy of the game to be shared with multiple consoles.

IIRC Nintendo has made purchasable tech demo games for every console release since the Wii.
  • Wii: Wii Play
  • Wii U: Nintendo Land
  • Switch: 1-2 Switch!
The only one of these that I got suckered into was Wii Play. That tank game was decent fun, but the rest of them sucked.

On the one hand, Nintendo's general refusal to ever lower the price of their first-party games (with a few notable exceptions) makes this price hike hard to swallow. On the other hand, this selfsame refusal means that I do not, and likely will never, have a backlog of Nintendo games like I do on Steam. I haven't done the math, but I suspect this means I spend less money on Nintendo games overall.

It also means that there are lots of games I would have otherwise gotten but never felt I could justify for the cost given my limited gaming time. Games like Metroid Dread and Mario Maker, or even Splatoon 3 (after having played and loved 1 and 2).
 
IIRC Nintendo has made purchasable tech demo games for every console release since the Wii.
  • Wii: Wii Play
  • Wii U: Nintendo Land
  • Switch: 1-2 Switch!
The only one of these that I got suckered into was Wii Play. That tank game was decent fun, but the rest of them sucked.
Wii Play was mediocre bordering on lousy, but it included a Wiimote and sold for only $10 more than the controller by itself so it got by on price. Besides, the Wii game that really mattered was Wii Sports, which is in competition with Tetris on the original GameBoy as the most important pack-in of all time (and to this day I’ll defend Wii Sports as being a legitimately good game).

Nintendo Land though is actually excellent. For about a decade Ninty tried to push asymmetric multiplayer going back to Pac-Man Vs. on the GameCube. They never found much success, mostly because actually playing them was a logistical nightmare (Pac-Man needed four players, a GameCube, and three GameBoy Advances with the GC-GBA link cable, all in one room together), but there were some genuinely creative and fun ideas. And on that front, I’d argue that Nintendo Land was the peak of that particular approach, one they basically abandoned afterwards and haven’t come back to.
 

Resolute

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
7,199
Is it confirmed original joy cons work in Switch 2 gameing? So Switch 1 games emulated I can see working, but the enhanced games like the two Zelda’s using an original Pro controller on Switch 2?
Yeah, it is. Nintendo's pages on game compatibility notes that to play things like Ring Fit Adventure on a Switch 2, you would need to use Switch 1 joycons.

As far as Zelda and the like goes, my guess is the original pro controller can do anything that doesn't require the C button. The Pro 2 controller has GL and GR buttons that seem to just be for custom mapping right now, but presumably a few games in the future will use those extra buttons separately and that would create compatibility issues. But that is a problem for future me, as I intend to keep using my regular Pro controller for now.
 

Jonathon

Ars Legatus Legionis
16,951
Subscriptor
Is it confirmed original joy cons work in Switch 2 gameing? So Switch 1 games emulated I can see working, but the enhanced games like the two Zelda’s using an original Pro controller on Switch 2?
Yes:

Nintendo.com said:

You can continue using your existing controllers​

Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers in the box, and compatible games may also be played with Nintendo Switch controllers such as the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con*.

*Nintendo Switch controllers are also compatible with Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, but cannot be used if the games requires features unique to Joy-Con 2, such as mouse controls.

You cannot exit sleep mode on Nintendo Switch 2 using the HOME Button on Nintendo Switch controllers such as Joy-Con and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

On controllers without a C Button, you can start GameChat by selecting the option from the HOME Menu.

So, original JoyCons (and Switch Pro Controllers) can't wake the system, and (obviously) don't magically sprout the new Switch 2 hardware, but are otherwise fully-functional.
 

Leaping Gnome

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
9,254
Subscriptor
On the one hand, Nintendo's general refusal to ever lower the price of their first-party games (with a few notable exceptions) makes this price hike hard to swallow. On the other hand, this selfsame refusal means that I do not, and likely will never, have a backlog of Nintendo games like I do on Steam. I haven't done the math, but I suspect this means I spend less money on Nintendo games overall.

It also means that there are lots of games I would have otherwise gotten but never felt I could justify for the cost given my limited gaming time. Games like Metroid Dread and Mario Maker, or even Splatoon 3 (after having played and loved 1 and 2).

Didn't they do a "platinum hits" type program back in the Wii days where near the end of the console they repackaged a bunch of their 1st party games into $20 SKUs?
 
For the mystery of how they'd price it in Japan (cause the current wacky currency difference), well 50,000 yen is about $333 US...but apparently they're basically region locking it. JP accounts only, and the system language is JP only. edit: looks like there's a non locked one for 70,000 yen (~$470)
Wii Play was mediocre bordering on lousy, but it included a Wiimote and sold for only $10 more than the controller by itself so it got by on price. Besides, the Wii game that really mattered was Wii Sports, which is in competition with Tetris on the original GameBoy as the most important pack-in of all time (and to this day I’ll defend Wii Sports as being a legitimately good game).

Nintendo Land though is actually excellent. For about a decade Ninty tried to push asymmetric multiplayer going back to Pac-Man Vs. on the GameCube. They never found much success, mostly because actually playing them was a logistical nightmare (Pac-Man needed four players, a GameCube, and three GameBoy Advances with the GC-GBA link cable, all in one room together), but there were some genuinely creative and fun ideas. And on that front, I’d argue that Nintendo Land was the peak of that particular approach, one they basically abandoned afterwards and haven’t come back to.
Yeah Wii Sports was fantastic, at least in context of the time/situation. And I loved Nintendo Land (and Pac-Man Vs., and Zelda Four Swords Adventures!), I was hoping the teaser for the Switch 2 Tour thing was for Nintendo Land but alas, no. It wouldn't be a bad time to bring it back, cause the decent amount of people that'll probably have a Switch and Switch 2 together, at least for a time. Not to mention the GameShare feature and online these days, no reason to restrict it to just local asymmetric play.

Pac-Man Vs. is actually in some collection on Switch...not that I've ever had the setup for it, with four Switches all together. Again another game I'd be down to play online too.
Didn't they do a "platinum hits" type program back in the Wii days where near the end of the console they repackaged a bunch of their 1st party games into $20 SKUs?
Yeah. They also reduced console prices over time. Meanwhile the Switch era has been crazy with no price drops at all (hell a price increase for the OLED model), with games still selling well enough at full prices years after release. And they can still have legs thanks to new hardware so not necessarily reason to do a discount line just yet.

All that said they do occasional sales, but it's still a far cry from regular bargain basement Steam sales. Like I got Mario Wonder during the Mario Day sales for $40 or so.
 
Last edited:

Ryan B.

Ars Praefectus
3,597
Subscriptor++
Didn't they do a "platinum hits" type program back in the Wii days where near the end of the console they repackaged a bunch of their 1st party games into $20 SKUs?

That was the primary notable exception I was thinking of. Also as @japtor mentioned they do occasionally discount some of their games during sporadic sales events, but it's never by very much. On most consoles and platforms throughout history, you would expect to pay less for a launch title eight years later, but, sales aside, BotW (for example) still commands its original price.

I can actually appreciate both sides of this issue. Yeah, if a game still holds up well to a modern audience, why should it be worth less? But also, by discounting old games, you reach (and profit from) a more cost-sensitive segment of the market, which you could not otherwise do.
 
For the mystery of how they'd price it in Japan (cause the current wacky currency difference), well 50,000 yen is about $333 US...but apparently they're basically region locking it. JP accounts only, and the system language is JP only. edit: looks like there's a non locked one for 70,000 yen (~$470)

Yeah Wii Sports was fantastic, at least in context of the time/situation. And I loved Nintendo Land (and Pac-Man Vs., and Zelda Four Swords Adventures!), I was hoping the teaser for the Switch 2 Tour thing was for Nintendo Land but alas, no. It wouldn't be a bad time to bring it back, cause the decent amount of people that'll probably have a Switch and Switch 2 together, at least for a time. Not to mention the GameShare feature and online these days, no reason to restrict it to just local asymmetric play.

Pac-Man Vs. is actually in some collection on Switch...not that I've ever had the setup for it, with four Switches all together. Again another game I'd be down to play online too.

Yeah. They also reduced console prices over time. Meanwhile the Switch era has been crazy with no price drops at all (hell a price increase for the OLED model), with games still selling well enough at full prices years after release. And they can still have legs thanks to new hardware so not necessarily reason to do a discount line just yet.

All that said they do occasional sales, but it's still a far cry from regular bargain basement Steam sales. Like I got Mario Wonder during the Mario Day sales for $40 or so.

I think this is Nintendo factoring in Trump tariffs, given the relatively lower price in Japan. The original plan might be $399. Also leaves room for a price cut when they introduce the OLED model in 2-3 years
 

gregatron5

Ars Legatus Legionis
11,762
Subscriptor++
Hard agree with exactly everything in this post. It's like you're me. I've been a MK player since the Mode 7 days. One of my maxims for mumbles years is, "It's all fun and games until your kids can beat you at Mario Kart. Then it's ON."

One of the things I'd like to see is vertical stacking for 2-player split screen instead of side-by-side. I want to see more around the turns than what's above me.
So today my 25-year-old just casually drops, "Since the new Mario Kart is coming out I went back to clean up the 3-stars I didn't have, so now I've 3-starred and unlocked everything." me makes a look "Don't be mad." "I'm not mad, I'm jealous. Wait, you 3-starred mirror and 200 cc?" "Yeah." "OK, now I'm mad. (jokingly)"
 
I don't want a camera in my living room but...

https://www.theverge.com/news/642514/nintendo-switch-2-usb-c-camera-hori-piranha-plant-privacy

Related to that apparently other cameras will work, curious if there'll be any actual quality/spec requirements or basically just any UVC camera (ie most USB cameras/webcams)...which can vary a bit in codecs I guess, beyond the usual resolution/framerate differences. Wonder if I still have my Xbox 360 camera somewhere :p

Peripheral wise one thing I'm particularly wondering about is the dock, if it's weird and proprietary again or if it'll work with standard ones. It'd be nice for even a lower power output mode (just mirroring the screen/mobile profile) given whatever possible lack of power/cooling as expected with the dock.
 

Lt_Storm

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
17,971
Subscriptor++
As far as Zelda and the like goes, my guess is the original pro controller can do anything that doesn't require the C button. The Pro 2 controller has GL and GR buttons that seem to just be for custom mapping right now, but presumably a few games in the future will use those extra buttons separately and that would create compatibility issues. But that is a problem for future me, as I intend to keep using my regular Pro controller for now.
I very much doubt that any game will ever use those extra buttons separately, after all, they aren't on the joycons, and I doubt that Nintendo would let someone add a feature that the built-in joycons won't support. So, those buttons are just for mapping, which, from by Xbox Pro Controller, is a really nice feature.
 
I’ve remapped L3 and R3 to the paddles to prevent accidentally clicking the sticks (cost me more kills than I can count in Destiny). It’s not the most gaming efficient use (moving something like jump or reload so you can do those without taking your thumb off the sticks is higher value for top-tier players, which I am not) but it’s a real improvement for me.
 

Mhorydyn

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
9,985
Subscriptor
I don't have a controller that allows mapping. What kinds of mappings do you make and how are they useful?
In various From games, I often need to use a healing item during a tense battle, but it can be perilous to remove my thumbs from the joysticks. Rebinding use item and dodge/roll to a button my fingers can reach while my thumbs are busy has been a huge improvement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lt_Storm

Lt_Storm

Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
17,971
Subscriptor++
I don't have a controller that allows mapping. What kinds of mappings do you make and how are they useful?
The X-Box elite controller has 4, so I tend to map the face buttons to the back buttons so I can keep my thumbs on the sticks and aim while mashing 'A' to jump or whatever.
 

Moller

Ars Tribunus Militum
1,588
Subscriptor++
So today my 25-year-old just casually drops, "Since the new Mario Kart is coming out I went back to clean up the 3-stars I didn't have, so now I've 3-starred and unlocked everything." me makes a look "Don't be mad." "I'm not mad, I'm jealous. Wait, you 3-starred mirror and 200 cc?" "Yeah." "OK, now I'm mad. (jokingly)"

Times comes for us all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Resolute