The dust is beginning to settle on Nintendo’s major Switch event last week, bringing to light the console’s release date, price, features, and the games that players can expect to see hit the console by the end of the year. Due to release Mar. 3, the Switch will set players in North America back a smooth $299.99 for the system and everything you’ll technically need to give you a basic experience on the Switch. However, on top of the price of games, so you can actually make use of the new system, an optimal Switch experience is actually going to cost you far more than the $300 price tag.
Unfortunately, for European fans, the additional costs start as soon as you hand over your hard-earned cash for the system. Nintendo announced during its event late last week that the system would cost 29,980 Yen, coming in at $299.99 US dollars. Unfortunately, rather than seeing a price that relates to the current exchange rate, both the British Pound and Euro prices appear to have picked up a bit of inflation. Rather than coming in at the expected £249.99, British players will be splashing out an addition £30 for a Switch coming in at £279.99. It’s a similar case for the European price, too. Rather than the converted €280-ish price tag, Nintendo has instead opted for a €329.99 price. Exactly why there seems to be a price disparity across Europe is unknown, and whether there are greater economic powers at play here is certainly a possibility, especially with Britain in its current Brexit situation. However, it’s something that’s unlikely to help the Switch’s sales in the continent, particularly when you can pick up a PS4 for £80 less.
Once you’ve got your shiny system ordered and paid for, it’s at this moment you’ll start to notice that the Switch’s $300 price point isn’t as inclusive as it had first seemed. As we previously mentioned, the Switch doesn’t come bundled in with a game this time around. There’s even a perfect bundle title in 1-2-Switch, a launch title of party games that perfectly showcases the portability of the console, as well as its HD rumble and motion control features. Instead, Nintendo has opted to sell it separately, arguing that to hit the $300 price point that they were aiming for, it was impossible for software to be bundled in. While it’s understandable that Nintendo won’t want to make a loss on every system sold, 1-2 Switch’s inclusion could have been just what the system needs to really get its USP’s (Unique Selling Points) known to the wider market.
The company had reaped the rewards of a similar business decision when releasing the Wii with Wii Sports bundled in – a title that perfectly summed up the console’s (at the time) groundbreaking features. Instead, it’s highly unlikely that 1-2 Switch will be popularly picked up, due to its party game nature and $50 price point. Without anything in the box to play, buyers will immediately have to shell out around $59.99 for at least one game to play on their Switch. Even if Nintendo had created a Breath of the Wild hardware SKU, coming in at a little more than the standard $299.99 price while still offering a discount, this would have certainly eased the burden on our wallets come launch day.
With something to play on your Switch all sorted, you’ll then likely hit one of the several cost-inflating extras on top of the Switch’s $300 price tag. Alongside the system’s reveal last week, Nintendo also released a number of different official accessories that players will be able to pick up on launch day. From a Joy-Con Charging Grip to the Pro controller that resembles a more traditional gamepad, the Switch’s lineup of accessories is certainly great for giving players the optimal experience. But, you’ve guessed it, the price of these optional, though incredibly useful, extras is pretty darn steep. Take the Pro controller, for example. Featuring the same HD Rumble as the Joy-Con, a more comfortable and traditional ergonomic shape, and quite possibly the Switch’s best control configuration, and an essential purchase based on our hands-on impressions. This comes in at a hefty $69.99, $10 more than the DualShock 4 and Xbox One controller’s MSRPs. Not to mention these can both be found for even cheaper at retailers. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially considering the Pro controller’s HD Rumble and amiibo NFC scanner features don’t make it any more groundbreaking in controller tech than the DualShock 4’s light bar, gyro, touchpad, and rumble features.
Even if you stick with using the Joy-Cons that do come bundled in with the system, you’re likely going to run into some problems a little further down the line. It was recently discovered that the Joy-Con grip included with the Switch is just a basic plastic shell, and not the Charging Grip being listed separately at $29.99. While having the ability to charge your Joy-Con wirelessly may initially seem like a premium optional extra, its absence from the box does limit your ability to play the system while charging your Joy-Con. Without the Charging Grip, players will instead be forced to reattach their Joy-Con onto the tablet part of the system to charge them back up, meaning you’ll be unable to continue playing on your TV while they charge. It’s certainly not the be all and end all, but it’s definitely not ideal to have to stop playing if you forgot to charge them up the night before. For the Pro controller and Joy-Con Charging grip – two entirely optional, albeit incredibly convenient add-ons – players will have to cough up an extra $100 on top of any software purchases you make on day one as well.
Then there’s the small issue of system storage. Nintendo confirmed that the Switch has 32 GB of internal storage which can be expanded with Micro SD cards. While storage is likely to cause bigger problems for those who download games directly on the Switch rather than those who buy physical media, as Breath of the Wild’s download size has already demonstrated, it’s still an additional cost that, in this day and age, really shouldn’t be necessary when paying $300 for a premium product. Fortunately, you can double the Switch’s internal memory with a 64GB Micro SD for less than $20, but it’s still a cost that players shouldn’t have to be forking out on top of their new hardware purchases.
Unfortunately, the Switch’s lack of value continues in other ways. We already know that Nintendo has adopted a paid online subscription service for the Switch, but we’re still currently in the dark with regards to how much it’ll cost. If PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live are anything to go by, we could be looking at $60 for the year. While this is merely speculation based on existing products on the market, there’s a distinct difference between the Switch’s upcoming online network and its competitors’. While PS Plus and Xbox Live allow offer a new batch of free games every month to keep forever (as long as their subscription remains active), Nintendo is trying something a little different.
Yes, players will get a free NES or SNES game each month, but once that month is over, you’ll have to actually buy the game if you want to keep on playing. These aren’t free games. These are monthly trials in an attempt to entice you to buy the same NES and SNES games that have been on the Wii and Wii U for years now and you’ve possibly already bought. Not only does it highlight the need for an ‘Account History’ option for Nintendo system accounts, it really weakens the value of the service when compared to its competitors’. Granted, the SNES titles will have online play, but that’s not something that should warrant paying the full price once the month is over.
As much as I appreciate Nintendo’s vision with the Switch and the system itself as a really impressive piece of tech, the company has seriously underwhelmed in what’s included in the box. No bundled game, the bare minimum accessories, a feeble 32 GB of storage, and a less-than-convenient charging method. Alternatively, you could head over to Amazon now and grab a more powerful 500 GB PS4 Slim, complete with Uncharted 4, an equally feature-packed controller as the Switch’s sold-separately Pro controller, and a convenient charging method for $268.87. Yes, you’ll have to shell out $60 for your online subscription, but you can take solace in the fact you’re getting at least 24 games a year to keep for good for your new system. Nintendo’s Switch offers way less value than it needs to as it joins the console race midway through the generation. And when an optimal Switch experience is costing you upwards of $500 once you’ve got games, accessories, storage, and an online subscription sorted, it’s really difficult to justify. And that meager launch lineup isn’t doing it any favors, either.
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