Michael Pachter: Nintendo Switch Is More Expensive Than Expected, Would Have Been Amazing At $200

The one big problem with the Nintendo Switch – arguably big enough to potentially sink the system – is the price.

[corroios]

For the tech it would be perfect 199, but they could go until 249. But 299....

[ABizzel1]

I agree it's overall value is about $100 more than it should be, along with overpriced accessories, and overpriced games for the most part.

$199 is a bit of a stretch, but it should have been $249 with 1 2 Switch bundled in. That would have been an acceptable starting price for all gamers and the added bonus of being able to play something Day 1. By not having anything and costing $299 with Zelda being the default game for most that instantly puts Switch at $360 Day 1.

It should have been $249 for the docked bundle, and $199 for a handheld only bundle both with 1 2 switch included, and the vast majority of complaints wouldn't even exist today, besides the overpriced accessories and games.

But instead we have a $300 Switch, that's not counting a good SD card most core gamers will likely need ($40 for 128GB / $70 for 200GB), a Pro Controller, and a single game. That's $470.

[Sirk7x]

Tablets are expensive man. The Galaxy Tab S (8.4 inch) is still around $400, over two years old, and doesn't have nearly the gaming performance that the Switch holds. Basically, it boils down to people either being excited for a portable gaming device, or not giving a crap. I'd still like to know what kind of OS functions the Switch has. Will browsing and streaming work intuitively and fluidly? Do we know if there's a touchscreen yet? If it can also carries the base functionality of any android/ios tablet, I think that's still a good deal considering the hardware powering it. Seems weak compared to consoles with a power supply, but for a portable device, the engineering is pretty marvelous.

[ABizzel1]

@Sirk7x

Huge difference just because Samsung is charging an insane overhead, doesn't justify the price for every other company to do it as well.

*The NVIDIA Shield tablet is over 2 years old and it's been as low as $150 bundled with games. And has batter hardware is every regard except the upgraded Tegra X processor.

*The NVIDIA Shield TV is over a year old and it's been as low as $150 bundled with games and a controller, and has the same hardware as the Switch.

Those are both devices that the Switch is designed from one with rumored "near identical" specs, the other a better tablet in every way. Charing 2x as much as those platforms have been just isn't right, especially considering Nintendo is known for charging more just to make a profit Day 1 (which they would have easily done considering Zelda will sale nearly 1:1 and the overpriced accessories).

There's only been a brief look of the OS and it looks like a cleaner version of the Wii / Wii U / 3DS OS.

Yes it has a touch screen.

And I seriously doubt they're using Android as a base.

It's another NVIDIA shield tablet, the problem is it's selling at $300, with no game included, almost requires a MicroSD for storage ($40), the Pro Controller most core gamers would use is another $70, games are $60, and the killer is that the PS4 and XBO are $50 cheaper with a game and 2 - 4 free games per month with their subscription service.

*A $250 3DS tanked until it received an $80 price drop.
*The Wii U tanked at $300 - $350.

With a cheaper PS4 with a killer 2017 game line-up, and XBO still doing well in the west I don't see any market for the Switch without a significant chance in price.

[fonger08]

I have a feeling that no matter the price, people (fanboys) would have complained regardless.

[ShadowKnight]

I have a feeling that you're right.

[Overload]

I think it is a lot of other things and the price is just one of them.

[Omnislashver36]

Honestly I can't stand the Aliasing on Mario Odyssey. I'd think for $299 you'd get those type of graphics with no jaggies in this day and age.

It would look pretty nice on emulator with forced AA though.

[mcstorm]

Your spot on. I said £250 to £300 for the consoles would be a great price and it's £279 so me I'm happy. The controller is looking like the experience part of the switch and it is a bit of a high price but so are the ps4 and Xbox one controllers and the pro is less than the Xbox pro although you do get a bit more with the pro on the Xbox one. That said the controller that comes with the switch can be used as two what other console offers that? No matter what Nintendo did people would not be happy. If it was £199 people would say that it's to under powered that's why it's so cheap over who pay so much for not much power.

I'm not saying the switch will be a hit or a flop but for what I expected it be priced at it is so for me I can't wait to get mine on march the 3rd

[fonger08]

If you look at the compromise between it's a new handheld and new home console... suddenly $300 it's bad. I wanted $250 but $300 it's the end of the world.

There are some people here who never cared for it in the first place, so literally anything it could been, said, or done would have been trolling fodder. But I digress... such is the case when any system launches these days.

[Angeljuice]

"If it was £199 people would say that it's to under powered that's why it's so cheap over who pay so much for not much power. "

Well it's £279 and too under powered. Making it more expensive doesn't change the specs.

[girevik]

I agree. The wii u ranged from 300 to 350. 3ds was 250. I see no problem with 300 as it's a combo of a console and a handheld. I see the Switch being more successful than the Wii U but I highly doubt that fanboys will see through an objective lens.

[Critic4l_Strik3]

You're*

[ABizzel1]

@girevik

And both the Wii U and 3DS failed at those prices. Had the 3DS not had it's $80 price drop it would have ended up like the Vita, and Wii U's utter refusal for a price drop doomed it all generation long. If Switch doesn't do the same they're going to be in the same boat once again.

[ninsigma]

At 200 to 250 I'd have been happy with that but the software shown would not justify even that price to me so when it's 330 euro just by itself with literally one worthwhile launch game (to me) it's a bust from my point of view. It'll likely be a better proposition later on like the wii u was but don't put all the complaints down to haters, it really was just a poor showing for the machine thus far.

[Angeljuice]

If it was £50, even I would have bought one and I have no interest in it whatsoever.
Everyone has a price that would persuade them to buy it.

[Amongunz]

I have a feeling you're going to get a lot of biased responses on this site.

[Lennoxb63]

Well on gaming sites nowadays, its either Sony or nothing. I'm surprised people actually are digging on Nintendo when you look at the stuff they've let them get away with in the past.

[MRMagoo123]

it's not Sony or nothing it's just ps4 is dominating everything sales wise game wise power wise so that's where the gamers flock, if Nintendo weren't completely stupid in the head and made a good console for a change they might to, be popular again but alas we are heading to gimmick land on gimmick planet for the unveiling of the gimmick box 2017 Nintendo switch it's gonna sell OK for launch then die faster than lil mix music career

[Articuno76]

"If they would've made a solid powerful console we'd have great 1st party games, full 3rd party support and no gimmicks things would be different."

Here's the problem with that. Why would anyone buy that when it's essentially the same product they already own (Xbox One/PS4)? Is anyone seriously going to buy the newest Battlefield, FIFA or what have you on the Switch over those consoles?

The only way Nintendo can entice people over is with exclusives, both first and third party. Having radically different hardware is the first step to ensuring that. Making that hardware sell well is the second step. To that end I think the price is too high...

But given the low-end tech in this thing, I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo have plenty of profit margins to reduce the price in the long-run. Though, if they want to attract the popular imagination, as they did with the Wii, they really need it at £200 with a pack-in title akin to Wii Sports.

[Relientk77]

$250 would have been fine. Those controllers and accessories though are so overpriced

[2pacalypsenow]

Just another toy from a toy company

[seatunt]

You mean like all video games?

[BlakHavoc]

$200 would have been a sweet spot. I think many would have considered it at that price. $300 is way too much considering you also have to buy a $70 pro controller if you wanna play games traditionally.

[Kokyu]

Considering no game is packed in extra controllers are 60-80$ (40 a piece for the joy cons), you'll need a usb ethernet adapter (20-40), a game and online monthly subscription (60$ because lets face it its Nintendo and if Sony can get 60 we can too, even though their online will have far less features) that bring the total launch price to about 550$ with tax.....yeah you can get and Xbone S for 380 with tax and xbox live for a year and get three free games and its a 4k bluray player or a Ps4 base for the same price with Ps+ and get two free games for that and know that you'll still get better support then Nintendo Switch down the line.

[Paytaa]

Yeah Nintendo really blew it when Xbox and Playstation still retain the price advantage, power advantage and a way higher count of third-party support.

[Veneno]

I bet anything they made a killing from the Wii U pro pad because me and my friends all bought 1 or 2 of them because no real gamer would prefer that tablet monstrosity even though it wasn't completely unusable but why bother with it.

So they know that the real gamers are willing to shell out some coin for areal controller.

[BlakHavoc]

Ya but the "real" gamers didn't go out and support the Wii U in the first place. You gotta look at the big picture which imo is that the Switch basically cost $370 if you plan on gaming traditionally. I can get a PS4 or Xbox for cheaper and with a much greater library. Not saying the Switch won't be worth it down the line but it's competitive advantage imo should have been its price point.

[Ryasha]

A "Real gamer" would be able to game on the tablet controller and have no issues.
A "real gamer" isn't someone who whines about a controller. They just pick up what is made for it, adapt, and enjoy the games.

@Veneno below - And Microsoft still makes an elite controller
Sony still makes 3-4 different headsets
By your logic, they must know that all their other options are garbage too.

[Veneno]

And yet they still make the pro controller. Why would they do that? They must know their standard control is garbage.

[ABizzel1]

At $200 it would have been a no-brainer buy and it would have guaranteed sales at least on par with 3DS.

At $300 it's in the Wii U / $250 3DS sales range, and will struggle after all the fans buy the first batch of launch units.

[deafdani]

You don't need the Pro controller for that. The dock for the JoyCons come included on the box, and reports say that it is very comfortable and feels completely like a traditional controller in that configuration. Look it up.

[Killa78]

The nvidia X1 is in the shield tablet also - I'm disappointed in the price they're charging for this common tech.

[ILostMyMind]

This NS is nothing more than a NVIDIA Shield with the Nintendo logo. There is no way it can be cheaper if the NVIDIA Shield itself costs $ 200. Unfortunately.

[ABizzel1]

Shield Tablet uses Tegra K1, Shield TV uses Tegra X1. That being said both have been as low as $149 with games, and a controller throughout 2016, yet Switch is launching at 2x the price with no game, and a $250 PS4 / XBO with PS4 dropping huge exclusives and Xbox... Good luck with that Nintendo.

[Gamist2dot0]

Yeah, i might consider at that price. but at $300... no.

[Veneno]

300 wouldn't be bad if it came with that Zelda or Mario. So I will be holding off for the eventual bunduru.

[FyBy]

Not great and not bad. It depends on social aspect and differentiation from others. Because in direct competition with ps and xbone it doesn't have the chance.

[Kokyu]

And it wont didnt you notice what they focused on HD rumble and motion controls....they havent realized the whole motion controls fad is over.

[FyBy]

It depends. For me motion controls are still best thing in gaming so far. I understand that masses made good product. 3D was gimmick for me but very nice . And vr is finally another great thing in gaming. All depends on good software. Nintendo has great first party games. But I was disappointed in low number of launch titles. I hope Switch will be successful, because Nintendo has some aura around itself no one other has :-).

[deafdani]

They didn't focus on that. They were only showcased for the first two games in the presentation, everything else was traditional gaming.

[TheUndertaker85]

@deafdani: You put your best foot forward no?

[Ninte]

And the accessories to

[Movefasta1993]

playstation 4 has a way bigger library right now,it's stronger,it's cheaper and it has all the third party support from the big names like rockstar.It's gonna be a hard sell imo.

[AnubisG]

I think $250 but no more. I'm affraid this will be another fail for Nintendo. I hope I'm wrong.

[ABizzel1]

It's going to take more than hope, because you sir are definitely right and I was extremely excited for this. They dropped the ball HARD.

[Amplitude]

I was excited till i found out its $399.99 in Canada

That's insane and a giant risk. Cant even remember the last time i turned on the WiiU...

[ABizzel1]

Slide down to the US and save $100 if you really want it, since it is Region free. That being said I say wait another year and a half. I'm expecting another 3DS type price drop of $80 or at least $50 with a game VERY SOON.

[Sirk7x]

It's about the same man. The US dollar is hovering close to 1.25x the Canadian. I also wouldn't expect a price drop anytime soon, as the Switch is already sold out almost everywhere...most likely when the sales really start to slow down.

[Amplitude]

@Sirk7x

I live in a pretty small town haha. Im incredibly confident i can go day 1 and pick it up without a preorder. Only console i couldn't get day 1 was the PSP but like a week later i found one.

It's the only thing small towns are good for haha

[Bennibop]

32GB is shocking, price is too high as high powered competition is cheaper, lack of 3Rd party and Nintendo specific versions of multiplatform games, really think it is another poor move by Nintendo. Not for me, will pick up a Wii U on the cheap to play Zelda.

[gedden7]

I think accessories are pricey but not the console tho, $250 was the sweet spot.

[OzzY-waZZy]

Agreed 100%. 300 + 60 (game) + 70 (pro controller).. gtfoutta here.

[ABizzel1]

+ $40 - $70 128GB / 200GB SD for future storage (that 32GB is going to be destroyed within the year)

[Amplitude]

within 2 games*

[ABizzel1]

@Axecution

Pretty much if they're the size of Zelda ro Xenoblade X.

[oSHINSAo]

well, lets just not buy it, and there, they will have to lower the price... was wating for a game included, they should have include Zelda

[NextGenCeo]

When i was said same thing (last 2 weeks) `199$ perfect price 249$ expensive but worth it` every people on n4g dislike me. But today people believing and seeing why i was telling that! Because i love Nintendo but this is not change Nintendo company always selling hardware or software expensive or more than what is worth!
(ESL guy here so sorry for English)

[OzzY-waZZy]

They'll lower the price soon enough. $300.00 is way too much and people know this. Nintendo fanboys aren't the majority, in fact they're a very small minority. Nintendo will feel the burn and lower the price.

[feraldrgn]

Nintendo have shown in the past that if hardware isn't selling at launch price point, then they can reduce it to a more reasonable one.
If you want it cheaper, then just wait.

[MRMagoo123]

what happened with the wiiu then ?

[josephayal]

$150 would be pretty good and I’d probably get it

[PGRfox]

Or at least $250 with a packin like 1-2 Switch.

[ABizzel1]

For the love of all that is good, I don't understand why they didn't do this. There would have been significantly less complaining about price. The PS4 / XBO comparison would have still been justified, but it's better than $299 with NOTHING.

[PGRfox]

I agree, and its not like 1-2 Swtich is gonna sell a lot, so they might as well include it as a pack in!

[MRMagoo123]

to tell you the truth ....I thought the 1 2 switch thing was just gonna be a packed in the box software thing like the wii sports, I can't see people paying actual real money for that party game junk

[sk8ofmnd]

https://youtu.be/todZUQ_oeU...

If its 300 msrp im willing to bet nintendo can produce it for 250 or less. We all know nintendo said they wont lose $ day one on the switch.

[Kosic]

I was unsure on the switch. The low price point of £199 was what made me consider the console. It's only £200, if it flops it's not bad.

But now seeing it at £280, and games are atm listed for £60. It's put me off big time.

I double I'd see myself owning a switch till Xmas 2017, or 2018 when a price drop has happened.

Nintendo should've gone the way of the Wii and made cost effective specs on a low budget.

[Mrveryodd]

Sorry Nintendo you can keep your console for yourself... I don't want this one either... N64 was our last dance.
you useless bunch of twats

[Dragonscale]

$300 for the system, $79 for an extra controller, $60 for online, thats $439 plus $60 for a game. You're up to $500 just to pretty much get started. Thats quite expensive tbh. Also only 32 gigs is pretty stingy as well. Couldn't they have put a hdd in the tv adaptor thingy? Plus the launch lineup is underwhelming to say the least. $200 might have been tempting. Think Pachter may have a point funnily enough.

Still on the fence though probably not.

[OzzY-waZZy]

Exactly, just to get you going it's going to be more than $450. $300 was the right price point with a pack in game like Zelda. Maybe even ARMS or something.. really not feeling a lot about this system.

[InKnight7s]

Paying the same money to underpowered and gen late console is something stupid.

[Eldyraen]

I'm still planning on getting one, but there are definitely questionable choices here:

*Launch Price: $250 would had been so much better all around. $50 is not a deal breaker but I think the price will be reduced if it doesn't sell well consistently unlike what they did with the Wii U (Still sitting at $300 and never on sale). PS4 is so much stronger and comparably price

*Accessory prices: Ridiculously overpriced. The joycons have some serious tech in them for their size, but the price of a single one is way too high and even bundled is too much imo. They better be well made as if they break easy it will be so much worse (as they have a lot of different tech that could independently stop working or wear down). The only one that isn't bad is the Joycon Wheels (as $20 for 2 isn't a terrible price).

2 SKUs: Seriously? The only difference being the color of the joycons? And then on top of that the price of joycons in general? They should had kept it all black and grey and had the Neons as optional accessories. I know some crazy people will pick up the Neon bundle as it probably will be least often bought (not sold out) and then buy new joycons just so its more uniform in scheme.

32gb memory: Big one, especially with the way Zelda will apparently likely take up over half of what's left after the OS. They should had gone bigger as with their kind of volume they could had gotten good deals on it--much better than a consumer. Even 64gb would had been a whole lot better so you could have the OS, Zelda, and a couple other comparably sized games on it at once. I'm sure Virtual Console games won't be so bad though but anything new? It will be filled by one game and then require extra space before long most likely.

Most everything else is basically if you wanted a pure console experience comparable to a One/PS4 and not a hybrid or simply don't like the games on it or are worried about what might not come to it at all (which is also a concern--but as a PS4/One owner already the Switch has me excited for what it is: a decent hybrid, a solid handheld, a VC lovefest (the tech can handle anything Wii U or older... possibilities of games are near limitless), but with some definite weaknesses (Price especially--accessories and additional memory will be a must for a lot of people, especially if you aren't a solo gamer as a full set or even just a single controller for a friend to play a 'traditional' game with other than just a joycon is pretty crazy).

[superchiller]

You are aware of how bad the VC is for retro games? Dull, muted colors and poor sound. Even the $60 NES Mini has far better emulation:

https://youtu.be/jM38IYc2SJ...

[Eldyraen]

Actually no I didn't, as I said I haven't had a Nintendo device since the Gamecube which was before the VC. So thanks and I'll have to look into it then for sure. That said, I'll probably still pick up some games whenever I buy a Switch just for convenience factor for me.

[ziggurcat]

it would have been amazing at $249.99 as well...

[feraldrgn]

Like has been mentioned, it's more than $300 to get started.

[mkis007]

I was really thinking it would be a must have until the reveal.

[MRMagoo123]

they really unhyped the switch with such precision and expertise that I have a feeling they want it to fail.

[cell989]

So.... less powerful than PS4 and xbone S but more expensive? Dafuq?

[Sirk7x]

Your Xbox One is not battery powered, nor does it have a built in screen. As much as it's been touted as, this is not a home console. It's a gaming tablet with TV docking ability. Decent tablets are still expensive devices, and I can't think of one on the market aside from very expensive Windows devices that could run games as well. Many people are excited for what it is. Many others are upset by what it is not.

[MRMagoo123]

and a tiny amount of games at launch too btw

[Last_Boss]

I'll say this. I think Nintendo will quickly access what consumers response is by units sold. They'll quickly realize that they have another Vita launch scenario and cut 50 bones. If they are serious in staying relative towards the ones who've been a day one fan of them, they'll respond in kind. Yes I know it's a business, but all boats need some type buoyancy. I'm very excited for this launch but, I'll just have to buy Zelda first and the system last, because these next 4 months are jam packed with games.

[FallenAngel1984]

It doesn't matter how cheap the console would've been because the prices of the accessories are egregious

[tigertron]

It's way too expensive in Europe. Here in the UK it's being sold at £280 and the controllers are around £60-70. It's totally ridiculous. I'll wait for a price drop or a special bundle this coming Christmas. Besides, the only games that I want so far are Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The games are also around £50-60...The console should have been £100 cheaper, then I would have considered buying one at launch.

[mechlord]

One of the extremely rare instances i agree with pachter

[INMATEofARKHAM]

Nintendo has a history of not taking losses on hardware even at the launch of a new system so I'm not surprised about the price.

[joab777]

Hey, we just have to wait about how long for a price cut? Oh yeah, WiiU never got one!

[Lighter9]

What would be amazing would be if Pachter would keep his mouth shut.

[Bronxs15]

yeah . over priced. 399 in canada. and only 32gb storage for that price... wow.

overpriced by video game standards, but if you compare it to phone prices it's less than flagship phones which run like 700-1000

maybe nintendo are basing the price on mobile market prices and think they are being competitive? i don't really know what they are thinking.

[OCEANGROWNKUSH]

Lets put this into perspective... a "New" Nintendo 3DS is $199 and is not bundled with a game or even a charger!

You're telling me that an additional $99 doesn't justify the more powerful hardware, all of the technology crammed into the joycon controllers, the accessories for the controllers, cables and the dock?

Cmon son.

[superchiller]

But the "New 3DS" is cheap junk, not worth anywhere near $200. It's ancient, poor technology with cheap, low-spec components. So it's not a good thing to compare with the Switch. And it's dead anyway, Nintendo is basically pulling the plug on it. Look around, you'll see that 3DS hardware is drying up at all the major retailers.