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Nintendo unveils Switch 2 ahead of June 5 launch
- minimaxir 2y agoThe real takeaway is $80 MSRP games, and I’m surprised it was Nintendo that crossed that particular Rubicon.
- napolux 2y agoGTA VI will be 100$
- alabastervlog 2y agoAAA games have already been doing this for years with "pay $30 more for a 'DLC Pass' to get the actual complete game, oh and also you can't resell this part of it'"
- no_wizard 2y agoThe hype around GTA VI is going to be crazy hard for it to live up to. People been speculating for years and years now and that could lead to a lot of unrealistic expectations. One thing I do respect Rockstar for though is they never caved to pressure to release the sequel fast
- MYEUHD 2y ago> One thing I do respect Rockstar for though is they never caved to pressure to release the sequel fast You respect them for taking 12+ years to make a sequel? The Playstation 2 had five GTA's whereas GTA V has three console generations.
- rchaud 2y agoThe PS2 era didn't have the infinite cash machine that is GTA online. They're milking it for as long as they can. It also doesn't make sense to release something for latest-gen consoles when a huge chunk of the market are still on PS4s and XB1s.
- johnnyanmac 2y agoNo pressure to make a seuquel when your MTX in the existing game net you a billion a year for a decade+. It's their own mini-Steam at this point.
- stevenwoo 2y agoMario Kart World is kind of like the kid safe version maybe?
- bilekas 2y ago> and I’m surprised it was Nintendo that crossed that particular Rubicon. Not only that, but one thing that really bothers me with Nintendo as apposed to Steam for example is, those prices basically never change. There never seems to be a sale or special offers.
- pdpi 2y agoHonestly, I respect them for it. Sure, I’d be happy to spend less money on games, but there’s a certain honesty and transparency with buying Nintendo games that’s missing on the other platforms. No FOMO, no preorder bonuses, no pressure tactics, no nothing. You know the value proposition, and either you’re happy with it, or you’re not.
- crtasm 2y agohttps://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-kart-8/Pre-Order_Bonus https://www.ign.com/wikis/mario-kart-8/Pre-Order_Bonus https://www.nintendo-insider.com/super-mario-maker-2-limited-edition-bundle-and-stylus-pre-order-bonus-revealed/ https://www.nintendo-insider.com/super-mario-maker-2-limited... etc.
- jpalawaga 2y agoI have no idea why you're getting downvoted. A lot of highly-paid software developers are complaining that nintendo doesn't cheapen their offerings by discounting them to $5 a game like steam sales. why not cheapen your product's offering as it continues down the x-axis of time? I've always respected Nintendo for this. They know they're offering a quality product, and the price will be the same if you buy now or in a year, so buy it if you want it. It also means if you want to resell your game, you'll get a fair price for it.
- legitster 2y agoOr, more to the point, as a publisher Nintendo stands by their products. They come out finished and aren't riddled with microtransactions. The fact that years later people still want to buy Zelda BotW is a real testament.
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- gjsman-1000 2y agoPlease provide citation - I can't find this documented anywhere.
- minimaxir 2y agohttps://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/04/02/nintendo-switch-2-flips-the-switch-on-80-90-games/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/04/02/nintendo-s...
- ihuman 2y agoWhich games are $90?
- gjsman-1000 2y agoWow, no wonder they didn't feature that in the Direct. (In their defense, games have been unusually cheap for a while. SNES games were $160 after inflation. N64? $120. GameCube titles? $90. Wii? $75. Nintendo Switch Games back in 2017? $78!)
- BearOso 2y agoThe physical game cards are going to be expensive to manufacture because they need to be much faster. Look at the cost of microSD Express cards. I thought they might go entirely virtual with required installation. Needless to say, 80 USD is too high for me, personally. 70 is pushing it, honestly. Most of the time you can use sites like isthereanydeal and even get new releases under 60, but that's a no-go with Nintendo.
- gjsman-1000 2y agoTo be fair, when the Switch launched in 2017, games cost $78 after inflation.
- BearOso 2y agoThat's true. Unfortunately, the purchasing power hasn't kept up with inflation.
- TaupeRanger 2y agoPurchasing Power is a function of inflation and income - so it always "keeps up" with inflation. You might've been trying to say that income hasn't kept up with inflation, but that's not supported by any data. Real wages have remained roughly flat since 2021. https://www.statista.com/chart/32428/inflation-and-wage-growth-in-the-united-states/ https://www.statista.com/chart/32428/inflation-and-wage-grow...
- braingravy 2y agoThe link says income (in terms of “real” wages) has not kept up with inflation. It further says “In times of high inflation…real wages go down, meaning that workers see (and feel) the purchasing power of their income decline.” Sounds like parent poster and your link are in agreement.
- TaupeRanger 2y ago
- legitster 2y agoFor comparison, some of the original NES games were MSRP $45. That's the equivalent of over $100 today. (Although, of that $45, 15% went to distributors and another 15% went to retailers).
- alabastervlog 2y agoVolume was way, way, way lower. But in fairness, so were development costs.
- AdmiralAsshat 2y agoLate Super Nintendo and early N64 games went up to even $70/$75, if memory serves. I remember an uncle getting me NBA Hangtime for my birthday one year at $75. I think it definitely contributed to the PS1 outselling the N64. There were many reasons, of course, but seeing those Toys R' Us flyers where the PS1 games were marked $40-50 and the N64 games at $60-70...I'm sure it gave some parents pause about which systems they were buying their children.
- Fricken 2y agoI got the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for christmas in 1990. My mom left the price tag on so I could see how ridiculously overpriced it was: $69 CDN. It was a crap game.
- AdmiralAsshat 2y agoWas that the arcade port one or the other one, with the infamously hard underwater bomb-diffusion level?
- mepian 2y ago90 EUR in Europe. This completely deflated my interest in the Switch 2, I'd rather finish my combined Switch 1 and Steam backlog than support this price creep, considering that Nintendo games practically never get discounted.
- hobofan 2y agoYeah, same here. My Switch is essentially a indie game console (~indish, e.g. Hades, Darkest Dungeon), as I didn't want to pay the absurd prices of the first party titles. With the Steam Deck coming out in the meantime, I'll likely pick that up soon instead of a Switch 2. Around the same price, much better specs (and also Bluetooth support, which the Switch 2 will supposedly be missing again), and access to a much bigger library of games.
- rchaud 2y agoNintendo is the Apple of videogames, especialy with the vertical integration and pricing. Their games were always incredibly expensive. 30 years ago, I remember being stunned to hear that my friend's SNES copy of Mortal Kombat II was GBP 70. From this Reddit post, I'm seeing Canadian prices were equally absurd. CAD 95 for Batman Forever on SNES. https://www.reddit.com/r/snes/comments/12aq8zu/snes_games_prices_in_late_1995_in_canada/ https://www.reddit.com/r/snes/comments/12aq8zu/snes_games_pr...
- 12_throw_away 2y agotbh I vividly remember paying $60+tax for Super Metroid in 1994, which is about $130 in today's dollars ...
- downrightmike 2y ago$80 for a copy of a software +$10 to get the cartridge, I wonder how much the cartridges cost to make? $0.10 maybe
- adamrezich 2y agoI sure hope those “microSD Express” cards end up being relatively inexpensive… I really appreciated being able to buy cheap, high-capacity microSD cards for the 3DS and Switch when I bought each console such that I then basically never had to worry about storage ever again.
- jpalawaga 2y agomicrosd express is a standard, the cards are available today. the nintendo branded ones will probably be extra $. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1868814-REG/sandisk_sdsqxfn_256g_gn4nn_256gb_microsd_express_memory.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&store=420&lsft=BI:6879&gad_source=1 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1868814-REG/sandisk_s...
- adamrezich 2y agoDoesn't look too bad price-wise—nice!
- MattSayar 2y agoI remember being seriously tempted to pull the trigger on a 1GB MicroSD card at this same price over a decade ago. Crazy.
- napolux 2y agoLove it, but usual Nintendo prices. I'll wait a bit (or an improved version)
- madduci 2y agoI don't believe this will get cheaper
- mepian 2y agoIf it bombs, it will. The Nintendo 3DS set a precedent for this.
- minimaxir 2y agoThe 3DS (and relatedly the Wii U) bombed because they had fatal, expensive gimmicks. The Switch 2 is a hardware iteration that everyone has been asking for. It won't bomb.
- alabastervlog 2y agoBoth also had a massive own-goal branding problem, in that nobody who wasn't a gaming nerd could figure out they were totally new consoles, not new editions of an existing one, from the name. The 3DS had it even worse than the Wii U, since the DS line had several versions with very-similar names some of which were variants of existing ones, and a couple of which were actually totally new platforms (was it the DSi that was the other one? I can't even fully remember and I'm way farther down the console-nerd path than the vast majority of people) At least they just put a number after this one, so folks will get it this time.
- hobofan 2y ago> that everyone has been asking for That hardcore Switch gamers have been asking for. Most people I know that own a Switch use it rarely and casually. For them a mere hardware iteration isn't enough of a reason to get the new one. I would suspect that a good 60% of Switch owners fall into that category. However, even if it only gets half of the sales that the switch had, that would make it the most successful current generation console.
- alabastervlog 2y agoMmm. All I wanted was a Switch with bumped specs and a lot more durability. They could have come up with something out of left field that I cared about, like they often do, but cameras and a dedicated chat button? Things I've been intentionally avoiding or being annoyed by on other consoles since either thing has existed? I hope there's a way to disable the chat button entirely, so I'm not accidentally triggering a function that I never want to use and my kids certainly won't be using, like the damned "share" button on the PS5. Talk about an anti-feature. If the camera were built-in, I'd pay a little extra for a version without that and without the chat button. This is the opposite of an upgrade, for this shopper. At least I can just not-buy the camera. The spec bump looks mediocre, if durability's not a lot better I'll just be replacing my half-broken switch with a used model of same. I'd been assuming this'd be my first-ever near-launch console purchase, I'm usually like 2-3 years behind on these things, but IDK, this is underwhelming. If there's also a more-than-tiny price hike, I'll be delaying. [EDIT] Oh snap, pricing's on there? I'd read elsewhere they'd delayed announcing that. Shiiiiit, at that price maybe we'll get a family Steam Deck and put pirated versions of all the Switch games we already own (... and all the games we have on prior consoles) on there, instead. I can wait for used or discounted console prices to play the new Zelda or whatever, we still have hardly touched half the games we have on the current Switch. How's the Deck with multiple Switch Pro controller support? Anyone tried to use it as an actual multiplayer-friendly TV-attached console?
- xandrius 2y agoIf you want an almost new original switch unpatched and are in EU, let me know :D
- haunter 2y agoNot OP but how much you are looking for that?
- gjsman-1000 2y agoNintendo stated in the Direct and on the website that Parental Controls must be set up for any accounts under 16 years old, the Parental Controls phone app must be installed, and the parent must approve every participant, before chatting can take place. (A parent can also just choose to not pay for Switch Online).
- Y_Y 2y ago> Nintendo will send out invitations for "priority" purchasing of the Switch 2, direct from the company, starting on May 8. Those who have purchased a Switch Online membership as of April 2, have had it for a minimum of 12 months, have opted to share gameplay data, and have logged at least 50 hours get priority. There will be a 72-hour window in which to use priority purchasing invitations. So they're trying to circumvent retailers, while "rewarding" people for allowing telemetry and having a long running credit card subscription, by offering them a time-limited fomo pre-release. I think I won tech-MBA bingo, why do I still feel so empty inside?
- newsclues 2y agoSeems like a way to combat scalping. Which is a massive problem
- wat10000 2y agoThey're rewarding loyal customers, makes sense to me. The telemetry thing is kind of gross, but necessary if they want to base it on how much you've actually played and not just how long you've subscribed.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ihuman 2y agoIf the person doesn't share gameplay data, then Nintendo can't know if the person played at least 50 hours
- rchaud 2y agoCan't the person register their device on the Nintendo website, with a serial number and date of purchase? That's often needed for electronics repairs. That alone should be enough to determine whether the person is a scalper or true fan.
- _cenw 2y agoAh, share gameplay data. The thing every modded switch has turned off.
- gekoxyz 2y ago449 usd is pretty disappointing. A steam deck is pretty much the same price but is repairable and i don't have to pay for an online subscription. And even the steam deck doesn't appeal to me much since i like FPS games, which are better if played from a proper PC. At this point i'm sticking with my Nintendo 3DS for gaming away from home.
- gekoxyz 2y agoIn the past month i was also considering to buy a Wii to play some games with friends, but i waited to see if the switch 2 could be worth it. Now i'm seriously considering the Wii.
- manishsharan 2y agoJoy Con Drift. Can they please solve for that ? Chat Button ? Camera ? are they intentionally driving away parents who buy Switch for their kids ?
- galleywest200 2y agoIn the direct they took several moments to describe how parents can lock away this feature from children using the Nintendo app.
- dmonitor 2y agoAnnouncing a solution to joycon drift would require acknowledging drift at all, which would open them to another class action. The camera is sold separately, so you can just not plug it in. The parental controls also lets you turn off chat.
- minimaxir 2y agoTechnically they could market "the Joy-Con 2 sticks uses Hall Effect for better precision" to convey the implication that they will avoid drift without admitting culpability (and being factually true about better precision). If they were using HE, they likely would have noted it IMO.
- nothercastle 2y agoThese guys are so cheap you know they didn’t add them in
- ChocolateGod 2y agoDoesn't microSD Express rely on DMA over a PCI-e lane? Curious if that could become a future attack vector to get homebrew running.
- jsheard 2y agoIt does, but so do the NVMe drives used in the Playstation and Xbox, and neither of those systems have been successfully attacked through that interface as far as I know. I'm sure they're using IOMMU to sandbox the exposed PCIe lanes as much as they can.
- xandrius 2y agoI'm curious if the switch 1 would back support mouse mode if one were to use the new joypads on the old models. Probably not but maybe in the homebrew ones? It seems pretty much a software update as one can already connect any BT device to a patched switch.
- haunter 2y agoInterestingly Japan will have 2 versions, a japanese language only (+region locked to japan accounts) and a global one. Mostly because of the weak yen + the insane amount of scalping that happened previously. Switch 2 JP Only: 49,980 Yen (~333 USD) Switch 2 Global: 69,980 Yen (~466 USD) https://www.nintendo.com/jp/hardware/switch2/lineup/index.html https://www.nintendo.com/jp/hardware/switch2/lineup/index.ht... And the JP only version's launch price is still almost double of the Switch 1's (30,000 Yen) But I'm actually glad that they look after the local market!
- tigeroil 2y agoI suspect they also know full well that the global ones will be resold in China.
- greggsy 2y agoCripes that’s incredibly expensive for a lower spec handheld
- johnnyanmac 2y agoThe specs seems to exceed that of the Steam Deck. And that was barely selling at a profit for a while. I'm not really mad at the specs.
- downrightmike 2y agoBut no linux or steam
- johnnyanmac 2y agoI mean, yes?. Also no Playstation or Xbox. If Linux/steam is your deal breaker nothing Nintendo did would change your mind.
- bmacho 2y agoThe same is illegal for Apple, to sell phones and be a middleman for every app purchase. I hope the EU will do something about it.
- nickvec 2y agoWill they have fixed joycon drift though?
- tessellated 2y agoI had luck with WD-40. Bought Switch ca. 1 year after Zelda, small drift was mitigatable through whiggling the joys a long time. Then, Witcher, I had enough of it and sprayed a tiny amount into both. Working like a Charm since then. YMMV
- archargelod 2y agoOr just grab a replacement sticks from aliexpress. A set of 4 sticks is around 2-3$. I've changed them twice in 8 years of using a console.
- aceazzameen 2y agoI replaced mine with sticks using hall effect sensors. The stick replacement process isn't easy, but also not too bad. When I first opened my joycon, a spring flew across the room and I had a hell of a time trying to find it.
- jccalhoun 2y agoI'm not super fan of first party Nintendo so this doesn't tempt me much over getting a steamos handheld or similar.
- alabastervlog 2y agoThe price being almost the same as a Steam Deck is really surprising. Since the Wii (maybe even the GC? I can't remember, I only had a PS2 from that generation when it was active, and only got that about the time the PS3 was about to come out, so I don't remember their relative price positioning that generation) they've been the "sure you'll spend more on games because they don't have meaningful sales and used prices remain high, and the hardware's 'underpowered', but the games will be really good and the console price is pretty low!" console. This is... a weird departure from that.
- dcmatt 2y agoNo new Zelda, no new Mario. I don't know what Nintendo is doing but I am not a hyped up for the Switch 2 as I thought I'd be.
- entropi 2y agoSame. Also the prices are quite steep. 470 euros for the console and games cost 90 euros now? That feels quite unreasonable.
- johnnyanmac 2y agoThere is a new Zelda. It's just another Hyrule warriors game instead of a core Zelda adventure title. I do wonder how the upgrades for BOTW/TOTK will be though. I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't seem to add anything (especially a DLC expansion for TOTK).
- DerekL 2y agoWhy would there be a new Zelda? There were two new games in the past two years. Yeah, it has been 8 years since the last new 3D Mario game.
- downrightmike 2y agoToK was a rehash, and the zelda game was not made to be serious like the Botw series is.
- jpalawaga 2y agoDespite all of the negative/critical takes, I think the switch 2 looks great. The hardware improvements look nice. The top usb-port is a great addition with the kickstand, so you can actually charge while you play (this was a bust with switch 1). I think the camera is also good. I actually really look forward to playing mario games with my nieces. And for those who don't want it, it's no extra cost. 120fps and 1080p w/ upscaling to 4k look good but ambitious. I wonder how much AI is used. The fans inside the dock are a clever way to maintain performance. Also, I have a lot of friends who casually stream games in discord, so the chat/sharing functionality seems aptly timed.
- jsheard 2y ago> 120fps and 1080p w/ upscaling to 4k look good but ambitious. I wonder how much AI is used. Given the hardware architecture it's probably safe to assume it supports a variant of DLSS. When that big Nvidia leak happened a few years ago there were even references to the Switches NVN API in the DLSS code. Speaking of 120hz, it's going to be embarrassing if Apple keeps making new 60hz devices even after Nintendo's famously conservative hardware moves to 120hz.
- galleywest200 2y agoThey are using AI, they have a patented process apparently: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2025/03/17/updated-switch-2-document-suddenly-confirms-nintendos-ai-plans/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2025/03/17/updat...
- minimaxir 2y ago> I wonder how much AI is used. The trailer for GameChat shows audio background noise removal and image segmentation with the camera. I suspect modern AI is used everywhere even outside of games. For games, DLSS and other upscaling techniques are widely used and accepted, despite gamers' anonimosity for generative AI.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- galleywest200 2y agoOne interesting thing is that they seem to have multiple types of physical cards. I am assuming they will have normal physical games but they also have these "key cards" [1] which I assume will be for MASSIVE games or games from really small teams who are short on cash. Since the digital purchase is tied to a physical game I assume you can resell/buy these used as well. [1] https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/68415/kw/key%20card https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/...
- philistine 2y agoHoly smokes, it's big news that Nintendo is bringing this functionality in-house so to speak. There were many third-party Switch games that implemented similar features with codes in the box or required downloads that would confuse users. Coupled with those confusing cartridges, Nintendo sells cards that could be redeemed for a copy of a game. They're shaped like credit cards, and I always thought they made for horrible gifts. They just don't look good as a gift. These cartridges solve that problem. This is a clean interface in terms of the software and the sales experience, is as cheap as possible for the devs, and preserves the resale value (so long as Nintendo keeps their store open). This, my friends, is the future of physical games. If I were Microsoft or Sony, I would pay attention to the reception of these cards. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony's next console has a cheap card reader to allow physical copies with a similar system.
- jamesgeck0 2y ago> I wouldn't be surprised if Sony's next console has a cheap card reader to allow physical copies with a similar system. Modern games often require a day one patch. Functionally it's not much different; you need to download a bunch of stuff to play the game on the disc. There have been a few instances where the publisher didn't even ship anything playable on the disc.
- philistine 2y agoYeah but you're missing the forest for the trees: expectations and prices. A physical ticket of a digital game makes sense in a different way than a disc. Complaints about day one patches would subside. The second part is the cost. Those disc drives are getting more and more expensive, and less and less used. Every game on current consoles installs from the disc on the drive and does nothing else but validate the disc afterward. Why spend so much on an old technology that isn't used efficiently? Sony and Microsoft should look to add physical keycards to their next console to validate ownership.
- ihuman 2y agoDupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43556124 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43556124
- gradientsrneat 2y agoA Kirby Air Ride successor? Kirby Air Ride was one of the best and most unique Gamecube games. A sequel to do the original justice would be a big deal. Sadly, Nintendo has made a reputation for itself as a copyright troll, most notoriously their legal takedowns of YouTube lets plays. As a result, I have boycotted Nintendo for over ten years now. While the new releases are tempting, Nintendo's recent legal actions against Palworld sour that proposition. Although I admittedly only can have so much respect for a Windows-only game with anti-cheat.
- codybontecou 2y agoThe original battle royale. My friend was addicted to this game as kids but I never enjoyed it because he always stomped me.
- gradientsrneat 2y agoBack in the day, we'd play city trial in sandbox mode and drive all the vehicles we unlocked up on top of the floating platform. The achievement system was also great.
- syndeo 2y agoSame, such fun memories. Those were some good times.
- GlumWoodpecker 2y ago>Windows-only game Huh? Palworld is available on Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and macOS.
- gradientsrneat 2y agoSorry, I meant in the context of desktop operating systems. Steam page says only Windows is supported. Not sure why Wikipedia says MacOS.
- lenerdenator 2y ago> mouse for Metroid Prime 4 I would do horrible, horrible things to get keyboard + mouse controls for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on Wii.
- braingravy 2y agohttps://github.com/SirMangler/PrimeHack-Updater https://github.com/SirMangler/PrimeHack-Updater
- GlumWoodpecker 2y agoI played through MP3C with PrimeHack on PC - great experience. https://github.com/Kekun/primehack https://github.com/Kekun/primehack
- pupppet 2y agoAs an owner of a bucket of overpriced Joy-Cons I've long since stopped bothering shipping to Nintendo to get fixed, they should have made it clear they addressed the drift issue, even if they had to do it subtly.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- robotnikman 2y agoThis is the first consumer device I know of to use MicroSD Express. I hope this begins a trend with other devices using it, I would love to see more laptops, phones, or the Steam deck support these cards in the future
- pipeline_peak 2y agoWhere do they get off making an Android tablet that costs more than a PS5?
- _imnothere 2y agoThis is a device from a super community-dev-hostile company btw.
- jareds 2y agoDid Nintendo mention anything about accessibility in the presentation? It's shameful if they still don't have a screen reader when both Xbox and PlayStation do.
- dxuh 2y agoThere was a time where Nintendo clearly made consoles and games for children. I think the price of the console and the game (80€ by now) is just too high for most children. When I was a child I was always a console generation behind and bought games off the flea market or borrowed them from video rental stores. With physical copies going away or being discouraged heavily by higher prices, I feel like Nintendo is not even competing in financially accessible gaming anymore and it's sad to see. And since they are so expensive now, you might as well buy a Steam Deck. The only reason to buy Nintendo now really is just Zelda and Mario Kart. Also how many years ago was it that publishers released announcements about 60€ games not being sustainable anymore? Three maybe? The physical copy of Mario Kart World will be 90€! They got by without an increase for almost 10 years and now they increase it by 50% in just three years. I hate that we live in a time, where allowing someone to raise a price by 10€ will just lead to them doing it as many times as they can as quickly as they can.