Back in June, the Nintendo Switch 2 was released and became the fastest-selling console of all time. The company, of course, got a lot of flak for a few different things, but overall, they came out ahead by miles. For me, though, I don’t think they should have gotten away with everything, and really, does Nintendo deserve all its hype?
Nintendo is pricing us out of our hobby
Let’s start with the game pricing; $80 each. That was a huge sticking point, and for good reason. Not just because it is expensive, because it really bloody is, but it sets a scary precedent. Nintendo sells Mario Kart World for $80, everyone still buys it, so now, every other manufacturer is going, “Oh, it worked for them, why not us?”.
It is a move that will price so many people out of a hobby they might love. I can’t afford to be spending that much on a single game every month, can you? And let’s be really honest, Mario Kart is not worth that much, especially after shoving in all that unnecessary open-world stuff. I liked Mario Kart 8, but I get bored after a few races, even with friends.
It certainly isn’t $80 worth of fun, which makes it worse. People will go out and spend that much on any game, just for the brand. The ripple effect already started with Borderlands 4 and Randy Pitchford’s tone-deaf comments about how “real fans will pay.” The only benefit to this whole thing is that it might drive people to explore more indies and support smaller developers.
The Welcome Tour is atrocious
This isn’t even the biggest sin Nintendo committed with pricing. That would be the Welcome Tour, and I use “game” loosely for this. It is basically a handbook explaining how to use the console you just spent about $500 on, plus $80 for a game, and they decided to charge $10 for it. It is just a collection of mini-games. Two words: Astro’s Playroom. That came free with the PlayStation 5 and was a fun, fully-fledged game instead of an interactive how-to guide.
That’s not the worst part of the Welcome Tour either. Some of the challenges require extra accessories that you would have to buy to complete, like the Pro Controller or even a 4K TV. Yes, you skip these tasks with the Morse code input, and yes, you don’t NEED to complete everything, but have you met a gamer before? We most certainly do need to 100% everything. Charging for a how-to guide that you can’t fully experience without extras is ridiculous.
Nintendo just doesn’t deserve the hype
Here is the biggest problem for me, though: Nintendo just isn’t worth it. They have done a commendable job placing themselves in their little corner with their hoard of exclusives, but I don’t think they deserve all the acclaim. I am fully aware I am in the minority with this opinion, but there aren’t many Nintendo properties I am itching to buy.
I enjoy Pokémon, but the Switch entries have been very underwhelming to the point that some competitors do it as good, if not better. Mario is just a standard platformer; I never understood the hype there. And then Zelda. Wind Waker was absolutely incredible, but besides that, they are just ok. I lasted a few hours on Breath of the Wild before I got bored. There are some incredibly enjoyable Switch games, but not nearly enough to justify Nintendo’s power for me.
Don’t get me wrong, the games are iconic and they have defined genres, and even changed the course of development. But there is no Nintendo series that I would spend $80 on. Like I said, I am in the minority, and Nintendo will keep going from strength to strength, but I just can’t stomach the dangers they have created for us consumers. How long until we can no longer afford our little escapes?
