Nintendo stands at a crossroads as it prepares to release its Switch 2 console tonight at midnight.
The company has a history of following massive hits with more experimental, and sometimes less successful products. The stakes are even higher this time, as the Switch 2 launches with a comparably high price: $449. That is 50% higher than the original Nintendo Switch, which went for $300.
“It’s pretty expensive, I wouldn’t buy it,” said long-time Nintendo fan Yenisbel Rodriguez, who lives in Homestead. “With that money, I could literally buy a PS5.”
To build hype for the Switch 2’s release, GameStop, Best Buy and some Walmart locations have announced they’ll open their doors at 12:01 a.m. Some stores will offer giveaways and photo ops.
At Florida International University, professor Sandra Andrade foresees few purchases of the new Nintendo Switch 2 from students.
“It’s too expensive,” said Andrade, who teaches game development. “Nintendo was supposed to be the cheap console.”
Nintendo’s upcoming release of the Switch 2 marks a significant milestone. It is the company’s first major launch since the Nintendo Switch OLED, which came out in October 2021. The new console aims to build upon the hybrid gaming concept that has defined Nintendo’s success.
Nintendo’s history of console releases showcases a pattern of innovation and varying commercial success. The Wii, launched in 2006, introduced motion-controlled gaming and achieved sales of over 101 million units worldwide.
Its successor, the Wii U, issued in 2012, struggled commercially, selling only about 13.56 million units. The Wii U’s limited success was attributed mostly to hardware limitations and poor marketing. Despite this, it laid the groundwork for future innovations, including concepts refined in the Switch.
Serkan Toto of Kantan Games, a Japanese games consultancy, expects the console to sell between 10 to 20 million units in its initial batch. George Jijiashvili from Omdia, a technology research and advisory group, expects the console to sell about 14.7 million units by the end of the calendar year. Many analysts agree it will sell well, but matching the Nintendo Switch’s sales would be unlikely.
Introduced in 2017, the Nintendo Switch revolutionized gaming with its versatile design. It immediately captured players’ attention, leading to approximately 152 million units sold.
The price of $449 sets a high bar. Consumers won’t settle for modest refinements or another iteration of what they already own. As the excitement builds, so does skepticism, especially among fans.
“I feel like it’s the same thing,” Rodriguez remarked. ”Maybe a bigger screen.”
The Switch 2 could be a bold leap forward or an expensive echo of the past. Either way, with its release right around the corner, all eyes are on Nintendo to prove that the Switch 2 is well worth the price.
“The people that usually come to our store are regulars and they’re really, really cool and nice people, so I think we’ll have a good turnout,” said Stephanie Masson, a GameStop employee in Miami.
