Really great article, Chris. A huge congratulations on this new venture -- it is so refreshing to have a publication posting this regularly that takes games as seriously as they deserve to be.
The Switch 2 has come at such an interesting time and its offering is far more broad than I thought it would be -- especially relating to third-party titles. As a console gamer, I was seriously considering picking up the Steam Deck OLED, but this has really made me rethink having seen the commitment from third-parties. If anyone has a Steam Deck OLED but is not a PC gamer, I would love to hear your thoughts.
I also really commend Nintendo for their first-mover position on pricing. There have been murmurs for a while that price increases are inevitable across both software and hardware. Switch 2 has torn the band-aid off and I think we will start to see those prices become the norm.
Of course I would love to continue to pay what we do for the rest of time, but if we want this medium to grow and fulfil its potential, I have no issues with spending a little more, perhaps more sparingly, if it means boundaries are able to be pushed within the medium.
Absolutely top notch article!! So many of your thoughts are similar to my own.
In the past 3 years I have purchased 2 switches, 1 connected to the TV for the family to use, both docked and handheld, one for me to use exclusively handheld because I can never get on the tv to play my Xbox Series console.
Currently I'm undecided on whether I want to evolve with nintendo, given the higher price of games or purchase a pc handheld / steamdeck 1 or maybe wait until the next iteration of steam deck.
I do feel that nintendo have raised the bar with the switch 2 and could compete in the same market as sony/microsoft but I do wonder if game pricing will influence that market share. Maybe they don't care. Maybe the switch 2 gen will change the whole game price landscape.
Thanks for a really well put together article that in many ways expresses my own thoughts as well
Switch 2's first year offers opportunities for Nintendo's franchises to grow further. Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby Air Riders, and even the Pokémon Legends subseries. All have a shot at outselling previous entries.
Nintendo is therefore keeping most of their biggest cards for later, to sustain demand once the launch frenzy is over.
More than initial pricing, it is the pacing that will be key!
I don't have much to add to Marcus' comment below; I completely agree that, at some point, people were going to have to get used to the idea that the game business can't just grow forever. At some point, it will have reached as many players as reasonably possible and prices will have to start to come up. I think we've reached that point. It sucks for players without as much ready access to funds for gaming, but--big BUT--it could potentially see the reselling market start to flourish again.
Over the past four months, we've seen trade ins explode at the store. Granted, we are a new and growing business, but we've seen increases in trade values up almost 80% YoY. People are starting to realize there is real value in physical gaming again, which can make it a bit easier for players to afford their favorite hobby.
Really interesting read - and the podcast/multiple weekly drops have quickly become a must listen (nearly finished with the Matthew Ball one - I've read that report but really enjoyed the extra layer the podcast added). That's it really, just thought it was worth saying this is all great and I'm really enjoying it.
Also, the whole Switch 2 price stuff is very interesting - feels like the price of Mario Kart has overshadowed everything else, and in-of-itself made the price of the console (which I agree, is in line with expectations) news worthy. If MK had been a "normal" price I don't think the console price would have been an issue, but that's purely hypothetical of course. Looking at some of the other prices (DK as second tier? But TOTK upgrade version top tier) I'm intrigued as to the wider strategy. By which I mean, I want to know how much Metroid Prime 4 will be. Also third party of course, will there be price parity across other systems? Interesting stuff, though of course important in a cost-of-living crisis.
Brilliant insights and considerations!!! Switch2 sounds like if Nintendo and their marketing get it right, they might start getting PS and Xbox players, but their positioning has been, since the N64, about a more family friendly console, and by players on PS and XBOX, a secondary purchase to their main console?
Really great article, Chris. A huge congratulations on this new venture -- it is so refreshing to have a publication posting this regularly that takes games as seriously as they deserve to be.
The Switch 2 has come at such an interesting time and its offering is far more broad than I thought it would be -- especially relating to third-party titles. As a console gamer, I was seriously considering picking up the Steam Deck OLED, but this has really made me rethink having seen the commitment from third-parties. If anyone has a Steam Deck OLED but is not a PC gamer, I would love to hear your thoughts.
I also really commend Nintendo for their first-mover position on pricing. There have been murmurs for a while that price increases are inevitable across both software and hardware. Switch 2 has torn the band-aid off and I think we will start to see those prices become the norm.
Of course I would love to continue to pay what we do for the rest of time, but if we want this medium to grow and fulfil its potential, I have no issues with spending a little more, perhaps more sparingly, if it means boundaries are able to be pushed within the medium.
Absolutely top notch article!! So many of your thoughts are similar to my own.
In the past 3 years I have purchased 2 switches, 1 connected to the TV for the family to use, both docked and handheld, one for me to use exclusively handheld because I can never get on the tv to play my Xbox Series console.
Currently I'm undecided on whether I want to evolve with nintendo, given the higher price of games or purchase a pc handheld / steamdeck 1 or maybe wait until the next iteration of steam deck.
I do feel that nintendo have raised the bar with the switch 2 and could compete in the same market as sony/microsoft but I do wonder if game pricing will influence that market share. Maybe they don't care. Maybe the switch 2 gen will change the whole game price landscape.
Thanks for a really well put together article that in many ways expresses my own thoughts as well
Excellent article Chris!
Switch 2's first year offers opportunities for Nintendo's franchises to grow further. Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kirby Air Riders, and even the Pokémon Legends subseries. All have a shot at outselling previous entries.
Nintendo is therefore keeping most of their biggest cards for later, to sustain demand once the launch frenzy is over.
More than initial pricing, it is the pacing that will be key!
The early votes on the name are not encouraging.
I don't have much to add to Marcus' comment below; I completely agree that, at some point, people were going to have to get used to the idea that the game business can't just grow forever. At some point, it will have reached as many players as reasonably possible and prices will have to start to come up. I think we've reached that point. It sucks for players without as much ready access to funds for gaming, but--big BUT--it could potentially see the reselling market start to flourish again.
Over the past four months, we've seen trade ins explode at the store. Granted, we are a new and growing business, but we've seen increases in trade values up almost 80% YoY. People are starting to realize there is real value in physical gaming again, which can make it a bit easier for players to afford their favorite hobby.
Really interesting read - and the podcast/multiple weekly drops have quickly become a must listen (nearly finished with the Matthew Ball one - I've read that report but really enjoyed the extra layer the podcast added). That's it really, just thought it was worth saying this is all great and I'm really enjoying it.
Also, the whole Switch 2 price stuff is very interesting - feels like the price of Mario Kart has overshadowed everything else, and in-of-itself made the price of the console (which I agree, is in line with expectations) news worthy. If MK had been a "normal" price I don't think the console price would have been an issue, but that's purely hypothetical of course. Looking at some of the other prices (DK as second tier? But TOTK upgrade version top tier) I'm intrigued as to the wider strategy. By which I mean, I want to know how much Metroid Prime 4 will be. Also third party of course, will there be price parity across other systems? Interesting stuff, though of course important in a cost-of-living crisis.
Brilliant insights and considerations!!! Switch2 sounds like if Nintendo and their marketing get it right, they might start getting PS and Xbox players, but their positioning has been, since the N64, about a more family friendly console, and by players on PS and XBOX, a secondary purchase to their main console?