Summary
From saving it until after the Direct was over todelaying pre-orders in the US,Nintendo’sSwitch 2pricing has been disastrous. Nintendo president Doug Bowser has attempted to explain and defend the cost of the Switch 2, but has reminded gamers of Microsoft’s disastrousXbox Onelaunch in doing so.
Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has been trying to help everyone understand why the Switch 2 was priced at $450 in the US. Bowser previously explainedthe tariffs had nothing to do with that lofty price, andwhile speaking with CBC, the Nintendo boss told those who won’t be able to afford the Switch 2 that they can keep playing the originalSwitch.
“We recognize there are some people that may not be able to afford [the Switch 2’s] price point. That’s why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available,” Bowser explained. Bowser is presumably trying to highlight that the original Switch will continue to receive support long after the Switch 2 is released. However, that’s not how some have taken the comments.
Telling People To Just Keep Playing The OG Switch Isn’t The Win You Think It Is
Just Ask Xbox
In a post pointing to the commentsshared by Drifiting Spirit on ResetEra, commenters quickly likened Bowser’s remarks to Don Mattrick’s about the Xbox One during the console’s launch event at E3 2013. When discussing the need for an online connection to get the most out of the Xbox One, Mattrick told people Xbox has a product for those who don’t have an internet connection, and that product is theXbox 360.
You can check out the comments from Mattrick below. You can tell the former Xbox SVP knows he has said something he shouldn’t have when Geoff Keighley questions whether the message he is trying to convey really is that if people don’t have an internet connection, they should stick to the older Xbox console they already own rather than paying Xbox for a new one.
Bowser likely won’t be kicking himself quite as hard as Mattrick would have been, but it’s still notable how quickly people recalled what the ex-Xbox boss said and what happened with the Xbox One in the years that followed. The 360 was Xbox’s most successful console yet, and the Xbox One was probably its biggest failure. That launch event played a huge role in that, for several reasons.
It is already clear that Nintendo plans to support the original Switch for a long time, and with 150 million users, it would be silly not to. Upcoming games likeMetroid Prime 4: BeyondandPokemon Legends: Z-Awill launch on both the Switch and the Switch 2. The Direct for the original Switch also mentioned games releasing in 2026,such as Tamadochi Life, and Team Cherry has now confirmedHollow Knight: Silksong will also be launching on both Nintendo’s current and next-gen consoles.
