With the Switch 2, Nintendo has reached a milestone: the console is being sold for nearly 470 euros, a price that the Japanese company had never reached until now. Is this increase justified, or is Nintendo riding its popularity to now attack the premium console market?
Here we are! The Switch 2 has finally been unveiled by Nintendo! And while gamers from all walks of life were impatient for the console's games and technical innovations, they were also waiting to see at what price the new hybrid console would be offered. And the axe has fallen...
So, the console is listed at the recommended price of €469.99. If you want to take advantage of the pack including Mario Kart World, you will have to pay €509.99. And again, this is the digital edition of the game, which will cost €90 in its physical version.
And the other consoles, how much are they worth?
As a reminder, here are the prices of the different Switch models at their release:
- the Nintendo Switch, first of the name and released in 2017, was initially sold for €329;
- released in 2019, the Switch Lite (which is positioned solely as a portable console, and not as a home console) was worth €199;
- finally, the Switch OLED was priced at €349 when it was released in 2021.
The Switch 2 is therefore the model Switch initially sold the most expensive console upon its release, or even the most expensive console in Nintendo's history even when taking inflation into account.
Switch 1 versus Switch 2: a real technical breakthrough
The Switch 2 is clearly challenging the home console market and is moving further and further away from the portable device market. For comparison, the PS5 is worth €549, while the PS5 Digital Edition is officially selling for €449. As for the Xbox Series X, it sells for €499, while the Series S is only worth... €299.
If Nintendo has increased its price expectations compared to the first Nintendo, there must be a good reason. Let's take a moment to consider the console's technical capabilities. The hybrid console benefits from a 7.9″ LCD screen capable of displaying an image in 1920 x 1080, in HDR10 and at 120 fps. Once the console is docked and therefore connected to a television, the Switch 2 benefits from a 4K display. In this case, the definition reaches 3840 x 2160 at 60 fps. Here again, the console supports HDR10 technology. On the storage side, the console has 256 GB of space. Finally, regarding the CPU/GPU, we don't have all the details yet, but there is no doubt that we can expect a technological advance compared to the first Switch released in 2017.
Moreover, remember that the first Switch only had 32 GB of space (and 64 GB for the OLED version). On the display side, its screen was only 6.2″ in IPS and did not exceed 1280 x 720 pixels. And once the console was connected to a TV, it only offered a 1920 x 1080 image.
In short, there is still a nice technological gap between the two consoles, which is quite logical since 8 years separate them. Only big regret: the Switch 2 screen is content with an LCD display, whereas we could have expected OLED like… The OLED Switch!
So, is the price of €469.99 really justified?
Let's not beat around the bush, the Switch 2 is now positioned as a premium console. Whereas the first Switch and even the Switch OLED had what it took to appeal to many parents looking for an affordable console for their children (and even for the whole family), the Switch 2 is now shaping up to be a much less accessible product. Not to mention that the price of games has also been revised upwards, since you will now have to pay between 80 and 90 euros for a game on cartridge.
So how will the Switch 2 compete with more powerful and cheaper home consoles? In the Switch 2's defense, it's worth remembering that it's a hybrid console. Therefore, not only can you use it as a home console, but you can also take it with you everywhere. This is the Switch 2's greatest strength compared to the Microsoft/Sony competition. The Switch 2 is also a portable console. Furthermore, even if its catalog only offers a few exclusives (like Mario Kart World or The DuskBloods), they could allow the console to stand out from the crowd.
But let's have a few reservations. Will these few arguments be enough to convince young and old, fans of the brand or not? Nothing is less certain at the moment. This is evidenced by the first reactions concerning the high price of the Switch 2, which were quick to get the Twittersphere reacting:
But for example, I'm not buying a Switch for this type of game. But rather my PS5. I'm buying a Switch for the kids and for me. So the price must be lower. It doesn't match the
— cliffangher2 (@cliffangher2) April 2, 2025
0 Comments