Switch 2 Around the World: High Game Price Is a Universal Pain

What a twelvemonth for Nintendo to yet merchandise the Switch 2. While the hardware itself looks to beryllium what anyone could person hoped for successful a Switch successor — a much almighty mentation of the console millions of owners already emotion — the economical uncertainty gripping the satellite has made the Switch 2 a overmuch much analyzable prospect.

And that’s earlier we adjacent see the commercialized warfare the United States is presently engaged with China in. The $450 USD console terms constituent and $80 USD sticker connected Mario Kart World has made the Switch 2 thing of a flashpoint amid the rising outgo of games and gaming hardware, some present successful the US and abroad.

To get a amended thought of however the satellite is reacting to the Switch 2, I spoke with editors from IGN brands crossed the satellite to get a consciousness of the Switch 2’s impending release.

How the Rest of the World Feels About the Switch 2

After consulting with editors from IGN sites abroad, including those based successful Europe, South America, and Asia, the reception to the Switch 2 has been, well, mixed. The hardware improvements similar 120hz refresh rate, HDR, and 4K output are praised, but missing features similar not having an OLED surface are seen arsenic superior drawbacks.

“As acold arsenic reception goes, IGN Italia’s readers are predominantly dissatisfied with the Nintendo Switch 2,” says IGN Italy editor-in-chief, Alessandro Digioia. “Among hundreds of comments crossed quality articles and societal media, the main concerns revolve astir the terms point, the deficiency of an OLED screen, the lack of a trophy/achievement system, and a humble motorboat line-up. While immoderate third-party announcements were welcomed, galore readers expected much from Nintendo’s first-party titles.”

IGN Portugal’s Pedro Pestana shared akin sentiments from their readers – sentiments they agreed with: “Personally, I'm not that impressed with Switch 2, arsenic it is fundamentally a souped up Switch 1 - amended successful each sense, but without the novelty origin of the original. That being said, I reckon it's gonna travel down to the games, and Mario Kart World looked damn nice.”

Other regions are seemingly much receptive to the Switch 2’s hardware improvements. IGN Benelux’s Nick Nijiland says the tract has been getting mostly affirmative feedback, contempt the terms of the console. “We person seen successful our portion that the console has been received precise well. People kick astir the price, but astatine the aforesaid clip the console sold retired wrong hours. We enactment up a station connected our website stating that we would fto our readers cognize done our Discord server erstwhile pre-orders went unrecorded and our Discord got truthful galore caller members that day, it was insane.”

IGN Turkey’s Ersin Kilic besides shared affirmative views from the region’s readers. “When I look astatine the comments, it is seen arsenic affirmative that Nintendo corrected the points criticized connected [the first] Switch. Although the console is stylish and uses LCD, the information that the surface is overmuch amended was received positively.” However, Kilic says “the astir criticized constituent was that Hall Effect was not utilized successful Joy-Con 2,” which immoderate gamers hoped could minimize the hazard of Joy-Con drift.

IGN China’s Kamui Ye gave some sides of scholar reactions to the Switch 2. “The uncover lawsuit has been met with wide disappointment owed to its lackluster motorboat rubric lineup and perplexing determination pricing strategies,” they explained. Furthermore, Ye says the motorboat lineup that didn’t see a caller Mario, Legend of Zelda, oregon Animal Crossing was different negative.

“However, optimism persists among halfway fans regarding Nintendo's semipermanent plans,” Ye adds. Along with the content of a amended bundle lineup down the line, immoderate of the horsepower and artillery concerns for the Switch 2 “appear secondary to loyalists prioritizing backward compatibility, hardware refinements similar magnetic Joy-Cons, and Nintendo's bequest of iterative bundle support.”

“Ultimately, the brand's entrenched fanbase seems consenting to tolerate short-term missteps, betting connected Nintendo's humanities quality to refine its platforms done compelling games implicit time,” Ye says.

Hardware Price and Tariff Fears

The Switch 2 is expected to motorboat astatine a $450 USD terms constituent successful the United States erstwhile it is made disposable to pre-order immoderate clip successful the future. The crushed pre-orders person yet to hap successful the United States and Canada, contempt the remainder of the satellite already registering their purchases with retailers, is of people owed to an ongoing tariff concern from President Trump. It’s a authorities of affairs that’s seemingly making Nintendo reconsider however to rotation retired the console decently successful clip for its June 5 merchandise date.

Naturally, IGN editors from Europe aren’t peculiarly impacted by the tariffs successful their regions, wherever pre-orders are already up and running.

“In Germany, cipher is truly worrying astir the tariff concern regarding the Switch 2,” says IGN Germany’s Antonia Dressler. However, the existent retail terms of the Switch 2 is simply a abstracted matter.

“There are a batch of complaints astir the pricing of the console… and [readers are making] nonstop comparisons with the pricing of the PS5 [which] is seen arsenic the amended console,” explains Dressler. Despite the complaints, though, pre-orders bash look to beryllium coming successful for the region.

The pricing of the Switch 2 firmly places it successful nonstop contention with consoles similar the PS5 and Xbox Series X successful galore regions, making the prime of which console to get adjacent harder for planetary buyers. “At the moment, Nintendo's authoritative website is taking pre-orders and the terms is R12,499,” says IGN Africa’s Zaid Kriel. “It is not brainsick pricing, but it's present successful the aforesaid bracket arsenic the PS5 and Xbox Series X. It's nary longer a cheaper alternative, and that could beryllium a problem, particularly with the summation successful crippled prices Nintendo has introduced.”

Buying the Nintendo Switch 2 with a fig of accessories volition not beryllium cheap.

“The pricing occupation beauteous overmuch overshadowed everything going connected astir the Switch 2 reveal, bully oregon bad,” IGN France editor-in-chief, Erwan Lafleuriel, says. “The statement is raging chiefly astir prices, but I judge due to the fact that it was benignant of casual to overshadow a uncover lacking successful galore different aspects. Part of that is... we already knew astir of what was revealed from the leaks. And determination is nary awesome 'one much thing' to add. Even successful presumption of games, it's good, but it feels similar thing is missing.”

Other regions extracurricular of the United States, however, are contending with the fallout of the tariffs. IGN Brazil’s Matheus de Lucca says, “The existent tariff warfare initiated by the United States makes the script adjacent worse for Brazil, since the Real is simply a anemic currency compared to the dollar and an summation successful the terms of the Switch 2 successful the United States volition astir apt person a immense interaction connected the full of Latin America. The script of uncertainty and a imaginable summation successful the terms of the console could marque the Switch 2 accessible to lone a precise tiny radical of players successful the Brazilian market.”

There is besides the unsocial concern successful Japan wherever Nintendo is launching a region-locked mentation of the hardware astatine a little pricepoint to support its home marketplace “I deliberation Nintendo knew they couldn’t spell implicit 50,000 yen successful Japan – the anemic yen means the comparative pricing standard is precise antithetic here,” says IGN Japan’s enforcement producer, Daniel Robson. “But presumably they besides realised that if the console was overmuch cheaper present than anyplace else, radical would effort to import it oregon bargain each the banal erstwhile they sojourn Japan. Hence the portion fastener – our cheaper Switch lone plays Japanese games and supports lone Japanese accounts. I’m definite this is simply a nonstop effect of the planetary commercialized situation.”

Robson besides says that, “The terms is inactive high, and volition beryllium pugnacious for galore families here, but it's acold much competitively priced than the 77,000 yen PS5. Not to notation that Japan is firmly a Nintendo state – the location of Mario dominates the console Top 10 week in, week out, truthful I uncertainty families present volition beryllium capable to spell without a Switch 2. That said, arsenic a parent, I’m secretly relieved that my girl hasn’t asked for a Switch 2, arsenic the terms puts it comfortably implicit the bounds of a day present.”

Software Price Remains the Biggest Pain Point

Despite the issues of hardware costs and tariffs, the biggest bugbear affecting the wide feeling regarding the Switch 2 announcement has been the terms of software. Some of that symptom is to beryllium expected: Nintendo games person ever been costly and held their price, and it’s lone earthy that Nintendo would articulation the inclination of expanding crippled prices. But it seems the institution whitethorn person jumped the weapon by pricing Mario Kart World astatine $80 USD. While Nintendo says pricing volition beryllium determined connected a game-by-game basis, with different Switch 2 motorboat model games priced astatine $70 USD oregon arsenic debased arsenic $10 USD, the determination has prompted fears that the gates are present afloat unfastened for adjacent much costly software.

“Game pricing is by acold the biggest contented raised, not lone by our readers but by the Italian gaming assemblage astatine large,” says IGN Italy’s Digioia. “Many consciousness that Nintendo's caller pricing operation is unjustifiable, particularly successful airy of caller increases that came with the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S epoch (when AAA titles moved from €70 to €80). Now, Nintendo is pricing immoderate first-party games astatine €90, which has caused sizeable interest - peculiarly fixed the company's historically blimpish attack to discounts. The €9.99 terms for Switch 2 Welcome Tour sparked further backlash, and adjacent the paid upgrade paths for existing Switch games are wide seen arsenic different mode to extract wealth from loyal customers.”

“People are pissed,” IGN Germany’s Dressler says plainly. “Especially with the 90 Euro for Mario Kart World, that is simply a grounds for a video crippled successful Germany; not adjacent titles similar Assassin’s Creed outgo arsenic overmuch (talking astir the basal version). It besides seems ridiculous that the tutorial crippled volition outgo thing — Nintendo conscionable looks absurdly greedy close now.”

While Mario Kart World's $80 is the main offender, fans are besides annoyed by the $10 complaint for Switch 2 Welcome Tour.

Take a look successful immoderate Switch 2 remark thread connected IGN.com and you’ll find akin sentiments; the precocious terms of games is unwelcome, particularly successful a clip of accrued surviving costs. A much antithetic position tin beryllium recovered successful mainland China, however, wherever determination are nary existent plans for an authoritative release. As a result, Switch 2 shoppers determination whitethorn person to look to the grey market, with banal coming from Japan and Hong Kong – places wherever prices for games look to beryllium a spot cheaper.

“Regarding pricing, crippled prices successful Hong Kong and Japanese editions are comparatively little compared to Western markets. Observations from societal media comments nether our contented amusement astir players find the authoritative terms acceptable,” IGN China’s Ye says. “While the console itself has seen immoderate terms hikes, users mostly see it much cost-effective than handheld PCs similar Steam Deck, particularly with backward compatibility support. Based connected our data, Chinese mainland Nintendo Switch 1 players look mostly receptive to the authoritative Nintendo Switch 2 terms increase.”

Right present it seems sensible to stake that the Switch 2 volition beryllium a occurrence – it’s a safe, recognizable upgrade to 1 of the astir fashionable and beloved consoles of each time. But what benignant of a occurrence communicative Nintendo has connected its hands remains to beryllium seen. The menace of an epoch of $80 games during a clip of economical hardship has intelligibly enactment a important magnitude of prospective buyers into a antagonistic headspace. Plus determination are inactive galore unknowns surrounding the console, particularly successful the United States wherever tariffs basal to negatively interaction the North American launch. Then there’s the question of however planetary authorities whitethorn effect successful imaginable banal shortages and interaction the system’s motorboat astir the globe.

For each those unknowns, what is wide from chatting with IGN’s planetary unit is that Nintendo has whipped up excitement astir the world. It’s conscionable excitement with a fewer much caveats than you’d expect from Nintendo.

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.