When Nintendo revealed the Switch last week, a key talking point was about the price: $300. While it was very fair, there was a question from fans of the last two console generations as to why it was $300, but didn’t come bundled with a game.
If you recall, the Wii had Wii Sports, and the Wii U had Nintendoland. Both games were perfect representations of what the consoles could do. During the presentation, we got he announcement of a game called 1, 2, Switch, which seemed to be the game that would be bundled with the Nintendo Switch, but that didn’t happen. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime explained to GameSpot why this was, and why the console was still $300 without it:
“The first decision that we make”, he explained, “is where do we want to be in terms of the hardware price point that’s going to be approachable and hit the marketplace we want? And from a US price point, we wanted to be at $299 […] So we start there. And then it’s all about, what’s going to be included? Obviously the inclusion of the two Joy-Con, critically important; all the right cables, the dock, critically important. We also have to do this from a financial perspective as well. Once we got to that bundle, it really needed to be at $299 without a piece of software […] and let the consumer decide what games they want to buy.”
While this is a sound strategy in potential, and it’s clear Reggie Fils-Aime believes this, I can’t help but wonder what the effects of this will be like on games like 1, 2, Switch and Arms. Yes, they’re cool games, but will people buy them in bulk to help make the Nintendo Switch launch succeed? Would you have bought Wii Sports or Nintendoland without the console coming with it? Let us know your thoughts on this. Then hear our thoughts on the Switch launch via the Nintendo Entertainment Podcast!
