So apparently the Switch 2 price has been announced. I don't know for sure because I haven't read any actual news stories on it yet, but my Mastodon feed is abuzz with people talking about it.
Price Shock... or Not?
If these toots are accurate, the system is going to cost $449 for the system, with a suggested price of $80 for games. These are the US prices. I may be wrong, but that could be the most ever for a Nintendo system—at least at first glance.
In Japan there is some added craziness of having two versions, a Japan-only version and a multilingual version, with the Japan-only version being ¥49,980 ($333.15) and the multilingual version being ¥69,980 ($466.46). Which is weird, because presumably there will only be one version of games which will contain all languages just as current Switch games do, so we are talking just a few lines of code being removed or disabled so that the Japan-only Switch can't display any language other than Japanese.
Why Nintendo would intentionally limit a console’s language options—when all games remain multilingual—is beyond me. Maybe it’s to discourage gray-market imports. Or maybe it’s just the classic foreigner tax at work. That wouldn't out of character for Japan, unfortunately.
As someone who can read and understand Japanese I would be happy buying the Japan-only one for a ¥20,000 discount, but if I buy the Switch 2 it would be for my kids not for me; with their current Switch 1, I try to get them to play in English so that they get at least some exposure to the language, but for ¥20,000 more I don't know if it's worth it...
But I digress. Anyway, on the surface these prices seem complete nuts. But, are they...?
1990s Game Prices Were Worse
When I was in 7th grade, the Super Nintendo was released. I mowed lawns and saved my money all summer to save up the money to buy this system. I remember it was $210. This was in 1991. If we use an inflation calculator to see what that would be in 2025 dollars, we get a number of $491.98.
First... I'm shocked that I was able to save so much money! I was only 13 years old. Most of my yards paid me around $20-30, which would be around $46 – 70. ...wow... I'm shocked people paid so much for a little kid to mow their yard!
That shock aside, we can see that Super Nintendo actually was more expensive than the Switch 2 will be.
Then the games... I remember when Final Fantasy III was released for the Super Nintendo in 1994. It was priced as $79.99. That may not seem so bad now, but back in the NES days, games were usually $49.99. When the SNES was released, initially games were $59.99, but they quickly dropped to around close to $50 again. That in mind, when FFIII was announced at $80, it was kind of insane. But we paid it because the game looked amazing. That $80 in 1994 would be $172.24. .... that suggested price of $80 for Switch 2 games doesn't look so bad compared to that, eh?
It gets worse! The next year, Chrono Trigger was released. For many people, this was the apex of SNES games. It was $89.99. $90 bucks! That is $188.43 in 2025 dollars.
Inflation, eh
The funny thing is, while FFIII and Chrono Trigger did seem expensive at the time, they didn't seem that out of line with things. But it's like the culture paused there and decided that was the baseline, because here we are 30 years later and the ideal price in everyone's mind is exactly the same thing, if not even less.
Of course, there is a reason for that. Wages have also been flat for the past 30 years, both in America and in Japan (where they are actually decreasing in some sectors) and I can imagine in some other countries as well.
Well anyway, we are creeping into another discussion here on economics, so let's just stop now.
I guess the point is while the Switch 2 seems pretty expensive, when adjusted for inflation it's not so bad.
Will I get one for my kids? Still undecided. But what about you—does the price feel fair or outrageous to you?
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David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Mastodon. |