{"id":13036,"date":"2025-04-02T20:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T20:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/is-450-switch-2-too-pricey\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T20:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T20:04:10","slug":"is-450-switch-2-too-pricey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/is-450-switch-2-too-pricey\/","title":{"rendered":"Is $450 Switch 2 too pricey?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/p>\n<h2>Introduction to the Nintendo Switch 2<\/h2>\n<p>It seems fitting that Nintendo didn\u2019t reveal the Switch 2\u2019s $450 price during its Direct stream this morning \u2014 it would have just bummed everyone out. After spending an hour hearing about how the Switch 2 practically fixes almost every problem we had with the original console, and seeing teasers for exciting games like <em>Mario Kart World<\/em>, why spoil the good vibes with the harsh reality of market economics? Instead, Nintendo revealed the console\u2019s price in the lowliest of media communications: A simple press release.<\/p>\n<h2>Initial Reaction to the Price<\/h2>\n<p>My first reaction was shock. $450 for a mostly portable console? That\u2019s the same retail price as the PlayStation 5, a system that\u2019s also currently on sale for $400 together with <em>Astro-Bot<\/em>. Sure, the Switch 2 is vastly superior to the original Switch, but it likely doesn\u2019t have PS5-level hardware. The price jump is also surprising since the original Switch launched at $300 in 2017. Can you imagine we thought the <a data-i13n=\"cpos:1;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/nintendo-switch-oled-review-130025998-130025862.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:$350 Switch OLED;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$350 Switch OLED <\/a>was too high-priced?<\/p>\n<h2>Economic Landscape and Pricing<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, it\u2019s not 2017. NVIDIA now has mid-range GPUs selling for upwards of $600, the cost of almost every product has gone up, and massive companies like Nintendo are bracing for the potential impact of the <a data-i13n=\"cpos:2;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/big-tech\/trumps-tariffs-on-mexico-canada-and-china-could-drive-up-prices-of-cars-electronics-fuel-food-and-more-172823156.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Trump administration\u2019s long-threatened tariffs;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trump administration\u2019s long-threatened tariffs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Is the Switch 2 Expensive?<\/h2>\n<p>A $450 Switch 2 is expensive, I\u2019m not denying that. But in the current economic landscape, I would hesitate to call it too expensive.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison to Other Consoles<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 442px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:46%\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview has-width\" alt=\"Nintendo Switch 2\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/UG9KnysMOgdY7J9VAonqlQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ0Mg--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2025-04\/233a9740-0f2e-11f0-b5fa-ed287a132d82\" height=\"442\" width=\"960\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Nintendo Switch 2\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/UG9KnysMOgdY7J9VAonqlQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ0Mg--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2025-04\/233a9740-0f2e-11f0-b5fa-ed287a132d82\" height=\"442\" width=\"960\" class=\"caas-img has-width\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\"><span class=\"caption-credit\"> Nintendo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Consider this: The Switch 2 is just $50 more than the cheapest Steam Deck, a portable PC gaming handheld with significantly slower hardware, a smaller and lower quality (7-inch, 1280 by 800, 60Hz) screen, and a much bulkier frame. The Switch 2, meanwhile, is just as thin as the original model, it has a 7.9-inch 1080p screen that can run up to 120fps with HDR, and it\u2019s powerful enough to play games at up to 4K\/60fps while docked. Based on the games we\u2019ve seen so far, the Switch 2 seems surprisingly powerful for its size.<\/p>\n<h2>Controls and Docking<\/h2>\n<p>The Switch 2 also improves on its controls with the Joy-Con 2, which now magnetically attach to the consoles, feature larger analog sticks and can also work as mice across a variety of services. You won\u2019t be removing the Steam Deck\u2019s controls without the use of a small saw. And I\u2019ve yet to see a handheld PC maker deliver removable controls that are as comfortable and easy to use as the original Switch (<a data-i13n=\"cpos:3;pos:1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/lenovo-legion-go-review-the-xl-alternative-to-the-steam-deck-141522230.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:that means you, Lenovo;cpos:3;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">that means you, Lenovo<\/a>). Nintendo\u2019s original Joy-Con were far from perfect, but they did the job, and I\u2019d wager the company has learned enough to make the Joy-Con 2f even better.<\/p>\n<h2>Performance Upgrade<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 540px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview has-width\" alt=\"Nintendo Switch 2\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/sUFLvtKsEd230LMv..z8wg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2025-04\/fe5a4ed0-0ff9-11f0-a75b-1d021979f927\" height=\"540\" width=\"960\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Nintendo Switch 2\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/sUFLvtKsEd230LMv..z8wg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2025-04\/fe5a4ed0-0ff9-11f0-a75b-1d021979f927\" height=\"540\" width=\"960\" class=\"caas-img has-width\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\"><span class=\"caption-credit\"> Nintendo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>And while you can technically dock other PC gaming handhelds, they won\u2019t see the performance upgrade Nintendo is claiming with the Switch 2. The company says its new console can reach up to 4K\/60fps for some titles, thanks to an additional fan in the dock. We don\u2019t know exactly what\u2019s powering the Switch 2 yet, so Nintendo could be drastically overselling its capabilities. But given how seamless docking worked on the first Switch (where it also delivered a bit of a performance upgrade, sans an additional fan), it\u2019s also something I think Nintendo has optimized more than PC companies, who are only just now dipping their toes into portable gaming.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Maybe I\u2019m just trying to justify my own purchases (I just realized I\u2019ll probably need a second Switch 2 for my kid), but I just can\u2019t get too angry about a $450 Switch 2. If we see many more $80 games like <em>Mario Kart World<\/em>, though, we should absolutely riot in the streets.<\/p>\n\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/gaming\/nintendo\/is-the-450-nintendo-switch-2-too-expensive-195750206.html?src=rss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source Link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction to the Nintendo Switch 2 It seems fitting that Nintendo didn\u2019t reveal the Switch 2\u2019s $450 price during its Direct stream this morning \u2014 it would have just bummed&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":13037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[4026,90,64,63,809,808],"class_list":["post-13036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-consoles","tag-gaming","tag-gear","tag-news","tag-nintendo","tag-switch-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/04\/70dcbb00-0ffa-11f0-afaf-f24c903936a5.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fusionmindlabs.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}