The system just seems overpriced for what they're offering. $300 just for the system, then a game, then maybe an SD card to upgrade storage, and then maybe a pro controller (fucking 70 bucks seriously?) or some extra joy cons, and maybe a carrying case for the switch/game cartridges, and if you're really feeling frisky an extra dock which somehow costs $90. None of the three control options seem that comfortable either, but I obviously haven't held any myself. Zelda looks great but I have a wii u and I'll just get it on the system it was supposed to come out on originally.
Then there's the idea that they'll charge for online after this intro grace period but I have so many questions about all that because Nintendo really doesn't know how to internet. Also what's the point of only being able to play the free games they give you for one month? On xbox and playstation you keep them as long as you're subscribed and anything you bought at a discount is just yours to keep forever which is how it should fucking work! I get that they want to be family friendly, there's nothing wrong with that, but their desire to make sure no one has a bad time online means I rarely have a good time using any of their online services (friend codes, smash online being a damn slideshow, and now mario run as the latest example of them not getting it right). Then of course there's the battery life, which I feel is really gonna limit this whole taking your games on the go thing.
I'm happy I got a wii u, but it was years after it launched once there were finally enough games to justify it; and I'm a spoiled asshole who gets every system at some point, but if someone could only afford one system per generation there's no way I'd tell them to get a wii u unless they're the most diehard nintendo fan because it just isn't as good a value for the money. Nintendo really seems to have learned no lessons from the past few launches, although at least switch is a better name than Wii U and "New" Nintendo 3DS (jesus fucking christ who though of that?)!
But back to the pricing, just for shits and giggles say I planned on getting the system, two games (we'll say zelda and 1,2 switch), a pro controller, a pack of extra joy cons, and a 128gb sd card ($40 on amazon) to expand the storage; it would cost a total of $610 before tax. And if I really wanted that extra super expensive dock for some reason it'd be an even 700 to basically play zelda and the system launch tech demo with some friends.
There's nothing wrong with ports (I actually loved the vita lineup which had some solid new 1st party stuff and then great ports of fighting games and the like), but it seems like really slim pickings from Nintendo and the Japanese 3rd parties, and western publishers are barely dipping a toe in with stuff like fifa, skylanders, just dance and skyrim. I love skyrim with all my heart, I've played more hours than I care to admit but it'll be coming out on the switch about 6 years after it originally launched, and we just got the special editions on console and they have mod support so the idea of skyrim on the go is kinda neat but I already own the game on 3 systems so I'm good.
Recent history also shows that Nintendo doesn't have a problem with major price drops not too long after they realize they've shat the bed, so I hope the switch ends up being awesome and a successful system for them cus I love Nintendo. But they do so much to piss me off and this pricing and their vagueness about things like online infrastructure and unified accounts has me worried, so I definitely won't be a guinea pig beta tester for them this time around.
tl;dr I agree
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