Nintendo President says THIS about KIDS who CAN'T AFFORD a Switch 2!! You agree?

https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-president-says-children-should-engage-with-its-characters-elsewhere-if-they-cant-afford-a-switch-2

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa believes the pricing of Switch 2 is appropriate for all ages, and that younger children should engage with Nintendo characters elsewhere.

During a recent investor call, one investor was concerned about the higher price point of the new console compared with previous platforms like the (appropriately named) Famicom (NES), raising concerns it would reduce opportunities for young children.

"We believe the pricing of Nintendo Switch 2 is appropriate for the gaming experience it offers, and what is most important is to provide entertaining experiences that demonstrate the value to consumers," responded Furukawa. "To achieve this goal, we have incorporated various features into Nintendo Switch 2."

He continued: "It is true that Nintendo Switch 2 has a higher price point than our past gaming systems. We are creating various opportunities outside of our gaming systems for young children to engage with Nintendo characters and game worlds, with one of the ultimate goals being that they will eventually play on our gaming systems. We are closely monitoring to what degree the price of the system might become a barrier."

Nintendo has increasingly broadened out of video games specifically in recent years, with the opening of its multiple theme parks, the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (as well as its forthcoming sequel and The Legend of Zelda film), and even the Nintendo Museum in Japan.

Indeed, considering both Mario Kart and Donkey Kong play a big part in the films and theme parks, it's no wonder these franchises have formed the basis of the Switch 2's launch period.

Of course, there's also the original Switch console, which Furukawa stated will still receive new games playable across both consoles.

"We are still developing new titles for Nintendo Switch, and a vast library of software is already available, so we believe there will be opportunities for consumers to experience Nintendo Switch titles for the first time on Nintendo Switch 2," said Furukawa, discussing the lifecycle of the two consoles.

"Indeed, if you consider Nintendo Switch, a child who was in the first grade at its launch is now in intermediate school. The longer a platform remains active, the more opportunities there are for consumers to pick up software. We will continue to develop each Nintendo Switch 2 title with care and strive to have it played by as many people as possible."

Despite its price, Switch 2 is Nintendo's fastest-selling piece of hardware ever, selling 3.5m units worldwide in its first four days on sale.

Full sales data for Switch 2 seemingly leaked earlier this week, though David Gibson, senior analyst at MST Financial, was told by Nintendo "test data prepared for a website update was unintentionally made publicly accessible" and that the data was "for testing purposes only", as shared on social media.

Still, third-party sales are reportedly "very low" despite the record-breaking console launch.

Nice DUCKBEAR, IMPRESSION, do you AGREE?!

I mean he's not wrong. If you can't afford something then go for the cheaper alternative. Although it's still the parents buying it so....

Well, considering I'm losing my health care in a few months thanks to the "big beautiful bill" I'm sure as fuck not buying a Switch 2 anytime soon.

Yes, the obsession with always owning the latest things is a harmful habit to have. I'm more than happy to wait a year or two to pick up a used Switch 2 for cheap.

never bought a wiiu either, so i guess i'm just skipping a generation of nintendo consoles

ooger posted...

Nice DUCKBEAR, IMPRESSION, do you AGREE?!

I forgot the pic

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5d94ab48.jpg

If you can't afford it, don't buy it. It's really that simple. Most kids who like nintendo already have a Switch so they can still use it and it's still being supported. I got the switch 2 simply because I want to play Prime 4 on it and whatever games are eventually released on it, so for me it's worth it.

it would be great if the switch 1 continues to be supported but it's likely it's going to fall off hard, especially for first-party titles

that's a negative for the consumer who's already bought into an expensive console

The message is decent but coming at the wrong angle.
Creating something specifically for kids like movies, toys and shows is a nice idea. Telling parents to consider that because your console is expensive feels a little...disingenuous.

That's why nintendo went Paul Rudd on the bit. My sister can't afford to buy each of her kids a switch 2 for over 1k dollars. She can't just buy 1 cos the two boys won't share it.

This topic makes me glad as heck I do not have kids.

Yes, video games and consoles are a luxury and more people need to come to the understanding that they don't "need" any of this. Especially when it's fiscally irresponsible for them.

Now of course, Nintendo is a mega-corporation looking to maximize profits, so they're coming at this from a direction of "Just because you don't have the money for the new console doesn't mean you should stop buying our products! Lookit all this other stuff we have. Consume!"

I actually hope this recent doubling down from the video game industry to not drop prices to a reasonable level backfires tremendously and shifts the consumer culture to be more frugal with their spending habits and not accept the garbage that they've been pumping out for years.

Salrite posted...

Yes, video games and consoles are a luxury and more people need to come to the understanding that they don't "need" any of this. Especially when it's fiscally irresponsible for them.

Now of course, Nintendo is a mega-corporation looking to maximize profits, so they're coming at this from a direction of "Just because you don't have the money for the new console doesn't mean you should stop buying our products! Lookit all this other stuff we have. Consume!"

Salrite posted...

I actually hope this recent doubling down from the video game industry to not drop prices to a reasonable level backfires tremendously and shifts the consumer culture to be more frugal with their spending habits and not accept the garbage that they've been pumping out for years.

I agree with both of these.

Believe me, I'd still be playing Splatoon 1, but those ... shut it down

teddy241 posted...

She can't just buy 1 cos the two boys won't share it.

That's a good reason to not buy any systems for them at all, regardless of the price point. Sharing toys is important, especially more expensive ones. If they aren't going to learn that lesson, they shouldn't expect to be gifted systems.

I was in line at a local used video game store a few years ago, and a kid that looked somewhere around 10 was buying a Gamecube and Animal Crossing. I remarked that I had that game at his age, and it was a lot of fun. He responded "yeah, and it's even cheaper than a Switch and the new one".

I'm not saying that I agree with Nintendo's President, as a modern accessible device with a better pricepoint would be great for kids, much as the gameboy and DS lines were. Still, to be fair, you can literally buy your child a GBA or DS and load a cart with ROMs. As a child I had an NES until I was 10 in 2001. I bought a N64 that year. I was never up to date on the latest tech, because yes, it was expensive, especially considering the prices adjusted for inflation. I remember many NES, SNES and N64 costing as much as Switch 2 games. It wasn't until Gamecube when the Canadian/US dollar equalized that games were down at $50-$60. Then things went to shite again.

I never expected to have the latest thing, and the Switch 2 is the only console I've ever bought on release, because I'm an adult with disposable income. I would likely not be buying a kid the latest tech, but of course I would share. By the time I was 10 I was doing paper routes and odd jobs where I could save for myself, and I'd say 10-12 is when a kid could (not necessarily lol) be responsible enough to have a more expensive device. My cousin's kid at age 10 was flipping out when his younger sister knocked his Switch off a chair that he'd precariously placed it on. It was fine (still working) but one Joy-Con was a bit loose. His parents told him he couldn't blame his sister when he didn't put it somewhere safe. Regardless, I still see him crushing a lot of sick games via Switch online, and he's going into grade 12 now. Doesn't look like he has a Switch 2 yet, which is the exact same way I'd be at his age.

ReturnOfFa posted...

I was in line at a local used video game store a few years ago, and a kid that looked somewhere around 10 was buying a Gamecube and Animal Crossing. I remarked that I had that game at his age, and it was a lot of fun. He responded "yeah, and it's even cheaper than a Switch and the new one".

I'm not saying that I agree with Nintendo's President, as a modern accessible device with a better pricepoint would be great for kids, much as the gameboy and DS lines were. Still, to be fair, you can literally buy your child a GBA or DS and load a cart with ROMs. As a child I had an NES until I was 10 in 2001. I bought a N64 that year. I was never up to date on the latest tech, because yes, it was expensive, especially considering the prices adjusted for inflation. I remember many NES, SNES and N64 costing as much as Switch 2 games. It wasn't until Gamecube when the Canadian/US dollar equalized that games were down at $50-$60. Then things went to shite again.

I never expected to have the latest thing, and the Switch 2 is the only console I've ever bought on release, because I'm an adult with disposable income. I would likely not be buying a kid the latest tech, but of course I would share. By the time I was 10 I was doing paper routes and odd jobs where I could save for myself, and I'd say 10-12 is when a kid could (not necessarily lol) be responsible enough to have a more expensive device. My cousin's kid at age 10 was flipping out when his younger sister knocked his Switch off a chair that he'd precariously placed it on. It was fine (still working) but one Joy-Con was a bit loose. His parents told him he couldn't blame his sister when he didn't put it somewhere safe. Regardless, I still see him crushing a lot of sick games via Switch online, and he's going into grade 12 now. Doesn't look like he has a Switch 2 yet, which is the exact same way I'd be at his age.

It blows the minds of the kids I teach that I have a PS5. Most of them are at least a couple of generations behind, and its not even that their parents arent loaded, because they are. Its because in a country where there are so many poor people, any kind of console is rightly considered a luxury item so even the rich kids dont scoff at playing older games.

agesboy posted...

never bought a wiiu either, so i guess i'm just skipping a generation of nintendo consoles

It's great fun once you get into the habit. I've been skipping generations for decades now and I'm doing just fine.

I was in line at a grocery store.

A young child was in line with their parents next to me.

I grimaced, anticipating that the young lad would ask me "Mr.? You got any games on your phone?"

To my shock, the child took out an abacus and began tallying up the costs of their parents groceries.

I asked the child "Wouldn't you rather have a switch 2?"

To which the child gleefully responded, "No sir, the switch 2 is far too expensive, especially with tariffs! Besides, this is far more fun!"

He waved the abacus gleefully.

ooger posted...

I was in line at a grocery store.

A young child was in line with their parents next to me.

I grimaced, anticipating that the young lad would ask me "Mr.? You got any games on your phone?"

To my shock, the child took out an abacus and began tallying up the costs of their parents groceries.

I asked the child "Wouldn't you rather have a switch 2?"

To which the child gleefully responded, "No sir, the switch 2 is far too expensive, especially with tariffs! Besides, this is far more fun!"

He waved the abacus gleefully.

I'll buy the kid a spaceship instead

ooger posted...

I was in line at a grocery store.

A young child was in line with their parents next to me.

I grimaced, anticipating that the young lad would ask me "Mr.? You got any games on your phone?"

To my shock, the child took out an abacus and began tallying up the costs of their parents groceries.

I asked the child "Wouldn't you rather have a switch 2?"

To which the child gleefully responded, "No sir, the switch 2 is far too expensive, especially with tariffs! Besides, this is far more fun!"

He waved the abacus gleefully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxsgTUVaZMY

ReturnOfFa posted...

I'll buy the kid a spaceship instead

He just wants to play with that abacus and do taxes.

Uh, they're kids. Kids can't afford $450 anything.

What happened to Japanese politeness, Nintendo? That's so out of character for them.

Then again this is the new Nintendo: Greedy, anti-consumer, and out of line.

JixHedgehog posted...

Believe me, I'd still be playing Splatoon 1, but those ... shut it down

Tangentially, it sounds like Nintendo plan on supporting the console for years to come, even after the successor is out? That would be nice if true

I'd be pleasantly surprised if the next Smash were playable on both consoles.

Hoppy800 posted...

What happened to Japanese politeness, Nintendo? That's so out of character for them.

Then again this is the new Nintendo: Greedy, anti-consumer, and out of line.

the original NES cost more than a Switch 2 when adjusted for inflation. The Nintendo Seal of Quality didn't necessarily guarantee a quality game. A lot of the current complaints are indeed rational but I don't believe that it represents much of a change in how the industry operates.

AltOmega2 posted...

Tangentially, it sounds like Nintendo plan on supporting the console for years to come, even after the successor is out? That would be nice if true

That's been their approach so far. Wii/DS servers and shops lasted until after the Switch came out (though I believe some game-specific services were shut down before the full demise of WFC), and the WiiU/3DS ones lasted for most of the Switch's lifespan. Given how successful the Switch was and the fact that it shares servers with the Switch 2, it wouldn't surprise me if it sticks around even longer, but either way you can probably expect at least another 5-6 years of full online functionality for the Switch.

Blue_Thunder posted...

I'd be pleasantly surprised if the next Smash were playable on both consoles.

I don't even know what to expect from the next Smash. Ultimate's already getting into the territory of having more characters/stages
than is practical. Adding even more would be excessive, but if they aren't adding more then there isn't much reason to make another game.

We may actually just end up seeing a port. It won't be quite the same situation as MK8 Deluxe (MK8's sales were hamstrung by being on the WiiU, so porting it to capitalize on a larger install base made sense), but it wouldn't surprise me if they go that route and just sell a Switch 2 upgrade pack that includes a small number of extra characters, plus a few DLC ones down the road.

ReturnOfFa posted...

the original NES cost more than a Switch 2 when adjusted for inflation. The Nintendo Seal of Quality didn't necessarily guarantee a quality game. A lot of the current complaints are indeed rational but I don't believe that it represents much of a change in how the industry operates.

People also had better wages back then.

Revelation34 posted...

People also had better wages back then.

Like I said, rational complaint, and that's the top one. It's also a factor that the video game industry has basically no influence over. It's like cars being less affordable. Car companies can't just take a massive loss - wages not keeping up with inflation and CEO/worker wealth disparity are the culprits.

ReturnOfFa posted...

Like I said, rational complaint, and that's the top one. It's also a factor that the video game industry has basically no influence over. It's like cars being less affordable. Car companies can't just take a massive loss - wages not keeping up with inflation and CEO/worker wealth disparity are the culprits.

Nintendo also arbitrary raised the price of video games in general.

I offered to give a child a switch 2.

They looked up from their hoop-on-a-stick and said "No, sir. this game I have right here and 'kick-the-can' are all I need."

It's good to see that the youth are into retro gaming.

Yes.

You cant always get or have the newest thing. You are not entitled to it.

I didn't get an NES until after the SNES came out.
I didn't get an SNES until after the PS1 came out.
By the time the PS2 came out I had my own source of income and could buy what I wanted, so I got it at launch.

Revelation34 posted...

Nintendo also arbitrary raised the price of video games in general

They knew people would still pay for it, only people to blame are consumers who keep letting worse and worse practices happen.

If you ever bought DLC, you have no right to complain about the new digital centric landscape either.

GanglyKhan posted...

They knew people would still pay for it, only people to blame are consumers who keep letting worse and worse practices happen.

If you ever bought DLC, you have no right to complain about the new digital centric landscape either.

I don't buy cosmetic DLC. Story DLC are just expansion packs which nobody ever complained about back then.

ReturnOfFa posted...

the original NES cost more than a Switch 2 when adjusted for inflation.

"Adjusted for inflation" is almost always a flawed argument, because it never takes into account earning power/buying power.

Or to put it another way, if you adjust everything for inflation, then people today are paid less and are required to pay significantly more for housing and other necessities. So even if we assume a console today costs exactly the same as a console then after being adjusted for inflation, it would still "cost" more in terms of buying power.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

"Adjusted for inflation" is almost always a flawed argument, because it never takes into account earning power/buying power.

Or to put it another way, if you adjust everything for inflation, then people today are paid less and are required to pay significantly more for housing and other necessities. So even if we assume a console today costs exactly the same as a console then after being adjusted for inflation, it would still "cost" more in terms of buying power.

right, and I addressed that already. wages not keeping up is a massive issue.

Revelation34 posted...

I don't buy cosmetic DLC. Story DLC are just expansion packs which nobody ever complained about back then.

I still feel like a lot of devs will just turn cut content into expansions, or at least they know they can plan for it ahead of time. Not my favorite practice in the world, I can barely think of any DLCs that I've really enjoyed.

I guess the Ultimate versions of Monster Hunter could be considered the same thing and I prefer those over the new expansion models. It was fun going through a different version of the base game experience and seeing how quickly you could body the returning monsters lol