Preparing For the Nintendo Switch 2 – Pricy, But Innovative

Yesterday, players including myself got a more in-depth glimpse of the Nintendo Switch 2, which is announced to release this summer on June 5, 2025. Thanks to the U.S. tariffs, it also drove up the price to be Nintendo’s most expensive console to date at $450. Aside from that, what are the other reasons to have a price hike?

The answer: the Nintendo Switch 2 has PS4-quality graphics and hardware. It’s also the first Nintendo platform to support 120 frames per second rather than the usual 60 in all of their previous consoles, not counting the early Game and Watch systems. While I do support 60fps games and technology, running it at 120 would require more VRAM. In fact, I hate it when developers set the framerate at 30.

The original Nintendo Switch had an OLED model. At launch the Switch 2 will not have one, but may get one within a few years of the console’s lifespan. There’s a reason for this: OLED is more expensive than LCD. In fact, I own an OLED TV and I could use that as a substitute for the original Switch in TV mode.

Since games are getting larger and larger, there are cases where it won’t be possible to squeeze the entire game onto a game disc or cartridge, requiring players to download the rest from Nintendo’s servers. It does come with a few issues though: if a developer’s servers go down, the original Switch’s game data can still be played, but on games that are designated as “game-key”, it won’t be possible. It will end up becoming further impossible if a developer goes out of business.

Game prices are also going back to what it was during the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 days. Games are already getting more expensive to make thanks to increased production costs, higher salaries for employees, the use of advanced technologies, and the need for extensive marketing and post-launch support. There are additionally a number of reasons for this:

• AAA titles are incredibly complex and large-scale. These require large teams consisting of fifty or more people, and the average amount of time needed to create a AAA title is three years.
• Advanced technologies involving augmented or virtual reality and increasingly realistic graphics push up the times needed for modeling, texturing, rigging, and rendering.
• The video game industry is a competitive market, and even works alongside Hollywood for skilled programmers, designers, artists, actors, and composers, leading to higher salaries and thus increased costs.
• Extensive marketing campaigns can go into the millions.
• Maintenance, content updates, and customer support can also add to long-term costs.
• Inflation is driving up the costs of labor and materials, which impact development costs.
• Supply for older games is limited and demand is high.
• Players are expecting higher quality graphics, gameplay, and features, which translates to increased development costs.
• Games have a longer lifespan which means more post-launch support and maintenance.

That said, the only major game I’m looking forward to is Mario Kart World, which was teased when the system was unveiled. I do plan to get both the console and the game on launch day, but I’m sure this will be a sure-fire sellout, despite the concerns that all others have. There’s also a problem with one of the other game’s launching: the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is locked behind a paywall. Many are furious that it should be a built-in game that can be obtained for free with the system instead of a paid standalone one.

The only other thing that impressed me the most was the ability to use the new Joy-Con as a mouse. There have been other Nintendo consoles that used mice peripherals, including the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Wii, and Wii U, but not the NES, GameCube, and Switch 1.