Switch 2: When Nintendo makes fun of us, the price scandal in France
That's it, after months of waiting and rumors, The Nintendo Switch 2 was finally formalized. In the wake of this announcement, we have also summarized you The ten points which, in our eyes, really differentiate the new Nintendo Switch 2 from its predecessor released in 2017.
At the time, by launching his console at € 330, the Japanese manufacturer had managed a master stroke by offering both a much more affordable machine than its competitors, while inventing a new ergonomics with its portable and living room modes. A faultless that allowed Nintendo to sell more than 130 million switch to date. It is even very well left to dethrone the best -selling console of all time, the PlayStation 2 And its 155 million units sold.
A real triumph therefore, which unfortunately gave bad ideas to Nintendo. At first, the presentation of his switch 2 turned out to be a frank success, exceeding all our expectations. Between the new features, third -party publishers also at the party (Elden Ring arrives) and Mario Kart World, everything seemed to line up so that this new console continues the resounding success of the previous model.
An increase that stings
But, towards the end of the presentation, there is a point that alerted us: no price was communicated during the event. We said that these prices are not entirely the same from one region to the world to another, the Japanese manufacturer reserved this information for the local press release. Alas, nothing in the latter either. To finally get our hands on these prices, we ended up going to the Nintendo Store, stars still full of eyes after the conference.
And there … it's the cold shower. You probably already know it at the time it is, but the starting price of the Nintendo Switch 2 will be € 469.99 When it was launched next June. And again, this is the pack with the naked console. There are another with Mario Kart World€ 509.99. This therefore represents a stratospheric increase of € 150 or almost 50 % between the two models!
Inflation, but for everyone
Of course, eight years separate the outlets from the two machines. Inflation has been there and it is potentially unfair to compare their prices without more context. We therefore went to consult the data of the said inflation on the INSEE website. A few additions later, we calculated cumulative inflation of approximately 17.8 % between March 2017 and April 2025. To put it differently, if it was released today, the first switch would cost € 389. Even taking this into account, the price of the Switch 2 is still 20 % higher than that of the first switch. It is less scandalous than the 50 % initial, but it remains quite a rise.
And then, this price is undoubtedly justified by more expensive components, more R&D, etc., right? Not for everyone it seems. We indeed had the very (very) unpleasant surprise to come across The Japanese press release from the Switch 2 (Thanks to Christian for the pipe). If you scroll at the bottom of the page, you will see that the prices for the multilingual version of the console start at € 430, “taxes included” (they are 10 % in Japan). EXCEPT THAT. There is also a version “Japan Only”, Offered at 330 €. Yes, you read that right, Nintendo is able to offer a machine version for 100 € less as soon as it is released. Admit that it is expensive the pack of additional languages…
More powerful, but not enough yet
However, the manufacturer has not revolutionized its strategy on the technical aspect. If there are differences between the two Switchs at the time of their launch, there are also parallels. Starting with the same technical positioning which differs from that of other console manufacturers. Where Sony and Microsoft are racing with arms with again and always more power and polygons, Nintendo took another path from the first Switch. At the time, when the PS4 proposed a power of 1.84 TFlops and the Xbox One was not far behind with 1.31 TFlops, the original switch was satisfied with 0.4 TFlops in portable mode, 0.5 tflops in Docké mode. A technical misery which has still gave birth to a large number of exceptional games.
Even if Nintendo has not yet given technical details for its switch 2, it appears quite obvious that it is not at the level of the 10.28 tflops of a PS5 or 12 tflops of an Xbox Series X. Its power is undoubtedly rather at those of the PS4 Pro (4.2 TFLOPS) or the Xbox Series S (4 TFlops). All this jargon to tell you that, like its predecessor, this Switch 2 will therefore remain a notch below the most efficient consoles of the moment, even if it should not be the same technical chasm as before.
This would not pose any problem if Nintendo had held almost at the same positioning as for the first switch, namely that of a console certainly less powerful, but also really cheaper. With a price that is also dangerously closer to that of the PS5, Mario's father seems to think that the power of his licenses will be enough to fill the technical gaps that his new console will immediately display in the face of the behemoths of Sony and Microsoft. He is undoubtedly right, but he does it, once again, pay at high prices.
All this also gives the impression that Nintendo wants to reposition itself as a high -end brand, in frontal competition with the Playstation of Sony. By forgetting in passing that the public who has carried it so far is not the same as that of its competitor.
The game price scandal
But what has truly and definitely ulcerated us, much more than the price of the console is that of its games. If you do not know them yet, hang on to your chair: they will be offered at the mind-blowing prices of € 90 in cartridge and € 80 in a dematerialized version. Of course, Nintendo will undoubtedly sell pallets of its Mario Kart World Even at this delusional price. But the success of the Switch, and of the greatest successes of Nintendo in general, was built on reasonable prices for a family audience. In such a global economic context, how many of these families can afford to pay even the € 509.99 requested for the Switch 2 +* Mario Kart World*?
How to justify such prices? Are Switch 2 games longer and complicated to develop or more rich in the technical level than PS5 games? The answer is obviously negative. No matter how much we look for, we see nothing other than the lure of gain and the total lack of respect for its own users. Finally, not all, since the Japanese are pampered again. In the land of the rising sun, a box in box will cost ¥ 9,980, or .. € 61. And € 55 in digital version. Even taking into account the difference in taxes (10% in Japan, 20% in France), this remains a sacred smoking. And you will notice in passing that on his native island, Nintendo has the good taste to practice prices in line with those of the first Switch.
Bitter taste updates
Finally, what about the meanness of paid updates for already existing games and which will benefit from an update for the Switch 2? The price of these updates is not yet known, but when we see the scandalous pricing policy for this Western launch, we can only fear the worst. That Nintendo does not offer said updates, at least for its own games, exceeds our understanding. The manufacturer would ensure that its loyal customers, for example, bought Super Mario Jamboree Barely a few months ago, did not feel injured to go back to the checkout. But it now seems quite obvious that the former enchanting brand does not care that its users (other than Japanese) feel injured, as long as a substantial part of them passes to the checkout.
It will therefore be without us.
