Hypocrisy at it's finest

Let me start off by first saying this. Do I WANT to have to pay up to $80 dollars per-game going forward? No. Am I happy that the floor for video game console prices will most likely be $500 regardless of the company? No. That being said, am I going to pay whatever I need to pay to get that product that I want? You betcha.

There is a lot of consternation regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 in terms of the confirmed prices and miscommunication about prices and other features. I do take issue with Nintendo for their lack of communication and lack of transparency with the Nintendo Switch 2. They don't seem to understand that the rest of the world is NOT Japan. While you are the big fish in a small pond over there, everywhere else you are just a voice in a chorus. In the West, you have to communicate with your consumers often, and do it correctly. There are a lot of issues that have blown up into a maelstrom of negativity that could have been easily avoided if Nintendo would have just explained everything in detail from the beginning. Let's start with this whole idea that people were running with that has been DEBUNKED regarding that for Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, consumers would only be getting the Nintendo Switch edition of the game in the box with a download code for the upgrades. This is brick-stupid AND, FALSE Consumers that purchase the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of a Nintendo Switch game will get a NINTENDO SWITCH 2 EDITION OF THE GAME. Meaning, all of the upgrades are already integrated into the game. If you already have the Nintendo Switch version of the game, you will be able place that game card into your Nintendo Switch 2 and download the upgrades. The price that I have heard for download upgrades for The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom will be $9.99. That is not bad AT ALL for 1440p and 60fps. Plus, you get cleaner and more crisp textures. Not as much of an upgrade that I would have hoped, but not a big deal. I guess Nintendo is saving all that for their next Zelda entry.

There was too much important information that was revealed AFTER the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Much of it not even coming from Nintendo themselves, but confirmed by Nintendo later. In a recent interview, Nintendo Of America President, Doug Bowser, stated that the pricing of Nintendo Switch 2 games was not static and will vary accordingly in regards to the level of content of each game. In addressing Mario Kart World specifically, he was coy about explaining why the price-tag is $79.99 outside of describing that the game has a very robust gameplay experience with a lot to discover, and long-term replay value. Even though there is a Mario Kart World Direct coming next week, this is something that should have been addressed in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct last week. The price-tag would still not be comfortable, but at least people would have something to work with in terms of the "why" the price is what it is. The other noteworthy thing coming from this interview is that 3rd-party developers apparently have the freedom to choose the price they deem to be necessary for their games. That is interesting. I don't know if it was always like that, but in this current economic climate, that is going to be very interesting going forward, which leads me into my next point. Now that it is clear that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to run Grand Theft Auto VI, and the fact that Rockstar stated that GTA VI is in the mix for Switch 2 along with other properties, we could very well see a $90 dollar game on the Switch 2 after all. I don't think too many people would complain because for the first time you would see a mainline Grand Theft Auto game on a Nintendo console and we know those games have long legs. Let's drive into this a little deeper. There are already $70-80 dollar games on the market RIGHT NOW. There are games that are $60-70 dollars games that have over $100 dollars in PAID DLC alone chock-full of things that should have been in the game anyway. Not only have we been paying full price for unfinished games, but we have been overpaying for unfinished games with loads of content that should already have been in the game in the first place and both the "quality" and "quantity" of the DLC seems to be depreciating. We get games that have all kinds of technical issues that have to be patched out later. Granted, we don't have to pay for those patches, but we still had to pay full price for the game. If you go to a restaurant and they miss up your order, do you pay for it first before they fix it? No. You send it back and ask them to prepare it properly and the fact that they messed up for some people it might cost them the tip. For instance, just take a look at the prices for Street Fighter VI on the PS4 and PS5. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0102-PPSA02632_00-SF600000STANDARD $109 dollars for a fighting game to get the "ultimate" experience (not "complete" experience,) but "ultimate" experience. This is nuts. Remember back in the day when then the FULL GAME was on the disc or cartridge? Remember when you had to unlock new characters, colors, modes, and outfits based on your HARD WORK rather than with your wallet? Remember that?? Now we just accept rampant extortion "normal" from these developers.........but apparently for Nintendo we consider "normal" as rampant extortion. Mario Kart 8 released on May 29th, 2014 for the Nintendo Wii U. There are people STILL playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch. The game certainly has longevity. This game also has paid DLC. However, this is REAL DLC that came many years later. You already had the "complete" experience from Mario Kart 8 and didn't need anything else. This DLC is actual extra content developed later on. Ironically, the price of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch with the paid DLC is $85 dollars. $5 dollars MORE than Mario Kart World for the Nintendo Switch 2 which already out of the gate has more content than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe WITH the DLC. It seems to me that people do not value Nintendo as highly as every other console manufacturer. They claim that gameplay matters more than graphics. They claim that innovation matters more than horsepower. They claim that family-friendly games are more useful than hardcore, adult-contemporary games. Yet, the fact that when Nintendo has the nerve to bring the specs up to standard (more or less,) these same people don't think Nintendo "deserves" charge the same prices?

The PS5 is $500 dollars. The XBOX Series X is $500. The PS5 Pro is $700 dollars. The XBOX Series S is $300, but it is digital-only, you can't take it on the go, and it doesn't have DLSS upscaling. The Nintendo Switch 2 you can take on the go, and it does have DLSS upscaling. One last thing.

Here you can see what the cost of inflation looks like. How ironic that a AAA, 1st-party title like Donkey Kong Bananza will cost LESS than what it should cost today adjusted for inflation. Amazing that a AAA, 1st-party title Like Mario Kart World is just about at price of where it should be today adjusted for inflation AND is giving you better graphics, better resolution, higher frame-rates, more content, more racers to choose from, more racers IN the race, more modes to play, and an expansive playing field RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX for LESS than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with DLC included made on a 13-year-old console. There are just a lot of people yappin' right now and not saying anything. Some people are hatemongers that capitalize on controversy to get clicks on their accounts. Some people are sheep that don't think before they act. They just respond to stimuli. They think that because everyone else is saying it or doing it then it must be right. As I said before, I don't want to pay $80 bucks or more for a game. I don't want to have to pay at LEAST $500 dollars (most likely $800 or better with the next Microsoft and Sony consoles.) That's a reasonable concern. However, if you don't have a problem paying those prices for everyone else, I feel it is hypocritical to exclaim that the prices are "too high" when Nintendo does it. For those who insinuate that it is wrong or "anti-consumer" for Nintendo to charge market-value for their products and to insinuate and DEMAND that ANY purveyor of goods change their prices just to fit YOU, I'll let Sylvester handle this one for me.....