Nintendo raises prices for Switch, Switch 2 and NSO

I think this is finally a price correction because they do not see prices going down. If I remember correctly Nintendo did not raise prices from the U.S. tarrifs, has not adjusted for the pandemic and following year's inflation, and now RAM prices are through the roof. So it's probably not a sign of things go come.

Personally, I suspect we will see the death of the petrodollar sometime in the next decade or so. That is likely to bring pain to the U.S. that is worse than 2008. America has shown the world that we aren't any more stable than any other country.

In my humble, pickley opinion, there's no reason to get any nintendo console over another console unless you want to play Nintendo exclusives on it.

Sincerely, a (fermented) owner of a Switch and a Steam Deck

If you don't already own a Switch, I'd get a Switch 2. Otherwise, it's not really worth it at the moment in my opinion, unless you're annoyed with the performance of some games on the Switch 1.

Colorful kid-friendly games is kinda the shtick; Pokopia, Kirby Air Riders, and Bananza are the primary reasons to buy it, and Prime 4 response is sort of polarizing if that was a draw for you. I personally got it for Pokopia, which is very good. Not $519 $569 good, IMO, nor something that's probably going to change your mind if you don't buy into the mashup of Pokémon + Minecraft + Animal Crossing + DQB. But as someone who plays things at a glacial pace due to kids, it still has me hooked over a month later.

Switch 2 itself is a nice piece of hardware. Screen is way better, even though it isn't OLED, and the mouse features are a little clumsy to detach from the controller grip to spontaneously use but otherwise integrated well. Everything feels like a good upgrade over the Switch - I'm going to homebrew mine - but I doubt the console will spark your interest if you aren't about the games themselves.

I would hardly classify the entire Switch 1 library + NSO + Switch 2 “limited”. Do you have a Switch 1? Have you played anything on it? If not, then you’re be in for a treat on Switch 2. Tell me what genres you’re into, and I can give you dozens of examples of games on the Switch 2 that you’ll enjoy. I think that what matters most with this purchase decision is whether you happen to also be someone who likes Nintendo’s exclusive IPs, like your Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, etc. If you don’t (which seems to be the case), well... then you can probably get the rest (third-parties) on PS5/PC as well.

I think the Switch 2 is worth it for some of the games already out. It feels bad to have to pay for it but I have really enjoyed the improved version of the Zelda games and DK Bananza.

That being said it’s only worth it if you are very much into Nintendo’s output. If you can live without them, the Steam Deck (1) is an immeasurably better choice because of the massive library of games at dramatically lower prices. The Switch 2 will have prettier games, but the value proposition is still very bad in comparison.

It's kind of underwhelming at the moment, imo. I bought one and I don't really get much out of it that I didn't get out of my original switch. The big appeal to me was Mario Kart, and honestly it's kind of underwhelming compared to Mario Kart 8, despite the new features/gimmicks. At this point I'm glad I bought it solely because of the price jump, and knowing in a year or two this thing is gonna be great. But had the price remained the same I'd probably feel more regret about buying one so early.

I'll add another point for consideration: apparently some non-Nintendo games run better on the Switch 2 than Steam Deck. Currently the only example I know of is Cyberpunk 2077, which was a shock to read about in reviews.

No clue if that'll hold true for the Steam Deck 2. I expect it will most likely be stronger than the Switch 2, but to my understanding part of the reason for the ports running better is because consoles have specific specs for developers to use as a guideline. So the quality of games for it will be fairly consistent, for better or worse. (On that note, so far Nintendo's first-party games are genuinely the most consistently polished games I see among the AAA devs. They really do take their time to ensure everything runs smoothly, even if some of the games are left lacking in content.)

One other thing: the Switch 2 remains less bulky than the Steam Deck which is better for travel. I took a trip a couple months back, and I stowed my Switch 2 in my carry-on bag with the joycons detached and everything wrapped in the foam sleeves used for packaging in the box. Ideally you should have a case, but even the cases I've seen are less bulky than the Steam Deck's.

Ultimately though, I agree that the biggest factor is just whether you like the Nintendo exclusive games, especially since they've already shifted to developing exclusively for Switch 2. I always say every time that I'm a lifelong Pokémon and Animal Crossing fan, so I'm locked into buying Nintendo consoles forever. The fact some ports perform better than on Steam Deck or PC is just a really good bonus I did not expect, but that may be enough to sway some people.