Nikkei Predicts Nintendo Switch Will be Under $250

[Steven Bogos]

Nikkei Predicts Nintendo Switch Will be Under $250

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The Nikkei is estimating the Switch will be under $250 at launch in Japan, and has been fairly accurate with its predictions in the past.

Prominent Japanese business newspaper got very close to the Wii U's launch price [http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGKKZO11376390W7A100C1ENK000/] back in 2012, and has made other accurate predictions regarding the DSi and 3DS in the past.

This is a very attractive price for the Switch, but may have fans worried about the power and quality of the console's components. Sony's PS4 currently retails for around $300 while an Xbox One will set you back $250. When both consoles launched they were $400 and $500 respectively.

It's also worth noting that the Nikkei only made a prediction on the Japanese launch price, and the US cost is not always indicative of the exchange rate. The Wii U launched at 26,000 yen in Japan but jumped up to $300 US for it's North American release.

The Nikkei also stresses that this is simply an average figure consumers should plan around, and not a straight prediction or figure taken from a source familiar with the matter.

Either way, we should only have to wait until this Friday [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/169201-Nintendo-Switch-Event-Scheduled-for-Friday-January-13#&gid=gallery_6761&pid=1], when Nintendo is planning on revealing some more information on the console (which should hopefully include its launch price!)

Source: Engadget [http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGKKZO11376390W7A100C1ENK000/]

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[drkchmst]

I think I said it had to be under $200 with a decent library for me to consider it. I'm finding it hard to swallow even that now.

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

Sony's PS4 retails at $350? That's news to me, last I saw the slims were being sold at $299, or $249 over the holidays. XBOX one S is about $250-$300 for the 500gb-1TB models.

It seems like the Switch is being priced at the 3DS launch price, but I'm not sure if it will succeed in replacing the portable market. The 3DS XL was tempting enough for many to deal with it's extra heft, but I'd like to see the power of this thing first. Frankly, I share the sentiment that $215 has me slightly worried, that this will even have the power of a Samsung tablet.

 

[MonsterCrit]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

 

[sagitel]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

has any of the nintendo's home consoles been gimmick-free since n64? gamecube had the weird disks, wii was was a gimmick given a console, then wiiu with the whole dual screen shit, and now switch.
the handhelds have a better history. only 3ds had a gimmick in the shape of the 3d screen though

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

has any of the nintendo's home consoles been gimmick-free since n64? gamecube had the weird disks, wii was was a gimmick given a console, then wiiu with the whole dual screen shit, and now switch.
the handhelds have a better history. only 3ds had a gimmick in the shape of the 3d screen though

Heck, the 64 had the three-handed controller and the DS had two screens, the Advance SP didn't use batteries, and the less said about the Virtual Boy the better. Nintendo runs on gimmicks. When they work out, they become features.

 

[Death Carr]

I'm expecting it to hit ~$400 AUD
seeing as thats what everything gets priced at here
but I'll have to wait to see what game are gonna get bundled with it at launch to consider it

 

[sagitel]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

has any of the nintendo's home consoles been gimmick-free since n64? gamecube had the weird disks, wii was was a gimmick given a console, then wiiu with the whole dual screen shit, and now switch.
the handhelds have a better history. only 3ds had a gimmick in the shape of the 3d screen though

Heck, the 64 had the three-handed controller and the DS had two screens, the Advance SP didn't use batteries, and the less said about the Virtual Boy the better. Nintendo runs on gimmicks. When they work out, they become features.

we can go even further. game boy's gimmick was being handheld. game boy colour had infra-red linking. while GBA didn't have any gimmicks as far as I can find on the Wikipedia page, Nintendo continued the trend with game boy sp having no batteries. then we have the ds and 3ds.
also, I just found about virtual boy. what the fuck was ninty smoking? even now we don't really have the tech for good vr.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

Then leave it plugged in your TV while you just use the regular controller. Nothing forces you to take it out y'know.

I, for one, am glad for this innovation. It gives the user more choice on how to use it.

we can go even further. game boy's gimmick was being handheld. game boy colour had infra-red linking. while GBA didn't have any gimmicks as far as I can find on the Wikipedia page, Nintendo continued the trend with game boy sp having no batteries. then we have the ds and 3ds.

And a console is just a computer with the gimmick of being made for games. "Gimmick" has pretty much become a hollow term these days.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I'm expecting it to hit ~$400 AUD

Ahh the Australia Tax. Never fails to screw us over.

 

[sagitel]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

Then leave it plugged in your TV while you just use the regular controller. Nothing forces you to take it out y'know.

I, for one, am glad for this innovation. It gives the user more choice on how to use it.

its not just the user. the console itself has to change drastically for the handheld to work. take the stupid controllers for example. they are like that because the console is handheld. the pro controller (the normal controller) costs money because its handheld. then we get the issues of weight and size. and witht hose comes the issues of power, cooling and all that jazz. the console having the ability to be used on the go does not just affect where i can use it. it affect a whole lot more.

we can go even further. game boy's gimmick was being handheld. game boy colour had infra-red linking. while GBA didn't have any gimmicks as far as I can find on the Wikipedia page, Nintendo continued the trend with game boy sp having no batteries. then we have the ds and 3ds.

And a console is just a computer with the gimmick of being made for games. "Gimmick" has pretty much become a hollow term these days.

according to wikipedia :"A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. It is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out" from its competitors." so while at the time consoles themselves were gimmicks, now times have changed. game boy's gimmick (being handheld_ is no longer a gimmick. the thing is that mostly gimmicks tend to harm the product. as we saw in wiiu. and the 3d screen in 3ds. as we saw in kinect. and more. there is a reason that 99% the novel gimmicky ideas dont really go anywhere. is switch one of those? we just have to wait and see

 

[Casual Shinji]

Then leave it plugged in your TV while you just use the regular controller. Nothing forces you to take it out y'know.

That is unless Nintendo forces you to use it in their games. I wouldn't put it past them to include some kind of second/touch screen sequence in the new Mario. They did the same in Mario 3D World. And I never played the latest Star Fox, but from what I gathered the consensus wasn't all too positive over the forced second screen mechanic.

 

[bluegate]

Meanwhile I'm also reading this on the internet;

http://www.dualshockers.com/2017/01/08/nintendo-switch-no-nikkei-isnt-claiming-price-will-25000-yen/

I'm confused.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

has any of the nintendo's home consoles been gimmick-free since n64? gamecube had the weird disks, wii was was a gimmick given a console, then wiiu with the whole dual screen shit, and now switch.
the handhelds have a better history. only 3ds had a gimmick in the shape of the 3d screen though

Heck, even the NES came with a Robot of all things! And the Famicom was no better, with it's 2nd Controller having a Microphone for Non-Online Gaming!

Nintendo's Home Consoles have always been innovative or "gimmicky".

OT: That'll be a good price, especially if it launches with both Zelda and a 3D Mario, which seems to be the case (so far, from what I've heard).

 

[MonsterCrit]

Nintendo could have just made a simple console. That's all they had to do. A simple box. No hadware gommocks. No fancy trickamabobs. Just a simple console and some decent support for third party games.

Then leave it plugged in your TV while you just use the regular controller. Nothing forces you to take it out y'know.

I, for one, am glad for this innovation. It gives the user more choice on how to use it.

we can go even further. game boy's gimmick was being handheld. game boy colour had infra-red linking. while GBA didn't have any gimmicks as far as I can find on the Wikipedia page, Nintendo continued the trend with game boy sp having no batteries. then we have the ds and 3ds.

And a console is just a computer with the gimmick of being made for games. "Gimmick" has pretty much become a hollow term these days.

I would but like 80% of the marketing is based around the mobility. and given what we're hearing about specs. It's basically an underpowered Ps4. Mobility wise, What sort of battery life you think you'll get on that?