You can get it cheaper and there's way too much smoke of a new model coming out soon for there to be no fire. If we ignore that it's 4 years old now then yeah, purely looking at price it's still fine for $300.
Is the Nintendo Switch currently a good value at $299?
- Thread starter eKongDiddy
- Start date
Real talk: I think the old paradigm of consoles starting out expensive and then slowly dropping in price over the course of the generation is pretty much a thing of the past. Iterative improvements at the same price are sort of the new thing. The 3DS XL and then the New 3DS XL were $199 MSRP for years and years. The Series S is replacing the One S at the same price. I think we'll probably see a "New Nintendo Switch" replace the current model at the same price point, and that will be that. The Series S will be $299 until it's replaced with the Series 2S for $299, and so on.
The One S and PS4 have been sitting at $299 MSRP for even longer than the Switch has.
I guess, in the same way that buying a 6$ bottle of water at disneyworld has value.
Yes it's a good value but the time for a price drop is approaching. Series S definitely hampers the value a tiny bit, but the portability is still worth a lot to people.
Given the amount of full console games with 80+ metacritic scores playable on a handheld device I'd say yes.
Agree with those saying a price drop is coming though, next year might see a new model take the existing price point and reduce the price of the older model.
Agree with those saying a price drop is coming though, next year might see a new model take the existing price point and reduce the price of the older model.
It's the only mainstream option as an hybrid system on the market and it has all the Nintendo library exclusive to it. So yeah, of course it is.
Not really. But since it sells well Nintendo doesn't seem to have any motivation to lower the price. The era of a system slowly turning into a budget machine over the course of it's live span seems to be over. This goes for all systems now tbh.
Speaking for myself it is a bit too expensive. I surely would've bought one by now if the price was closer to 200€. Reason is that I would only use it as a stationary console and I currently don't see myself buying more than 5 to 10 games for it.
On the other hand it sells very well, so for most people the Switch is obviosly a good value.
On the other hand it sells very well, so for most people the Switch is obviosly a good value.
Absolutely, but I do think having a console basically two console generations ahead at the same price point muddies the waters.The Switch is in such a unique spot that it is hard to compare.
I don't see a price drop happening on the current model until we get a Switch Pro or Switch 2, though. As long as Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and maybe Zelda continue to sell consoles, they're set.
I don't see a price drop happening on the current model until we get a Switch Pro or Switch 2, though. As long as Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and maybe Zelda continue to sell consoles, they're set.
The value of playing the Switch library handheld and on your TV, seamlessly, makes it worth $300. The hybrid technology is a big sell for so many people. We can talk about graphical prowess all day, but this ability to play your games anywhere is big.
True, but no price drop after 3.5 years. They are milking it. They will have to change their tune soon
Two generations ahead doesn't mean anything unless they have compelling software for people to play on that console that they also can't play elsewhere. The software of every console determines whether or not it is of any value to you, not so much the hardware itself.
It's 3.5 years old and still full price. I can't think of any other game system that was full price that long. To me it's not a good value at $300, but since it's selling well I'm in the minority.
To be fair, the question isn't "is the Switch correctly priced for the market?" It's "do *you* think it's a good value?" and I don't, personally.
I'm willing to wager that most people will buy the X over the S, similar to what happened when the 360 main and core version. Eventually the core got discontinued. The advantage Switch had over S is portability, besides a good library and to me that trumps the S model no matter what. I'll be picking up an X model eventually but as long ad Nintendo Switches keep selling like hotcakes, don't expect any reaction anytime soon.
The market is just a sum of personal opinions in a way. I find it very hard to see why a Nintendo console and handheld device with the line up of the Switch couldn't be worth 300 bucks honest.
What is exactly this "next-gen experience" you're talking about? Because thus far we haven't seen anything really and in fact most threads in this forum tend to point out that next gen is not bringing anything new to the table and is barely exiciting people. It also looks like we're still 2 or 3 years away from games that will really start using the power of the new machines.
The Switch is the worst value in gaming. It's just a matter of whether you need Nintendo's games or not.
Everything else is Switch tax. The most expensive ports that run the worst.
Everything else is Switch tax. The most expensive ports that run the worst.
ERA is a niche hardcore gaming forum. I wouldn't take ERA's polls as what the majority of casual gamers think TBH
The console itself is great and a fantastic value.
The software lineup is anemic and barebones.
The software lineup is anemic and barebones.
This.
Nvidia was selling a Tegra X1 portable gaming machine at $199 all the way back in 2015. Five years later and Nintendo is selling that same SoC for $300. Granted, they include things like Joy-Con and such which drives the cost up, but still. The hardware itself is absolutely not worth a $300 price.
It's the software lineup that adds the value.
It'll just make it that much hotter of an item, reach those Wii/DS levels.
It's an amazing value if you use it both as a console to television device and a portable device. Even if you used it just as one or the other, it's still a decent value since it has built a very solid library of games by this point.
True. That's why it only muddies the water, instead of creating a clear advantage. Specs vs games. Both have value, but it really depends on what you're looking for.
- Yes it is a great value
- I would be all over a Switch system with parity PS5/XSX. I would pay anything if it is viable without it being too hot or cumbersome...I can deal with expensive.
The experiences of Series S and the Switch are totally different so I wouldn't even compare them even if there was a Switch 4k. I'd rather compare them to some MS tablet + Game Streaming.
I would also love to add that $299 for what the Switch has to offer is a steal. I keep hating the fact that gamers in this hobby are cheap and I feel that holds the industry back. Paying $299 for a console that can play all the amazing games we've gotten is a steal and if it is not to anyone's satisfaction it can very easily be resold for cash.
if you are talking about what hardware you get, no. absolutely not.
but its the only place you can play nintendo games, so that is subjective.
but its the only place you can play nintendo games, so that is subjective.
Because the demand is still high. That doesn't make it not worth it. It's holding value based on demand and software output.