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Topic: Does anyone else think the "Switch tax" puts you off buying some games on the Switch?

Posts 1 to 20 of 60

JayJ

Diablo 3 is a good example of this. I would like to have it on my Switch, but it is currently selling for $60 on the Switch while it is only $30 on the PS4 and Xbox One. Same versions of the game, but it is twice as expensive on the Switch.

JayJ

RenderSpotlight

By my own choice, the Switch is my only "modern" console. So if I want a game, I will buy it. But with so many games available these days, it makes it much easier to wait for games to go on sale.
With very few exceptions, gone are the days of me feeling the need to buy games day one. I have learned if I am patient, I can save money. These games will be around for a very long time.

RenderSpotlight

JayJ

@Tsurii Okay well all ports require effort from a developer, but I doubt that Blizzard-Activision is hard pressed for funds and needing to charge twice as much to cover the costs to put it on the Switch.

JayJ

NEStalgia

"The Switch Tax" is real enough, plenty of games cost more on Switch when late ported than when they arrive on other consoles late. I do think the Nintendo customer base has demonstrated over years with Nintendo games they're willing to pay more for older games without incentives, and I do believe the publishers put that fact to good use. It's not really a Nintendo thing in a lot of cases, just a business doing what business does when they see a market used to paying premium kind of thing.

Though it does prove Nintendo right all along in not dropping prices to a race to the bottom and preserving value.

Though we've seen something of a calming of that effect recently. Diablo is an outlier these days. Dark Souls launched at the same price it launched in May on other platforms, and Civ6 is the first console port of that game, so it deserves it's price and is for now a console exclusive on Switch.

TWEWY...well, that's Squeenix. They're charging $16, $20, and $20 for the 3 FFXIII games on X1 too.

NEStalgia

NEStalgia

@JayJ Well Blizzard-Activision needs to do something to recover from Diablo: Immortal and their allegedly failed Destiny 2: Forsaken.....they don't have any other games to sell! I do imagine that a Switch port of Diablo 3 wasn't an easy task though. And keep in mind most of these ports are outsourced, so they're paying into profit margins for a third party company (Panic Button, etc.) I imagine there's a hefty premium on that kind of service that's only justified by being cheaper and faster than training up a whole staff for Switch from zero.

NEStalgia

redd214

It does on occasion not always, really depends on the game. Some games honestly would rather play portable and if its a tenner more expensive I can swallow that.

redd214

LuigiTheGreenFire

It almost kept me from getting South Park: The Fractured But Whole ($60 for a 6 month old port), but I snagged it for $40 when Best Buy had a sale. So no, it hasn't affected me yet. And I can't say Skyrim being full price affected me either since I got it as a gift. If I ever get a PS4, I'll probably get a lot of cheaper multiplats on there. Or I can get undemanding enough games on my PC laptop.

What Would W. Do?

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PCkid

I buy only exclusive titles for my Switch because the ports are never as good as their originals and the price is always to high.
The problem is the number of great exclusives on the Switch. I love my Switch but the last time it was on, it was with Octopath Traveler.
4 Months that my Switch is off.

PCkid

LuckyLand

I don't buy ANY SINGLE THING by Nintendo anymore, but for me the "tax" is only the subscription. Nintendo games have always been a little more expensive than games on other consoles, but it didn't bother me that much before. Consoles were fully functional without anything like the subscription and I was glad to spend a little more for games to have them on Gamecube and Wii because I liked them so much (I liked PS2 too so I bought many games for it too).
For me being "almost" forced to constantly pay a subscription is far worse (I mean REALLY FAR WORSE) than just paying a little bit more to buy (ACTUALLY buy I mean) a game I really want, so only this is an unfair tax that I really despise.
A little bit more expensive copies for a console that you particularly like are not really a tax. At worst I would call it a small luxury that you enjoy if you can afford it.

Edited on by LuckyLand

I used to be a ripple user like you, then I took The Arrow in the knee

KryptoniteKrunch

In Diablo's case, the other versions are several months old while the Switch version just came out.

And no, it doesn't affect me since I don't have the other systems or a capable PC. A game on the other systems can be $6 or 60, doesn't change me buying the Switch version one bit.

KryptoniteKrunch

Nintendo Network ID: KryptoniteKrunch

SwitchForce

Problem here is the Limited or Collector's Edition if they are one that you want won't be on the market anymore. Standard edition you can find but there are some that are made for one sale and that is all (physical version) that is will not return as well. So one has to decide carefully as some limited standard small production run once they run out that is it. And your left with buying from Scalpers. The problem here is like another said they know the market needs and price to their advantage but if you don't buy then you won't get the games to be developed either so this is a double edge sword for both sides. No more Switch games and your market will dry up but everything cost money one way or another and there is some padding happening but let's be realistic here if they didn't produce the game would Nintendo be where they are now. I think we all make choices and if one game cost to much get a less expensive one. And maybe they might have a sale but if the game is popular don't expect much discount unless it's a major Holiday sale. I preorder mine for the Switch release date and it wasn't chump change but I saved up for it just for that reason. Everyone has to make choice Developers and Buyers so without either neither would get what they want.

Edited on by SwitchForce

SwitchForce

Sisilly_G

The Switch premium (or "tax" as so many call it) is virtually nonexistent a lot of the time. It mainly affects smaller titles, but most multiplatform games so far have been priced evenly between platforms (if not lower, as has been the case with both FIFA instalments).

Late ports are another matter, with the Switch version usually being released at full retail price, while the game is generally discounted quite heavily elsewhere. This is nothing new. I see any price difference as being offset by the added convenience that the Switch platform inherently allows.

Any other price discrepancies are mostly inconsequential.

My main gripe is more so to do with DLC (a practice that I detest as it is console locked and I would rather pay a premium to have that content on cartridge instead) and publishers cheaping out on 32GB cartridges. In the latter case, the least that they could do is offer a premium-priced limited edition, at least to gauge interest (which nobody has done yet.

"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"

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BrainOfGrimlock

Absolutely, I’ve stopped shy of buying a few games on principle - I understand there are costs for porting, but some of the pricing is just... Nope? I am happy to pay a little extra for a lot of games as I appreciate them porting it across but depends on the developer/publisher and (of course) the game in question though.

I’m never going to feel sympathy/the need to support any corporation that pays it’s CEO a seven figure salary, whereas an indie game or obscure localisation will often tempt me more to help out - but it’s far from cut and dried;

I bought Hollow Knight again on Xbox just to support the (small indie) devs as I think it’s an amazing game at an unbelievably low price and they deserve the support

I bought Diablo 3 on Switch because irrespective of how much Acti-Blizz don’t need my cash, I got more than my moneys worth out of the game on PC/360 and have no doubt I will again on Switch, even at full price

Just posted about this in another thread - well received indie game ‘this war of mine’ is launching on switch soon; it’s a very different game from the norm and I’d absolutely love to buy it again to support them, but I can’t justify it when they’re charging an obscene price for it (3 x the price of hollow knight) when it’s currently 70% off on steam. I appreciate they have costs for porting but the value proposition just isn’t there for me.

BrainOfGrimlock

EvilLucario

@ReaderRagfish Just a heads up if you're interested, both Target and Walmart are selling FighterZ on Switch for $25 on Black Friday.

Although Xenoblade 2 for $35 a damn steal from Walmart.

Edited on by Eel

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JasmineDragon

@JayJ The "Switch Tax" absolutely does not exist, and I'm thrilled to see that @Silly_G said this because usually I'm the only one pointing it out. Multiplat titles almost always launch at the same prices on all platforms, regardless of when they launch. Doom launched at $60 on PS4, XBox and Switch. The difference is that by the time it came out on Switch, its price on the other two consoles had been lowered twice. The same thing goes for EVERY other title that has been ported to Switch -the price you pay at launch on Switch is the exact same price you paid at launch on the other consoles.

Go to Amazon right now and look at listings for games that came out on all the consoles at the same time. The prices are practically identical. Minor variations exist. For example, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary is 63 cents cheaper on Switch than on the other platforms. Dead Cells is a couple of bucks more expensive on Switch. Mega Man X Legacy Collection - exact same price. Sonic Mania Plus - exact same price. You can check game after game after game. It's always the same.

Doesn't matter where you are shopping, either. Go look at Gamestop's listing for BlazBlue CTB. It's $44.99 on PS4. It's also $44.99 on the Switch.

There is no Switch Tax.

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ValhallaOutcast

Just because some of use use the Switch as a second console and many of these ports are double dips that doesnt mean they should be cheaper, I agree that the prices stops me from double dipping more but thats the way it is, just be patient and wait for price drops or sales

Friend Code SW-4365-4821-7317

Heavyarms55

@JayJ Nope. When it comes to cost my only issue is the thing where games are released digital first, with no confirmation of a physical release. I am not buying the same game on the SAME SYSTEM twice but sometimes I would be willing to wait for a physical release.

While I don't mean this as an insult I do understand it sounds rude but, I think it's entitled to say "But it's only 30 dollars on PS4 or Steam, why is it more here!?" It's not like developers just load the game onto a Switch cartridge and ship it. A significant amount of work goes into porting a game from one platform from another and the developers have every right to seek to profit off of it. A smart dev does this, then puts that profit into more ports or development of new games. The prices drop after a while.

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D3adPool

Not really. I might not buy a game if I just can not afford it at the time, but I wouldn't skip a game on Switch just because of the price point. While the "Switch Tax" is indeed a thing, I don't believe it's very prevalent.

As others have pointed out, most games release at the same price. People always complain about Skyrim being $60, but it was $60 on the PS4 and XBO at first as well. The main complaint I could see people complaining about would be Wii U ports releasing for $60. That, I can understand. Especially if you bought the games for $60 on Wii U already. Luckily for me I didn't play many Wii U games.

Also, paying higher prices is worth it for me to have my games portable. The Switch allows me to take a whole game library with me wherever I go and that definitely makes it worth it.

D3adPool

KryptoniteKrunch

shaneoh wrote:

I had a choice in paying $90 for Disgaea 1 Complete on Switch, or $10 on Steam. Guess which I opted for.

option C: A one way plane ticket to here in the U.S. where the game doesn't cost $90?

Edited on by KryptoniteKrunch

KryptoniteKrunch

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