No, This Nintendo Ad Didn't Raise The Price Of The Switch - It's Just Canadian

Geordies must've colonised Canada you can hear it in their strange accent.

Poor Canada. The pricing is wack in pretty much every way.

Hahaha yeah... that's the price of the Switch in Canada! It should have read as "399$" and not "$399" (that's how American prices are advertised versus Canadian prices usually here in Canada!)

And yeah, we pay more... Games are 80$ before tax too!

At least they got a Switch commercial with Annie Murphy? At least that's something.

Would have preferred Alexis Rose though.

@KillTheG1mp I’m Canadian and I didn’t know that ! I thought it was a French vs English thing.

Well in Europe a Switch usually cost 330€ which is about 400$ so there's that...

Our Canadian prices are nuts

We can win sometimes when our dollar rises (when we hit 80 cents theres a lot of trips to the USA) but mostly our prices are garbage.

@KillTheG1mp I've lived in Canada for 3 years and I did not know that!

@Kimyonaakuma the bit where she calls her mum in the advert... I was expecting Moira

@badawik You are right, it is a French vs English thing. Canadian prices are $### for all provinces by standard except Quebec where it is ###$, as that is how money is described in French (I'm from AB)

@pixelpatch I definitely pay less rent in Canada than I did in London, but... that's not hard to do tbh! Where are you based?

@KillTheG1mp That's mostly not true as we in Canada have the $ at the beginning unless the price is being displayed in French, where it goes at the end. If you're from Quebec then I guess this would seem normal, but pretty much everywhere in Canada, $399 is the proper way

They're still showing the grey Switch in ads. I had heard it had been discontinued?

Maybe they meant just buying grey Joycons?

Or maybe I was just misinformed.

@NickKnack Is that similar to how Euro are usually 20€ rather than €20? It was like that when I was in France anyway!

@nessisonett Yeah... and when you actually say the price out loud, having the $ at the end makes sense as you say "400 dollars" = 400$, but we follow the American way I guess (?) and have it at the front of the money value.

@KateGray Me too! Skipping Moira was a missed opportunity

@badawik hmmm maybe it is... too! I think though that the CAD $ sign has always two bars in it and the US one has just one bar through it.

Prices are always higher in Canada, even a few years back when the Canadian dollar was stronger than the US dollar the gaming systems still cost more.

@NickKnack gotcha, yeah here in Québec, it's more normal for me to see 399$ than $399!

Ew! DAVID! ARRRGH

Ah yes the Canadian prices, this is why I roll my eyes at comments talking about paying $60 for games, I would happily pay that over $90 (after taxes) for first party Nintendo games. Thankfully a lot of other non first party Switch games, are at a lower price so there's at least that.

@KillTheG1mp You guys are as bad as vegan crossfitters.

@Lony85 $70, with tax is what you pay. Which is about the same as me. When your money has lower value you will need more of it to buy things....
THE MORE YOU KNOW.......

Basically why I rarely buy anything from Nintendo anymore 😆 I just don’t feel awesome about games costing just shy of $100.00 a pop after taxes.

It seems like just yesterday that I remember handheld games being $39.99. I play the Switch handheld but that ain’t the price no more!

@KateGray Based in Ottawa so the rent is still high but manageable.

@StevenG thanks for the compliment... I guess!? lol

I figured that when I saw it. But people need things explained to them so they won't throw a fit. Tbh, Canadians don't pay much more than Americans do, but they complain a lot more.

@StevenG $79.99 before taxes, at least when I picked up Hyrule Warriors (last first party Nintendo game I phurchased).

@IronMan30 it’s our winters. We can complain with the wickedest of them

All those countries that use the same name for different currencies. What's that? A Swiss Franc? Nope, that doesn't count, we use Euro in France now.

Its sad really why did we think the price really gone up? bc its a nintendo thing to do and we all know nintendo would have done it if they really wanted to.

Too bad our wages and earning power don't scale with the exchange rate and inflation 😑

@Lony85 I assume everyone in Canada’s Switch “lives” in Alberta 😆

@NinChocolate Every crafty Canadian Switch owner does, indeed. 😉

...

*Runs 🏃

It's too bad they couldn't license "A Little Bit Alexis" to be the BGM for the commercial.

@IronMan30 $90/game (soon to be $100/game thanks to next-gen bumping the game prices up) adds up a lot faster than $60($70 for next-gen)/game. If Americans get to groan about having to pay $60-$75 for games, Canadians can groan for having to pay $90-$100 for the same games

Why would you assume its a price increase and not an exchange rate though?

@NinChocolate currently living in Winnipeg, maybe that's why. Either way, as long as Nintendo puts out games that interest me, I'll most likely continue buying them.

@KillTheG1mp

Are you in Quebec? Here in Ontario, all prices I see have the $ in front.

@nessisonett their dollar is worth less, they pay the same amount for a switch as they do in the USA

@KillTheG1mp You mean $90 plus tax now with next gen. Rip us Canadians...

@pixelpatch Remember when ours was better? That was a GLORIOUS month lol

I’m from Toronto and buy from the Alberta Eshop. I get to save some taxes.

@KillTheG1mp No?

That's a difference between French Canadian and English Canadian standards. In French Canada the Dollar sign goes after the number, in English Canada it goes before. You learn this in French classes in Ontario.

@NinChocolate Because its not a handheld. Its not advertised as a handheld. It's advertised as a home console that you can take with you on the go. Thus the prices on the games being what they are.

I don't expect prices to change any time soon either. Prices will hover at that 80 for new games mark for a long while yet.

Glad to see most Canadians using Alberta for the eShop! Great thing to do tbh

I'm a bit sick of seeing people thinking that somehow, exchange rates makes it equal somewhat. It doesn't. Because exchange rate doesn't only affect retail prices. People don't get their salaries adjusted because of it. Our dollar going down doesn't mean employers are paying us more. They don't.

That's often a side of the equation most people don't consider.

So you can put it any way you want, if you mean the games or systems are priced "similarly" because of exchange rate, then you can't sidestep the issue of everyone now earning less because of the same exchange rate.

Any way you put it, we pay a bigger chunk of our money for games and consoles. Either they cost more, or either we earn less, in the end it doesn't make a difference, we pay more.

Not so long ago, we were almost on par with U.S. dollar. Now we're not. No one is getting paid more because of this.

@Realnoize

And add on the exorbitant taxes to pay for our "Free healthcare!!!"

Canada has high taxes I think too.

@Heavyarms55 No the grey switch has not been discontinued, what you may be thinking of is the switch versions, as there is the OG and the red box switch, with the newest one coming in a red box instead of the original box, and having better battery life

I find it funny that people are surprised that a Canadian advertisement shows Canadian pricing ... also, most of Canada lists price with the $ in front of the amount, not after ....

@Danrenfroe2016 In Québec we pay around 15% in taxes on almost everything, we even pay a green taxe on electromics, we are thé most taxed in north america.

@KillTheG1mp only in Quebec.

The Aussie dollar is at parity with the Canadian dollar. Our retail price is $470, but regularly reduced to $399. All in all not bad.

@amak11 strictly speaking, the Switch Lite is a handheld, and can only be marketed as such. The concept of Nintendo pricing handheld games $20 cheaper than home console titles was a strategy dating back to game boy, and not a legal rule. There’s nothing saying that if Switch had no TV transmission that the games would automatically cost $40. They cost $60 usd because it’s competitive, and that’s it.

@mariomaster96 keep in mind that European prices are usually with tax and US prices are without. Considering that sales tax is pretty high in most European countries the Switch without tax costs around 280€.

Nintendo should drop the price to 379 in Canada since our dollar has been gaining value.

@KillerBOB our taxes are around 20%. Way lower than the average for American taxes. Stop that fake news stuff. https://pressprogress.ca/dont-listen-to-the-fraser-institute-canadians-are-not-paying-more-in-taxes-than-the-necessities-of-life/

Canadians are supposed to buy their Nintendo products at shoppers drug mart on thursdays and get 20% off with sr savings.

@sixrings you don’t know how many late night trips to the shoppers tempted me to buy a new 3DS. In hindsight I should have gone for it, lol

@NinChocolate if I can buy something 20% off at shoppers I grab it without hesitation knowing I can break almost even reselling it on Kijiji. But that’s how I bought four switches. So it can lead you down a bad path too.

@mariomaster96 importing from other EU countries aside, alsmost every store sells the base model here for €379.

AC and RingFit ones are even €459...

@KillTheG1mp I've never in my entire life seen the "$" AFTER the price here in Canada. It's always $399, never 399$, unless they do it in Quebec that way.

One thing about Switches being more expensive here in Canada... If you collect PC optimum points buy your Switch or games from a Shoppers Drug Mart. Gave money to my dad to buy on seniors discount day, and in the end paid about $140CDN for my Switch, minus the seniors discount and points I used. Not to mention the occasional special points day (ie spend 200,000 points = $300 off).

@Karatecanine

Hahaha give me a break! My guess is you still live at home and don't pay any taxes other than sales tax and what's deducted off your pay cheque.

And what kind of extreme left-wing garbage news site was that?! 😂

https://financialpost.com/personal-finance/taxes/canadas-income-tax-rates-have-become-uncompetitive-and-the-economy-will-pay-the-price

^ Here's a more respectable and non-bias source

"According to the Institute’s analysis, Canadian workers across the income spectrum — and across the country — pay significantly higher personal income taxes than our U.S. counterparts. In fact, at incomes of $50,000, $150,000 and $300,000, among all 61 provinces and states in Canada and the U.S., the ten highest combined personal marginal income tax rates are in the ten Canadian provinces."

@KillerBOB And in exchange they get more services. Almost like stuff costs money.

Financial post is not non-biased. You are a kook.

@Lony85 $ is USD, you don't pay $80 USD plus tax. You pay $70 USD total, just like me.

@KillerBOB Yet far less in healthcare costs.
Your taxes are less than our taxes + healthcare costs. Go check out what a year of health insurance in the USA costs.
Then remember that this insurance won't cover anything until you spend thousands of dollars towards a deductible.

@KillerBOB you're a bit of a loon. Definitely a northern MAGAt. Because regardless of how many sources or facts are presented, you still won't believe them. But here's another one for you to ignore. Updated January 1st, 2021. But you just keep licking those boots buddy. And I don't live it home champ. Me and my fiance bought a house and started a 400 acre farm (which we bought without any help from our parents, which I highly doubt a waspy fool like yourself can say). So why don't you wipe that cheetoh flavouring off your lips and the otoole brown from your thumb, and shut up, you coattails riding, jealous, sad little girl.

@KillerBOB I have a family plan so the price is about ~$20,000/year(both myself and employer pay) and a $5000 deductible. Once I get the deductible I pay 20% coinsurance until I pay a total of $8000. If my employer was freed from this burden I could get a substantial raise.

So functionally I am paying this money for no gain until I pay another $5000 in medical costs. Then it is of limited value until I get $8000. Next year it will go up substantially.

The US average for an ACA plan for a family is $1,152/month. I am not eligible to use the ACA market so I am stuck paying more. However that ACA plan has a max out of pocket in the neighborhood of $14,000.

edit: corrected out of pocket for ACA plan.

My property taxes are in line with Toronto for comparison.

@KillerBOB yes, we have figured that out.

@KillerBOB Dude, it doesn't get better. A family plan is cheaper per head. You seem really invested in this, when it's just cold hard facts.

What my employer covers doesn't matter, I would get it as pay otherwise. Either way I am losing the money. If my employer didn't cover any I might actually save money. Since I might qualify for a subsidized plan.

I would be paying almost $1000/month by myself. That's why the family plan is the smart choice.

They want to move because for the very rich the USA is cheaper. For everyone else, it's not.
I have been trying to get a job in Canada for a while. I live right across the border, but so far the wage offers haven't been that great and the commute is too far. Companies willing to sponsor american's know they can pay less. The rest don't want the hassle.

@KillTheG1mp Funny you should say that. I beleive $ after is used mostly for french provinces like Quebec but $ before is rest of Canada normally.
I work corporate retail and price tags print with the $ in different placed depending if its english or french

@KillerBOB You do realize that the money Canadian pay for health care really isnt that bad right? Consider almost everything is covered and you never have to worry about choosing to live, and be in debt for live, or die.
In the US insurance is stupid. Even if you have it alot of ***** isnt even covered depending on the provider. i then you have deductibles.

@nessisonett Yes.

I hate being canadian because of this.

@Realnoize it sucks

@KillTheG1mp I’m assuming you are in Quebec because we definitely do not do it that way in Ontario...