It's Official, Switch 2 Has Sold Over 3.5 Million Units Globally In Its First Four Days

It’s alright… even if they played it a bit safe this gen. It’s not the hardware I’m against (since I can understand most price variations were because of the 🍊 TACO), but it’s the fact that their price increases for software seem really arbitrary (and that is directly Nintendo’s decision)

Now that the cloud has settled down… are we really sure Mario Kart justifies future $80-$90 price increases?

Edit: Also, could anyone say how many of these were preorders? I can’t remember.
The real challenge will be after all those preorders are fulfilled and people (not hardcore fans) that are still on the fence start buying the console.

Nintendo must be pleased. I'll get one when the inevitable revised version is released. I'm a patient person and will just work on my backlog

Nintendoomed!

Wouldn't this also make it the fastest-selling console launch, period? It took other recent systems like the PS5 around a month to put up these numbers

@Aurumonado It truly is a me Mariopocalypse

I didn't mean to be Debbie Downer but Switch 2 sales currently didn't make me feel excited when the 3rd party games for Switch 2 are mostly game key card and that $80 price tag for 1st party games, cough... cough...

Switch 1 looked more enticing for me back in year 2017, but Switch 2..... doesn't even look enticing to me currently until I see something right.

If I ranked my hype with all my games I have, PS5 is my number 1, PS4 is my number 2, Switch 1 is my number 3, but Switch 2 is fell into Bottom Two with GBA, even lower than my hype with Wii U and GameCube.

Great news but am also disappointed with the high game prices. It means I will buy a lot less games for Switch 2 compared to Switch 1.

When will people learn that social media and reality do not go together.

Part of this is likely due to them having the console in stock, whereas a lot of systems often sell out quickly during launches.

Obligatory "I told you so" comment goes here.

@Fel09ktl These sales are 100% going to slow down after a little while with how expensive it is compared to Switch 1. Rent and groceries take priority over games for people who actually have financial responsibility.

I don't think the SYSTEM price was ever the question. It was always software prices, and those can always course-correct, no matter how unlikely it actually is.

Stick to your guns, people. If you don't like the prices, don't buy full price.

That's an incredible launch.

Now that the super fans are out of the way, will it continue to sell is the real question.

@HammerKirby After taxes in America depending on the location it'll be close to $90. Also other countries outside the United States do exist and it's $90 plus dollars before taxes in those places.

@tobsesta99 we will see. It's not up to you or me.

@Yoshi3 Thats fine but why are you using the Dollar Sign? That symbol is almost always assumed to be USD or at the very least CAD. Most other many currencies the Switch 2 is sold in have their own symbol. This is how misinformation spreads around.

Good to see!

Nintendo nailed the stock/demand, which seems to have broken people's brains or something.

Seeing one on a store shelf doesn't mean it's doing Wii U numbers. perhaps it means Nintendo was ready to sell 3.5 million of the lil' rascals, you weirdos.

Two things making me happy tonight—the great launch news and all the sour grapes in the comments trying to make it sound like bad news. Some of you are really tying yourselves in knots over this one, huh? 😂

@AllBLK again I'm aware other countries outside the US exist thank you. I just really think people should specify what currency they are actually referring to. $ is almost always USD or at the very least CAD, so I feel like they should be more specific about currency to avoid misinformation getting around

The hype, leading up to the release, felt bigger than when the system came out.

Wait, it wasn't 15 million?!

Nintendo totes screwed the pooch here, champs!

Seriously though, that's insane (both good and bad) feat to pull off. Even if I remain steadfast to my physical collecting, Switch 2 nailed the launch momentum with relative ease.

Just wished SEGA was a bit more forgiving on those Key-Cards, would have bought Yakuza.

Haven’t turned my PC gaming rig on since Switch 2 arrived and don’t plan to for months to come.

Looks like the Deuce will eclipse the Wii U even faster than Switch Uno did!

I accounted for 2 of those sales (one for me, one for a coworker who had no luck in 3 rounds of the Japanese lottery) and I’m enjoying the system except for the fact that Nintendo couldn’t adopt a more affordable physical media for games and instead stuck us with this game key nonsense.

Overall, though, I’m happy for Nintendo and looking forward to some fun games on the way.

Skip buying three drinks from Starbucks and...BAM!!!...you can suddenly afford the $20 increase of a 1st party Nintendo game.

The Internet is wrong again and I guess that news I read last fall of nintendo making sure they have more than enough units for the people that want them available at launch was right.

I know its currently cool to crap on The Switch 2 but I’ve been enjoying my time with it. The key card stuff doesn’t bother me cause pretty much every time I got a switch 1 game over the last 8 years I’ve needed to download a huge portion of it.

This whole mention of tax to get that game closer to $90 is ridiculous, because it means all the people wanting to stick to $60 games were not actually paying that in the first place.

@Yoshi3 I do know that, but its usually assumed by default as USD unless otherwise specified. I may have overreacted somewhat tho. I'm just really tired of seeing misinformation spread. I'm sorry. Anyway, why do you have the US marked as the location on your profile if that's not actually where you live??? (I actually checked before I made my initial comment which is why I thought you were from the US)

@HammerKirby I like the mystery 😜. And don’t worry, sorry if I overreacted too.

selling the $450 system with $50 mario kart was the easy part, like nintendo said they wanted to prioritize selling systems as soon as possible

luckily i dont think fans have that many problems with the system or game quality. if the product is good people will buy regardless, but it'll be an uphill battle from here now that the $50 game bundle price isnt an option anymore

i hope to get one someday, but for now our switch 2 bundle price converts to +$600 oof

The best way to celebrate this achievement is with an Nintendo Direct that continues the hype and success of the system.

Nintendo is doomed! Rock on and happy gaming, everyone!

People here were wrong again with their hot takes. More at Eleven. If you thought the S1 fanbase size was gonna exodus in droves to Steam Deck or whatever over a $10 price increase for Software of all things (hint: Sony and MS isn’t above that including third parties) then don’t know what to tell you.

People that love Mario Kart or whatever popular Nintendo IP is gonna play the system that has it. Simple as that. It’s a system that is a safe investment for games when you just take one look at the successful S1 exclusive library.

Can someone explain to me what is up with all the youtubers saying it'll fail or it's trash or my favorite it'll be the downfall of Nintendo?

Is it just click bait or are they just hate filled morons looking for recognition?

It's like how dare Nintendo do well! They must go down! Please subscribe i need attention. Nothing urks me more besides maybe all the fake death stories about celebrities on Facebook.

Anyway enjoy your crow haters! You look pretty stupid right now 😂

Great news. All the people who wanted one seemed to get one day 1 or 2. Side note: how long until the comments are filled with something other than complaining about pricing? O/U 3 months?

@Anti-Matter We get it, you love your PS5. Jeez, it's getting tiring now.

That’s all fine and dandy but the joke is on Nintendo. With the higher priced games and keycards and whatnot I’ll be more selective about which games I purchase this generation rather than taking the “I have to have a huge library!” route. I have 4 games so far for Switch 2 and there isn’t much more coming this year so far that I’m interested in other than Metroid Prime 4. My primary focus has moved to retro collecting and building out my libraries for older gaming systems.

@Yoshi3 i believe games are still fairly priced. If i play a round of golf, 4 hours, i pay on average eur 60. Thats eur 15 p/h. When i go see a football match, eur 40 for 90 mins. I go to the movies, lets say eur 15 for 2 hours thats fun for eur 7,50 p/h. MKW is eur 80 for lets say 20 hours of fun (family members not included), so eur 4 p/h. Thats how i look at it and for me its a fair price.

People complaining that Switch 2 isn't different enough;
1) Don't appreciate how good a concept Switch was and are probably still in denial of how successful it was. It was so good they are still riding that train.
2) Don't know exactly what they actually wanted it to be lol.

It's an opinion that really takes Nintendo's creativity for granted and trivialised to the point of it ignoring all the little touches they've added to Switch 2. Infuriating. Especially since the console they probably prefer hasn't really evolved since it's first iteration lol.

@Yoshi3 Yea. Its all fine. I also feel like most non USD Dollar Sign currencies usually go higher than just a $10 bump from what I understand so thats also partly why I assumed that and kinda did a poor job explaining myself after lol. But now I know you just converted to USD.

@Ronnie1969 for me it’s not about the time. It’s about the quality. It’s like a lobster dish vs a McDonalds hamburger. Both take the same time to eat, but the quality of the flavor is what matters.
Nintendo is trying to make you think that, the bigger, longer the game, the more it should cost you. The “open world” tax.
But in reality they are just giving you emptier spaces and repetitive tasks to artificially lengthen the game and justify the time you’re spending there, therefore justifying the price increase.

That’s why Indies started being the saving grace of gaming last gen.

Someone remind me how many units Steam Deck has sold in it's lifetime? Maybe they'll shut up too.

@Yoshi3 get your point and i assume we buy product/services for good quality. For me golf games movies for example. Off course i will not compare a subjective price tag of a good vs bad quality game. But lets say we agree MKW is a good quality game (and if you disagree why bother mentioning the price) how would you come to a price sweetspot where you would step in?

Well deserved, it's an incredible piece of hardware, Mario Kart World is the most fun the series has ever seen

@Truegamer79 Here's my theory, they get engagement from both people wanting to defend the system and want to hate on it. Its really win win for them. Positive videos will have a more limited audience and thus less traffic. Like nintendo life, these creators live and die on people getting engaged in the comments and repeatedly coming back.

> Other platforms like the Wii U and GameCube shifted 13 million and 21 million units respectively during their lifetimes.

I know the GameCube was considered a bit of a flop, but that's even less than I thought.

Over 3 mil sold? That should be the signal to all third parties in Japan and elsewhere: prioritize Nintendo hardware instead of working backwards from PlayStation, PC, etc.

@Yoshi3 Thank you for addressing their ridiculous post. I didn't even want to bother. I'm American and know that there are a lot of people here who thinks the U S. is the center of the world. No matter how you slice it, the game prices are ridiculous, period

I received mine this morning. Currently, prices in China are quite fair.
The blank switch2 cost the same like in Germany ~470 € and the bundle was just 500 Euro here in China, so I went with the bundle.
MkW physical can be bought for 50-55€ here.
I guess this time China benefits from the many locations they can import all the Nintendo stuff from.

@GrailUK Somewhere around 4 million Steam Decks sold. Or maybe that was 4 million total PC handhelds sold combined (Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Legion Go, ect.)

I love my Steam Deck OLED, but it's definitely a niche product compared to Nintendo systems.

I'm very impressed with the Switch 2 though. So far, especially with the performance improvements to Switch 1 games.

@GrailUK - Dude, the Switch 2 is the first Nintendo console to be backwards compatible with (most) of the previous console's digital library. Sony had to slow roll that over a year for the PS5.

So getting a Switch 2 is essentially future proofing yourself for new games all the while keeping your backlog readily accessible. That's simply incredible.

And the new eShop is league better all around.

@DTfearTheBEARD If I had loads of disposable income, I'd have a Steam Deck too lol.

@Paraka umm, slow roll backwards compatibility on PS5? I've had my base PS5 since launch. And it has been backwards compatible with PS4 games (minus 8 or 9 games) since day 1.

I’ve been in love with mine since I picked it up on launch day.

@Paraka I'm not sure that's correct. Wii was fully backwards compatible with Gamecube. WiiU could play Wii games. I'll not even mention their handhelds. So the narrative that Nintendo doesn't do bc is a bit disingenuous. It maybe has sometimes felt a bit clunky because home console form factors tended to change lol. Still, I am blown away with how good it is (better than I thought it was going to be if I'm honest) and super excited to see what Nintendo craft over the next 8 years.

@GrailUK Haha, I don't have loads of disposable income. Being single without any children helps save a lot of money, or so I have heard, lol.

If you really want one and can save up for it, I suggest getting 1, especially the oled version. It's easily my favorite electronic purchase in recent years!

Were you able to pick up a Switch 2? And if so, what do you think about it so far?

@Paraka wait wait wait… am I missing something?
Or did you just forgot about the backwards compatibility that most Nintendo consoles usually have? Why would you even say the Switch 1 is the first one to have backwards compatibility?
Are you forgetting the Gameboy Advance, DS, 3DS, Wii, WiiU??

@DTfearTheBEARD I have a Switch 2. I think the console is lovely and way better than I expected. But, I am about the games not the hardware. Mario Kart is everything I wanted it to be. You check out any MK9 prediction forum and I was wanting more platforming (I mean, it's a Mario game!) Cyberpunk is just brilliant. I don't like first person shooters and I'm hooked in! (Love how some quests have foreshadowing to some of the moral choices you have to make later. Really intelligent) Aand Breath of the Wild is lush (still) Absoultely chill game. Should keep me going for a while

underwhelmed with the games released so far or those coming out soon and the focus on games being enhanced from last generation, will happily bide my time until a few Nintendo big hitters are out.

If anything I’m glad the “I saw a Switch 2 at my local Target so that is irrefutable proof it flopped” meme posts will finally stop.

I really regret buying mine and hate looking at the thing. All the anti consumer choices really hit home when you start playing this puppy!

We're at: want to use your games or saves on another profile?, want to use them on another systeem? .... you'll have to pay for that!

I paid around 600 dollars for console and controllers, paid for Mario Kart, paid for NSO plus. My sister did a time trial and got a message that she can't upload her time trial to the leaderboards because her profile isn't paying for NSO!

My extra save file wouldn't use Zelda notes because I had to buy the extension because the download I used is profile locked!

I can't play at my boyfriend anymore because the saves and games can only be played on 2 consoles. So I have to box my Switch 1, or never play at his house. Mario kart wouldn't start because my profile was linked to his and mine NS1! (I wanted to start fresh on NS 2 because of the horribly low memory on the thing..)

They're disgusting, and I hate this company at the moment.

@Paraka Both the Wii and WiiU were backwards compatible.

@Ronnie1969 for me it would have stayed at the same price tag as all other games. Why it matters to me is because I’m starting to see a pattern with Nintendo and their open world games, where they think just because they are now open world, they should be charging more.
My anger towards this is that they feel enabled to do it. For example, when TotK released, they said they would increase the price, only for that game, because it had a lot of content (and we all know most of it was rehashed, but that’s not the point) …

Anyway, they said that was gonna be a special case. Fast forward not even 2 years later… and then we get ANOTHER price increase because, by their logic, it’s another open world with lots of content (even though many say the MK free roams feels empty) What gives?

I think since Nintendo is just leaning into open worlds, they think they can justify themselves with higher price tags just because.

In my end is not because of a measly $10… it’s because they start to feel enabled to do it.
It’s a principle thing… like, I don’t know, not eating turtle eggs if we are going back to the food examples again 😜

It's only 4 days...to get those numbers is Record Breaking....

@Pickettfury
Sounds about right! Negative stories or videos are the main criteria. It gets people fired up and keeps the comments flowing. Nobody wants to hear good news.

Good for them.

Wow nice boycott guys, see you again when the OLED gets announced, we will get them next time!

In all seriousness, and I can say this because I’m not a CEO, suck it up yall. Let the ones who got it enjoy it, it’s not your money so why does it matter. Good lord.

I’m loving everything about this system. Probably my favorite Nintendo launch tbh.

@sethfranum Careful, he'll play the victim instead of reading the room.

@GrailUK Nice! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! Mario Kart World is so much fun! On an OLED TV, it truly shines. Looks good in handheld mode, too.

I bought Cyberpunk back at launch (PS4) and played through it on my PS5 through bc.
Besides the game crashing once every hour or so, it was a decent experience for me.
But after years of patches and DLC. I've heard it's a completely different game now, which I'm looking forward to playing on Switch 2 soon!

I never finished Breath of the Wild. Which of course, means I didn't even start Tears of the Kingdom. So I'm looking forward to playing those looking and performing their best on Switch 2. Same as you, those games will keep me busy for a long time!

@sethfranum

“ As to Switch 2 key-card-those other consoles already have key-card already”

Actually that’s not correct. Installing the game from the disc and downloading the game from a server is two different things so no these consoles doesn’t have Game Key Cards.

That's ok! But where is the content?

These are great numbers and the Switch 2 is still available in Germany. Nintendo is doing the launch right. Mario Kart World is a lot of fun and I like the console. Keep going Nintendo!

Now there needs to be a new Direct to keep the Momentum. Lots of third party support and a roadmap from Nintendo.

@Yoshi3
Long term they are really going to need to lean into their big AAA own studio games more than ever to get close to the Switch with switch 2.

It’s an amazing start but this journey will be a lot harder for switch 2 and Nintendos PR and games and amount of them from their studios will be need more than ever.

It’s a different time and price tag now.

@Truegamer79 The reason is probably that videos saying the Switch 2 will fail gets more reaction from people. It doesn't mean there are more of them or even that people think those videos are better than videos saying the opposite.

@PikaPhantom PS5 was launched in the middle of the pandemic. Wich created a lot of problems for them to get enough consoles supplied. It was the most difficult time to launch a console.

On the one hand, I’m happy for their succes.
On the other, I’m not sure this is actually good news for consumers. We’ve seen some very dubious business decions lately and I fear this might only grow worse.

The Switch 2 is about to outsell the Steam Deck... in 4 days...

@DTfearTheBEARD - I remember having to wait about 4 months for some of my stuff on the PS5 to be playable. I also remember that Sony dropped a statement that when they were done, all of it would be playable (outside a few obvious outliers).

Not discrediting Sony, at least they set the precedent.

@roboshort @GrailUK @Yoshi3 - You all just skimmed over the word "digital" in that reaponse. DSiWare, WiiWare and other eShop stuff Nintendo did was not backwards compatible. Which many saw as a problem around the 3DS.

This is just a return to form.

EDIT; Apparently upon editing a typo, I also deleted said word. That is on me.

@Anti-Matter Fella, you started that wall of text basically saying anyone on a Nintendo centric site is defending Nintendo. That betrays your mindset off the bat. If everyone is defending then you are positioning your objective opinion as an attack lol. I’m happy you enjoy your PS5. I get we are a lovely community here better than most but come on. You are in the wrong room lol.

It almost outsold the Wii U in it's first week. A lot of people bought the system, and I hope this will tell third parties to start developing more games for Switch 2.

@tobsesta99 Maybe some people have financial responsibility and understand the concept of.....saving up for something? They've had 8 years to save up for a successor. Weird assumption that everyone in here is on the breadline and Nintendo is making people's families starve with their new kit.

@B_Lindz Has the Steam Deck passed the Nokia N-Gage yet?

@Anti-Matter I just wanted to say there's no need to defend your opinion. Your perspective matters, and it’s completely okay to express fair criticism or even praise for a competitor. I know it can be tough when passionate fans push back, but please don’t let that discourage you. You’re not doing anything wrong—your voice is valid, and it deserves to be heard just as much. Anyone that doesn't like it, can simply hit the "ignore" button.

@Yoshi3 oki, got it. Btw i am with you on the turtle eggs 😁

I think like many others, the price of the system is pretty reasonable. What surprises me a bit more is that the cost of living is supposedly biting more than ever, and I thought it might be a bit of a slower uptake for that reason.

Maybe it's not as bad as I thought globally 🙂

@Anti-Matter You are basically complaining about Nintendo having a succesful console launch on a website created for Nintendo fans. What did you expect to happen? If you like your PS5 so much... there are other sites.. even one that looks a lot like this one.

But remember Sony has twice already increased prices this generation. And the latest PS5 Pro models do not come with a disc drive (to be bought seperately for about 1.5 Switch 2 game). Your ideal world of "only physical" is going to end. Within 3 years.

@Paraka I knew something was missing in your post. I guessed it was something like that.
Yeah with that I agree... I mean... teeeechnically the WiiU would be the first one because of the Wii Emulation.... but I know what you mean

Nice to see how well it's done. I hadn't expected it to beat the Switch, but I guess Nintendo put themselves even more on the map with the Switch than they had done already during the Wii era.

Regarding software prices, I guess it was long overdue and we can all complain about it, or we can just be smart and wait for discounts. I hear people say all the time that Nintendo software doesn't go on sale, but those people haven't tried looking at DekuDeals daily. Amazon is pretty good for getting discounts often. But the eShop is not the best place for 1st party discounts.

I got mine yesterday and I'm happy with it. The ZR/Zl buttons are a bit wiggly but this seems by design, if it were a huge issue it would have made the rounds online. So far mario kart is a blast (shocking I know) and playing botw in 60 fps is just chef's kiss. HDR I havent noticed much in Handheld (I dont have an HDR TV.) It is exactly what I expected, a stronger switch. Also the new magnet system for the Joycons is fantastic, though the little holder needs some getting used to.

@Anti-Matter Lol your comments are Subjective as hell in the interest of being anti Nintendo. Everyone here knows about your Sony bias undertones at this point.

@8bit-Man we are all aware of his opinion and if you fall for a guy on a Nintendo site liking kiddy games but playing a ps5 (talk about stereotyping Nintendo is for kids) then that’s on you. It’s insessant.

@Anti-Matter my console hype was absolutely the Wii. I flew to London to pick one up at Gamestop in Oxford street. Wii Sports with the motion controls made me so happy!!

@Thesharkfromjaws IMO the fact they're able to supply the demand probably bodes really well.

Typically they run out at launch and the 1st holiday season. If Nintendo can make enough to avoid shortages for Black Friday & Christmas sales the Switch 2 may have their best 1st holiday season ever too.

But the internet including some people here said this wasn't going to sell.

@HammerKirby More than 20 countries use the "Dollar" as a currency.

The Trump ex-democracy based it's dollar on the Spanish one.

@Yoshi3 I'm with you on this one, I've put about 10 hours into Mario Kart World and it's fantastic, for me it's the best Mario Kart so far. But, that's not reason enough for me ay it's worth that price, ive played indies that cost a third of the price and they have been fantastic too and gave me equal amounts of enjoyment as Mario Kart World. Just because it has open world exploration or more characters (which most are just the same characters but different outfit) doesn't mean they can charge more, especially when the main thing about Mario Kart is the tracks, in which case MK8 Deluxe plus the booster pass has three times as many for the same price. Plus we can guarantee Nintendo will bring out paid DLC for this game which will then take total cost past the £100 mark.

I just think these price increases are down to greed, Nintendo know Mario Kart is their biggest seller and is guaranteed to sell 20 million copies, at £50 that's a billion revenue which is probably 10x their development cost. There's absolutely no justification in charging £75 for this and same goes for most other companies charging this new price like with Borderlands 4, Outer Worlds 2 and Ghost of Yotei, these games sell enough copies to easily recoup their development costs and then some. It's just going to force more people into buying second hand.

Stunning console. Super happy with my purchase and I can't wait to see what games we get over the first 12 months.

What I like so much on Mario Kart World is the bigger, wider more lively tracks, and there are more of the one line tracks I loved in MK8👍

Curious about the next months. Summer Vacations could lead more people to buy a S2, black friday, thanks giving and christmas time.
I think Nintendo brought out their system in a good time window to take advantage.

@Arawn93 It's strange because he has such a bias towards Sony yet has 17,000 comments on NintendoLife but only 1000 comments on Pushsquare, so either he's here just to troll or he likes Nintendo more than he's letting on.

@Dar3dev Alright I get it. Read my later replies. Sheesh.

@HammerKirby Here in Germany it is €90 💀

Not only the fastest selling Nintendo console ever, but fastest selling console, period. Super impressive numbers.

@UltimateOtaku91 couldn't agree more. I mean, im cough 42 this year and my primary device is a ps5... but I have a nintendo tattoo 🤣

I'm not ashamed to say I love both of my children equally, but one does generally get more attention 🤣

Good start, hopefully they keep the momentum going because I want as much support from Nintendo & Third Parties as possible!

I appreciate for some that the Sw2 hasn't been the launch that some had hoped for. Pricing, key cards etc.

However, the early success is there and we have a whole gen of new Nintendo games to look forward to and the updated specs will no doubt keep the 3rd parties on board.

The futures bright, the future is Switch 2. 😎👍🎮

@GrailUK Turning things into a witch hunt doesn't help anyone and only drags the community down. If someone's opinion bothers you, it's often best to just hit ignore and move on.

I wonder how much was from resellers.

@UltimateOtaku91 Re: Mario Kart World pricing you can't really say they were guaranteed 20million sales or a billion revenue.

If the Switch 2 struggled like the WiiU then Mario Kart World would literally have zero chance of selling 20m, and would likely sell less than 10m. Businesses are going to price things so that they succeed in the lowest boundary of sales expectations, not the middle or upper. Pricing a game like they expect 20m sales as a given would just lead to catastrophic consequences if they failed to reach it.

Nintendo would have to be either barking mad or ridiculously overconfident to price Mario Kart World the same as what Mario Kart 8 was on WiiU, given the gigantic difference in scope.

That's a pretty incredible launch, I'm very happy with my day 1 Mario Kart bundle, my main worry was about how the backwards compatibility would be... but man was I blown away by how good it runs Switch one titles, some of them feel like they've already gotten their Switch 2 versions just from how good the dynamic resolution changes are or how smooth the framerate is.

One thing that I feel is not mentioned enough or at all with backwards compatibility is the texture popin fixes that it brings, on cars in Rocket league for example on the Switch 1 it could take upwards of 20 seconds for a car to load the high res version of the decal on them, but on Switch 2 it takes a fraction of a second and it never seems to go back to the lower res version, I've noticed it in other games too like on GTA3 where popin would happen on Switch 1, the Switch 2 makes it feel like a much more solid world as the internal storage is so much faster.

@8bit-Man it’s not a witch hunt reminding someone that if they don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything.

@Johnny44 I don’t know about other countries but here in Japan a lot of people weren’t able to but a Switch 2 that wanted one. It’s probably 75% or so that couldn’t get one

Good going Nintendo.

To barely anyone's surprise, really. NS2, as reflected in the relatively mundane but admittedly informative name, is the same peak gaming hardware format on steroids, even if the mileage may vary on these steroids' application points. Last gen's PlayBox launches sure had less versatility to them and dealt with their own launch contexts, but to be fair, nobody had particularly strongarmed either company into waiting for those contexts and belatedly joining the generation after several years dedicated to midgen upgrades (which, lest we forget, evidently paid off enough at least for Sony to repeat the move with PS5 Pro).

@TrueGamer79 "Is it just click bait or are they just hate filled morons looking for recognition?"

As per a popular saying these days, "por que no los dos?" After all, nothing motivates clickbaits like recognition (and possible consequent monetisation) hunger.

@GrailUK to many similarly fun people, Gen 8 was "Nintendo DS with a parallax effect and a weirdly expensive Wii peripheral", and at least one of the latter still bounced back to sell solid numbers and grow a solid library across the board. NS2 is "Super Nintendo Switch" in all but name, sticking to the guns that arguably defy moving on from yet still throwing in something new.

As for Deck, I just opted to pay in installments for mine because its generally limited distribution spelt little hope for significant import affordability shifts anyway. It was also more of a one-and-done investment to cover a multitude of PC exclusives or publisher-neglected multiplats (what are the odds of, say, Brutal Legend and its license salad being ported anywhere?) over a much wider past period and, for all of Deck's own fine print, in an ultimately much more convenient form than laptops or fellow micro PCs (for instance, capacitive touchscreens don't efficiently cover a PC game's point'n'click aspects but Deck's trackpads are well above my expectations in this regard). Hardly a platform to prioritize over the Switches for the same game, but a worthwhile satellite to them otherwise.

@Yoshi3 Nintendo has done open worlds since 1986 (so almost "before it was cool"), so I'm not sure if they revere the aspect enough to consider it a viable price booster for the notion alone. And not everyone is spoiled on modern open-worlder recipes like the generation who got to pig out on them during Gen 7/8; as someone who grew up on games that were lucky to allow scrolling back where you came from and didn't experience (or so much as witness) any Zeldas in his 8 bit days, I still find a lot to appreciate about all these collectathons and "question mark hunts", the environments feeling immersively spaced-out rather than "empty" to me. This is why I considered a free-roam Mario Kart the only incentive to make me pursue a latest entry ahead of the respective franchise binge, and that's why World put itself on my radar the moment it promised as much.

@garfreek uploadable times are online by definition, so them requiring an online subscription in a retail game is no news. Disney Speedstorm incidentally doesn't have such weaknesses and is a quality kart racing experience in its own right. As for playing a game on 2+ consoles, isn't this what the "online license" option remains for? It's basically the same old secondary console fare with the same old tradeoff of obligatory online connections.

Superb result after only a handful of days.

For me i was initially pretty underwhelmed, it doesn't have a huge selling point to it and no real hook as a new console. It feels like an iterative upgrade.

But on Sunday I had to work and the weekends are often really quiet so I took it with me and honestly playing Cyberpunk in it away from home was amazing and i'm totally sold on it. Brilliant!

@Aurumonado It’s been one week, settle down.

I’m in two minds:

1) Let’s see where the land lies after the initial release rush and see if it has the same install base as the first one (with obvious caveats - lets be real, Covid helped the entertainment industry). I can see those with a passing interest in gaming not being interested in such a high price for machine + games.

2) Alternatively, I’m hoping that this is a sales success as that hopefully means we’ve (finally) turned an economic corner, people have more disposable income that they’re happy to part with, and things are on the up.

@roboshort I was lucky enough to get the presale invite from Nintendo so I managed to get one. I got the bundle because no way was I going to pay that much for MKW.

Deserved Numbers for Nintendo 😊 i loved the switch, and switch 2 is just a beefed version with some new cool features. Love it.
Hopefully a new flagship Zelda is released within the next 2 years 😊

@Yoshi3
I do actually wonder why this price increase is so widely considered arbitrary.

There was a major inflation pretty much arround the globe in recent years.
The prices now reflect that.

And yes, I actually did do the math.
80$/80€ today is close to 60$/60€ in 2017 (Switch 1 Release).
Note: USD and Euro Inflation has been similar, which is why it's pretty much the same result.

The 90€ pricepoint for physical games can of course be discussed, though I would assume that the 10€ extra are due to the cardridge prices, which had already been an issue with Switch 1 games, as is well known. Differences per country in this regard can be due to Nintendo thinking that not every region is willing to pay that, even if there is a reason for the increase.

I have seen game prices going up and up over the years, but this one does seem less arbitrary than usual to me.

@B_Lindz Aye, the total sales of all storage versions of both the original and the OLED model Steam Deck.

I own a Steam Deck and it is a cool system, but I am aware that it is the most Niche thing in the world and has no mass market appeal when compared to something like a Switch, anyone who was yelling online of anything other than that was deluding themselves and trying to misinform others. Which is a shame because the Steam Deck is a number of things... but a Switch 2 rival it's not.

Nice! I don't have a Switch 2 yet, though I've been envious of everyone playing Mario Kart, it looks like alot of fun.
I'm planning on getting one as a birthday present to myself in early August, along with MK & DK.
Bring on the next Nintendo Direct!

@Truegamer79 YouTubers have been whining and complaining about Nintendo going to fail since before there was YouTube.

Happy owner of a Switch 2 myself! I contributed to these numbers, I’ve played my part 😁

Time will tell of course, but it is a nice start. I think with the announced games in docket, the momentum is there…but again time will tell.

@GrailUK Unfortunately, that's often not being voiced in a respectful way. A lot of the comments against him come across as unnecessarily aggressive and I feel they even cross the line into cyberbullying sometimes. If he's truly violating the community guidelines like you say, that's something moderators can address. There’s no need for a bandwagon of users piling on him every time he shares his opinion. If anything, that kind of behavior feels far more disruptive to the community. Just to be clear, I don’t mean you personally—this is more about the overall tone I’ve seen. Just my two cents.

@Duncanballs I honestly can’t wait to see what Nintendo devs are going to come up with when developing for it from the ground up. Especially Next Level and Monolith…those devs getting a generational leap in graphics after being stuck with hardware at or around Wii U level over the last 13 years is going to be huge

@Yoshi3 Well, everything is getting more expensive and the prices for games on other consoles are gonna get increased soon as well. If I am not mistaken, there's already 80USD games being announce on other platforms. So this is not a Nintendo only thing, it's just the world we live in unfortunately.

Perhaps we should blame our dear politicians instead for making trade more expensive and Mr Putin for invading Ukraine?
There's many other factors too, but the point is that everything is getting more expensive, heck even tomatoes are super pricy now where I live.

@Kirgo @DaniPooo we are talking about the Mario Kart increase specifically ... not the general increase.

The general increase is understandable, whereas the MK World isn't.

@8bit-Man Fair enough. I don’t condone a mob mentality 😀

Honestly, I’m not really surprised. Fans clearly had a craving for new hardware after many years. The negativity is mostly noise in typical Internet fashion. Switch 2 is definitely pricey but most fans will pay up regardless. I think the fear of scarcity and even higher prices in one certain country contributed a lot too.

It’s still too early to say if “casuals” will really gravitate to it though. I always knew fans would keep Switch 2 afloat in the first year, but next year on should be the real test. I don’t know if Nintendo can truly help the prices that much but they should keep the games coming as much as possible!

@Teksette so glad you got one at launch! How are you finding it so far? (The Deuce - hilarious)

@Paraka Okay. The WiiU was actually backwards compatible with the digital library for the Wii, though. But the WiiU backward compatibility functionality sucked to use because you had to restart the system and go into "Wii mode".

@spiderman0616 For real. TBH I wasn't so active here and more active on Push Square as I was playing mainly on PS5 Pro and the Switch was just there for family games with my wife and kids. But I thought the Switch 2 is cool enough and could be my go-to console for everything since I don't have a lot of time nowadays.

Since I got the Switch 2 I just launched the PS5 Pro once to claim the monthly titles and that's it but I'm actually playing Cyberpunk 2077 and Mario Kart World a lot nowadays.

@Truegamer79

People love the negative vibe nowadays. It's clickbait.

Those YT dudes are the same guys that have been screaming for 5 years that all they need is a Switch with more horsepower and now they have one. It has (almost) evertything they asked for, but they can't admit that because they know that being negative generates clicks.

That Dreamcast guy is one of the worse ones I have ever seen.

@Yoshi3
Maybe I am missing something then.
Mario Kart 8 did cost 60€ (don't know the usd price) so, I don't see much of a difference to the price increase in general.

As far as I can remember, MK games have always been full price and MKW still is?

@Kirgo MKW costs $10 usd above the regular Switch 2 game... the reasoning behind it is because Nintendo said the content offered in it is really high because of the open world. (Which many people are saying its barren). MKW is the special case in which they are raising the price $20 or 30 usd (depending on your country) above the previous generation. ($60 USD)

Which... lets be honest $20 USD is A LOT if you go back 2 measely years. Its a 30% increase.

Honestly i think everyone needs to get over the $80 price thing. it want even $80 if you bought the bundle so i really don't understand what all the furore is about. Things are more expensive now, its just facts, from coffee to pints to your car insurance. Thats just the world we live in whether you like it or not, I do not understand all the hate nintendo is getting for this when we all know things like GTA VI are going to be $90 likely. Its not their fault. Nintendo have brought me so much joy over my life i don't want to see them fail, I want them to remain profitable so they can bring me more joy, whether through movies games or theme parks. A world without them would be a worse place and if £10 extra is the price to pay for that then i'm fine with it. Fake internet rage is so passé.

@Arawn93 anyone could tell these people the Steam Deck won't ever get mainstream attention for one simple reason... Mainstream consumers generally don't like gaming on a PC. They don't want to fiddle with settings, the possibility of a game just not working or deal with the the thought of viruses.

The thing has sold 4 million units in 3 years... Which is fine! That is great sales for a niche product... But the idea of it ever replacing a Switch to mainstream consumers was a out there idea in the first place.

I also highly doubt the Xbox Rog Ally will do much to change that perception for mainstream consumers either.

EDIT: for context this coming from someone who does most of their gaming on a custom built PC.

@tsim21 I think you answered your own question. There are far so many more important things than videogames that are raising in prices that people DO worry about that instead of thinking which videogame they will be buying every 2 weeks. Which in turn, will be thinking how to spend their money on hard times.
And I think it's ridiculous to compare MKW at $80 with something like GTA 6 at $90 just by content alone. If they release it at $80 then Nintendo will be the laughing stock.

@Yoshi3

Some people don't care about the $ 10,00 increase compared to other SW2 games, some do. You care, I don't. You don't have to try to convince others that they should care.

I play a MK game for years, same goes for my girlfriend and my kids. Hundreds of hours of play time. That's the way I calculate a luxery product like a game for myself.

@Cyrax77 you don't have to convince others that they shouldn't care... see? It works both ways.

Also I don’t have to convince anyone… I'm voicing my opinion... you don't want it to live rent free in your head? Hit that ignore button. Its free, and such a beautiful, civilized and elegant solution.

@Cyrax77 it's simple cost to time investment. If you know the game will be a centerpiece of your gaming/family/date nights it's an easy purchase.

Mario Kart 8 has been a part of my gaming rituals with my family for over 10 years now. Of course $80 for Mario Kart World is a no brainer purchase for me.

The $80 price tag I think is harder to swallow for folks for games they know will be a one and done. Which is very fair! But, for those there are always sales and despite what people think Mario Kart goes on sale a LOT so Mario Kart World will too.

that is way lower than what is needed to meet the demand for this console, Nintendo once again says something and doesn't deliver

Good on them! Establishing a strong base early will be great for both developers and players. :v

@KBuckley27
You can only make things so fast, and warehouses are only so big. As long as the boxes keep flowing through the rest of the year, everything is "bon".

@Wexter
I'm not the one having a little trouble with other peoples opinions

I do get why people have an issue with a $ 80,00 pricetag.

This is awesome but I hate the fact it's always sold out,I really hope to get one soon!

@Anti-Matter If the PS5 had more interesting exclusive games then maybe it might be half as good as the Switch 2, you still on about the Mario Kart's price tag and game key cards? Donkey Kong a 1st party game isn't that much infact it's a lot less so not all Nintendo games will this pricey plus if you get the console bundle your only playing £35 for MK World as for the game key cards you can still resell and a lot disc based games since PS4 need the internet and downloads to do anything, heck that's why Sony and Microsoft is trying to ditch the discs by offering consoles where you can only download games, that's one of the big reasons why I never want a PS5.

Wow 27% of the total Wii u user base is impressive. Will be interesting to see the momentum that follows considering its higher price.

Happy with mine and glad they didn’t reinvent the wheel for the sake of it.

@Anti-Matter Okay. Your feelings are meaningless when talking about actual hard sales numbers, though. Doesn't matter what launch made you feel whatever.

Is 3.5m units in 4 days a lot? give the switch user base are over 140m?

@Discostew Yeah, they say stuff like that to attempt to inflate the problem to be bigger than most people think it is. The argument that games going from $70 to $80 or even $60 to $80 hasn't convinced most people who won't skip a game for the rest of linear time and instead just wait and save to afford the game. So the meta has become trying to make it seem like it's /really/ $60 to $90, if you squint realllllly hard.

@Ade117 That reminds me, when ARE we getting Doom: The Dark Ages? Maybe it'll be announce at that upcoming Direct, whenever it is

That’s awesome news!! I’ll be picking one up closer to the end of the month (hopefully).

And everyone better buckle up, game prices have gone up across the board. It isn’t just a Switch2 thing.

@milonorth I hope it's not too long, but there are other communities where the complaints have never stopped in years. Every single post about Rocket League anywhere on the internet is always flooded with "bring back trading" or some variation, so we may be seeing it for the long haul.

The good news is that group of people is relatively finite, so if you just block every one of those comments, after enough time you will have filtered out basically all of them. If it just keeps going, I'm gonna do that. Unless they block me first and take care of it for me 😄

I just wish we had more Switch 2 launch titles. What's there is strong, but I wanted to see more. I also like the Switch 1 upgrades, but I'm surprised there weren't any third party titles on board with day 1 upgrades. I'm guessing Nintendo is riding on backwards compatibility to see the Switch 2 through the end of the year seeing as how few first party titles are releasing this year.

That's good at launch but let's see if it could keep that momentum going forward with the rest of 2025 and into 2026 and 2027.

I expect that sales will be strong in the beginning as the diehards get their fill, but with numbers dropping off after the launch period. I just don't believe the average consumer, or even people that primarily play on other platforms, is willing to drop the cash on the thing. None of my friends play video games and they think I'm crazy for paying what I did lol

@Pod Switch Nintendo has had years to get way more 3.5 million Switch 2 for launch and it might take till end of the year until the next batch of Switch 2 are available for people to purchase before it is sold out again for months

I bought one, and am enjoying it! 100%'d Welcome Tour, got 3-star gold cups on all the 150cc Mario Kart World tours, and have been trying out the Pokemon Violet enhancements and doing a play-through of Wind Waker on NSO.

Just like the Switch 1, I went to a midnight launch at the same store as before, and the Switch 2 experience was much different than the Switch 1 experience. Although I didn't have a pre-order this time.

For the Switch 1's midnight launch, funnily enough, the only people in line at this particular store were ones waiting to get their pre-orders ASAP. There wasn't a single not-preorder person at store opening. By comparison, the not-preorder people for the Switch 2 launch greatly outnumbered the pre-order pickups. There were also a lot more people, just in general.

I don't know why people were saying it was a quiet launch. Lots of people I knew ended up getting the system and several others are interested to buy it eventually. The demand is definitely there and the data, sales lines, and receipts are present to prove it. Whatever numbers Nintendo puts out in the first month (it could well be 6 million +) will be match during Nov/Dec. There's no question this thing is gonna be a 20 million seller out the gate in its first year.

@branchus
Is it a lot? Kinda.
If it kept up that pace, it would outsell the first Switch before Christmas. But I know, I know, that can't, couldn't, and won't happen. ^^

@KBuckley27
Hardware wasn't finalized until late last year.
What we are buying now is the initial half year of production.
Nintendo are likely opening more production lines as we type this, and they will probably have sold 10 - 15 million units come Christmas.
Will they be sold out this whole time? Maybe, we'll see.
Could they have made MORE? Probably, but we can assume Nintendo to be better at weighing the costs/benefits of doing so than we are.

@Spaceman44 They act like Key-Card you first need to install the game with the Disc even though the disc is just the downlead and the other your using your account to download the game aka Code-in-Box tied to your account so same process. One requires the Switch cart inserted to play the other your PS account is the registered Lic holder for the game. So nothing different here.

Huh I could have sworn various clickbait videos told me it was a flop

Great sales figures and not 100% expected even though there were two very long lines at the launch I attended and reports of Best Buy had that all over the U.S. I've been enjoying my time with the system as it's been a great way to play a lot of my Switch 1 games and of course there is the excellent Mario Kart World. Of course, the usual suspects are trying to downplay this figure but take their words with a grain of salt.

And to the ppl saying "it only had 1 launch title!" Did you have this energy for PS5 and XS? Because those consoles had virtually nothing exclusive at launch ("virtually" is doing heavy lifting there because PS5 had one and it was a remaster, while XSS technically had zero). If not, save it because we know you're not coming from a place of good faith when you criticize NS2's launch lineup.

@Yoshi3 no games were announced at 90 dollars. Stop spreading misinformation.

I have really been enjoying mine. It still isn't replacing my Steam Deck OLED as my primary gaming machine, but it has been a fantastic family gaming device. I have no qualms with it at this point.

still need to get myself a switch 2 man seriously i want to play mario kart world,cyberpunk 2077 and street fighter 6.

Excellent and exciting news! Even better than I anticipated. I was expecting it to be Nintendo's fastest selling hardware of all time, but not the fastest of any console ever! This is the best news possible for motivating third-party's to increase their efforts with the Switch 2: faster ports and better optimization moving forward. As others have said, now the pressure is on for third-party's to begin development with Switch 2 specs while sliding textures and other bells and whistles around for other platforms.

I am incredibly satisfied with my purchase. In online photos the Switch 2 appears a slightly boring dark grey, but in person it's a premium matte black, akin to Apple's latest matte black MacBook Pro. You really can't fully appreciate how classy and nice the console appears until you hold it in person. The UI is as snappy and responsive as my old GBA SP, and playing AAA games of a quality anywhere from PS4 to Xbox Series S feels like a huge milestone for mobile gaming when you experience it in person.

Pricing strategies are not ideal for older enthusiasts who have lived many years accustomed to different way of life; change is always difficult. But now is by far the very best time to be a Nintendo enthusiast, not only for the exciting future of software that lays ahead, but also for the sheer availability of classic titles that are already playable all on one system.

@Yoshi3 people that work, don't care about the price dude. It's just one game priced like that, and there were people that got the Switch 2 bundle with Mario Kart, and got another Switch 2, and got the game separately, and others who got the console without the game, and bought the game on physical. Nintendo has the best consumers, because they just pay, they know it's worth it. Win for the consumer, win for Nintendo.

@BinaryMessiah to be fair we're getting another first party game in a month, and the entire backlog of Switch games are now upgraded with faster load times and performance so it's a great time to try out titles you missed out on the OG Switch

I love how the haters got seizures by learning this. Those guys, they say that not buying the games, and hacking the console, is what is going to make the game industry thrive, when it's the absolute opposite. Nintendo will dominate the new generation of consoles, that starts with the Switch 2, and will make the game industry grow even more.

I'm kind of confused how the Switch 2 is managing to sell so well at launch. All Nintendo consoles do best at launch but due to the circumstances surround this one, I'm surprised. We're in the middle of a terrible recession thanks to a certain you know who and the console has like one exclusive right now (Mario Kart), how is this console doing so well? Are people this desperate for escapism in 2025? I know I am, but I can't get past the price personally. I don't think people where I live can afford the Switch 2 or its games. In Canada, games went from being $80 to $110! I could afford $80 easily but $110 is a big oof. That's a lot of wages for Mario Kart! The console with Mario Kart is $700! It's sad, but I'm holding out for either a a steep drop in sales resulting in a price cut (wishful thinking, I know) or inflation to get even worse so the Switch 2 looks affordable. We're getting ripped off in comparison to USD and its so unfair... I was going to be first in line to preorder until I saw the price...

@GrailUK He's already playing that card....

Also this console has now sold more than 1/4 of all Wii U units. What a time to be alive.

@Picola-Wicola
Hi Pic! I am enjoying The Deuce, feeling privileged to have afforded it and a few games on launch without selling a lung. But wow will my June credit card bill be painful!

I've played mostly MKW and Cyberpunk 2077. Cyberpunk especially is eye-opening because it's giving me a glimpse of all the AAA graphics-heavy cinematic games I have denied myself over the years, since I decided to own only one console (the Switch) since 2017. I'm going to enjoy seeing more fancy ports come to the Deuce in the future, like Elden Ring, and maybe Baldur's Gate 3, though I'm resigned to having to purchase them as game keys, probably.

Were you able to get a S2? How are you finding it?

Me im passing on switch 2 this generation..cant support what they are doing with prices ...they are now as greedy as sony..sorry huge pass this gen...ill stick with my series X

@maulinks is your country the only one on the planet?

@Yoshi3 Yes, I declared my house a sovereign country, bow to...! uhhh I haven't named it yet.

@Yoshi3 my country is brazil, and here the games are even more expensive in direct conversion, but the cause is mostly local taxes than anything else. It was the same for switch 1. We have one of the most expensive iphones in the world, for instance.

What is your country?

@Teksette That’s great to hear, and wow, I am in a similar boat: the Switch was my main gaming platform for the past generation too, so I have also missed out on all those AAA titles which rely on graphics and frame rates etc. I got the Mario Kart bundle on launch day, so I played that solely for the first few days (the online races are utter chaos, in the best possible way) but I picked up a physical copy of Cyberpunk late yesterday so have spent a couple of hours on that today. It feels strangely wonderful to be playing a game that looks this good on a Nintendo console doesn’t it?

Not that surprised, but kind of still am given the fact the system is also the most expensive Nintendo console ever made along with increased game prices.

David Gibson, senior research analyst at MST Financial told CNBC that he expects 20 million sales for the year ending March 2026.
For me as a gamer I dont care that much.
For me as an investor i keep a close look at the Nintendo stock.

No matter how many achievements Nintendo makes over the coming years, the goalpost will be moved because they love another corporation more.

That are great numbers from Nintendo Switch 2 in 4 days 3,5 million sold. İ hope Nintendo Switch 2 will sell more in the upcoming days. There are great games coming like Donkey Kong Bananza, Hyrule Warriors Age of İmprisonment, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, Kirby Air Riders and The Duskbloods.

Later days İ can see a new 3D Super Mario game, new Super Smash Bros game and new 3D Zelda game.

@Truegamer79 It's always been like that with consoles and especially towards Nintendo.
I think it's classic "Nintendo is for little children and we teens and adults are cooler and play consoles that have ADULT games" continued with GRAPHICS. Even gaming has changed a lot since 90s, there are sitll smol and unfortunately loud group that think games are for teen boys and young men only. How Nintendo dares to make games for families and all ages.

(and then they go and try ware Nintendo games)

I have Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games that I do enjoy, like Mario Kart and Zeldas (tho I'd love to have some good car game for Nintendo too, like old Need for Speeds used to be) and then I have PC for everything else.

If there were ever an advertisement for the (correct) theory that the internet’s famous negativity is a vocal minority of contrary super-‘fans,’ this is it.

Curious to know how many steam decks were sold in the last couple of weeks too. Feels like thousands of people were resolute that their disgust in Switch 2 had sent them to Steam Deck.

Hot air, as usual.

@Paraka
The 3DS was backwards compatible with the DSi digital games!

The =NEW= 3/2 DS was backwards compatible with the 3DS digital games!

WiiU was backwards compatible with Wii digital games!

My thoughts, if anyone cares (or reads this far)! The main complaints seem to around pricing, and the power of the system. Dealing with pricing, all gaming is expensive and this is largely to do with inflation. The Switch 1 launched in the UK at £280 in 2017 and if that is adjusted for 2025 it would be around £385. So that means the Switch 2 is almost identical to Switch 1 price at launch. The PS5 cost £449 at launch! Game prices have gone up but unfortunately so have developer costs; one can blame Nintendo for being greedy, but that standard would also have to be applied to every other company. On the whole, gamers consume more of this media now than at any other point in history. When I was growing up games were really expensive, and you would buy 1 or 2 games a year!

People being upset by the power of the Switch 2 is bizarre, but comes down to a tribalistic mentality. So far it would appear that Switch 2 can run current gen games and run them quite well. And this really bothers a lot of people. If you have to justify your own purchase by the metric of how much 'better' it is than someone else's, then I'm afraid you are the one with the problem.

Now onto the actual system! This feels like the first time that Nintendo has done something quite different with a new mainline hardware launch and that is that they have gone totally iterative with their new console. What I mean by this is that it does not feel entirely like the 'next' Nintendo. Usually, with each new system there was a sense of moving on from the previous generation, which is not present here at all (possibly because I'm replaying BotW!!). Nintendo has always done revisions within a generation (e.g. ds, ds lite, dsi), but never between generations. And I think that feeling comes from no real change to the UI. This makes me think that Nintendo is placing the Switch 2 along side the Switch 1 for the time being, and time will tell how that works out for them. I think this really comes down to a testament of how good the Switch 1 actually is. My concern around this though, is that should this have come to market a couple of years earlier which would have bridged the gap in generational cycles.

Finally, we've not really seen what Nintendo is planning on doing this generation. MKW is good but so far it has not been the massive leap forward I was expecting. This may be because I have not spent enough time in it yet (damn BotW, why did that game have to be so good!), or because it followed the pinnacle of MK. The Switch 1 had BotW and I don't think it can be overstated how great that game is (and yes it is better than TotK!).

In conclusion then; will the Switch 2 be successful? Yes. Will it shift Switch 1 numbers? Probably not. It has already become the fastest selling console of all time, and I think that is of the back of a 'soft' launch! Nintendo hasn't yet revealed what it has up its sleeve when it comes to the Switch 2 (or maybe it has!😄).

If anyone does read this, then I really appreciate you getting this far!❤️

I'm not too shocked with the initial wave of systems and pre-orders waltzing out the door relatively quickly. The die-hards were ready for some new Nintendo hardware, and while it's the most expensive Nintendo console ever, It's not too outta whack what with what MS and Sony are selling their consoles for.

I'm more curious as we go through Summer and get into the Fall with how well it will continue to sell. If it remains a somewhat difficult prospect to just waltz into any retailer and buy one, then you know it's selling really well. If subsequent restocks start languishing on shelves for extended periods of time, then that tells you the more casual audience isn't rushing out to buy the system in droves like that did with systems like the Wii and original Switch.

I do think it wasn't a bad time to launch. Kids and such are outta school for the Summer and wanting things to do and the early adopters got a chance at the value bundle with MKW included. And it will give some lead time building up to the Fall and the holiday season for more games to come out and make it a more appealing device even if the only notable AAA launch window games are MK and DK at the moment.

@arabiansanchez don't listen to the Steam Deck crowed in general. In total it has sold between 4-6 million units within 3 years. Which is perfectly fine numbers for a niche gaming PC. But, in any reality if this was compared to a console, it is more Wii U than Switch... Or even Xbox One.

I like the Steam Deck fine enough, but when you look at the cold numbers... It was not a Switch killer like so many people predicted. It is almost as if general consumers don't want a gaming PC and are perfectly happy with buying consoles.

And this is coming from a PC gamer.

@Colonel1000 People being upset by the power of the Switch 2 is bizarre, but comes down to a tribalistic mentality.
This line sums up all the hatred towards Switch 2. They can't say price or game prices as those others cost more then Switch 2 and games is just MKW the rest of the standard games don't have that price. But if you were to read only what they wrote they make it sound like it just Nintendo doing this. They can't stand the Fact Nintendo is now dealing Power and it butte hurts them.

@Gatorclops Not the entire catalog. A good handful of games are completely broken. Most are getting performance improvements without updates, while many remain blurry. Nintendo chose performance over quality, which I guess is what most people want. Any quality updates would need direct patches. I foresee many older franchises never seeing these, but Nintendo updating their emulation layers in future system updates could see improvements.

@TheSaneInsanity The Republic of Dave. Hopefully someone gets that reference.

@poyo_pie Rage bait pays the bills. Honest and wholesome content does not. It's the way of social media.

@BinaryMessiah sad but true. The narrative now is that big bad Nintendo is destroying all of gaming, and it's the fault of switch 2 succeeding.