An early price for Nintendo’s next gaming console, due for a March 2017 launch, suggests it will continue the company’s legacy of undermining rivals Microsoft and Sony when it comes to price.Sources speaking to enthusiast outlet Lets Play Video Games say
that UK retail chain GAME will be selling the console at a starting
price of ?199, with the Switch Pro controllers retailing for an
additional ?39.99.
At today’s exchange rates, this roughly approximates to an Australian
RRP of $330. However, a $350 price-point seems prove more likely among
Australian retailers.
This puts it in line with its immediate predecessor, the Wii-U, which launched at $349.95 back in 2014.
Given the original Wii undercut the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 by
approximately $300 and went on the outsell both – shipping a total of
101.52 million consoles worldwide – a low Switch price is a savvy move
by Nintendo.
According to Shannon Grixti, editor and owner of popular Australian gaming site Press Start Australia, “Nintendo’s main issue with the Switch is getting people to NEED it.”
For the Switch to take off among typical gaming audiences,
he says, it needs to capture the same excitement as the NES Classic
Mini did earlier this week.
“Nobody knew about it three weeks ago, but now everybody feels like they NEED it and will buy it regardless of price.”
The NES Classic Mini launched earlier this week to
overwhelming demand, draining Amazon’s stock of the console in less than
sixty seconds and bringing down the EB Games website yesterday.
Shannon says he hasn’t “seen enough yet to convince me
that the Switch is going to be a better value proposition than the Wii
U. Even if [third parties] get on board, people already own a PS4 and
Xbox One which are both more powerful.”
“At the end of the day, price will help but it’s not
enough to get people to buy in. The Wii U has come down quite a few
times and I know people that still haven’t bitten.”
Still, it’s worth considering the state of console gaming.
Both the Playstation 4 and Xbox One have been on shelves for two years
now. A lower-than-expected pricepoint might be all Nintendo’s next
console needs to break through that stagnation and encourage a swell of
early adopters.
