Is the Nintendo Switch Expensive?

There is a narrative forming around the Nintendo Switch, according to online commentators and gaming sites the Nintendo Switch could be the "most expensive system" 

Now odds are you thinking on of two things, "it is expensive" or but it's cheaper" so I've decided to take a look at what I've spent on consoles I've bought on day 1 (would be wildly unfair to compare an post launch purchase vs preorders). Traditionally I have bought consoles with the intent of playing with someone else day one, whether it was when I was living "at home" it would be with my brother or "nowadays" with my wife. Regardless of "who" I intend to game with day one my plan is always the same. "grab a mixture of games and a pad"

Xbox One
The most recent purchase on my list, which was bought using a mixture of online preorder (so a little cheaper) and walking in my local GAME on launch day.

 

Day One Edition console: £429 (online)

Dead Rising 3: £49.99 (online)

Forza 5: £54.99 (retail)

Controller: £55 (retail)

Battlefield 4: £44.99 (online)

Total: £633.97 for 3 games, the system (+ Kinect), and two controllers

Nintendo Wii U
Nintendo's last system I picked up from my local HMV, frankly their prices for games was all over the place with Ninja Gaiden III for £59.99 but Sonic was £42.99

Premium console + Nintendoland: £299.99 (retail)

New Mario Bro's U: £39.99 (online)

ZombiU: £49.99 (retail)

Sonic All-Star Racing: £42.99 (retail)

Pro Pad: £29.99 (online)

Total: £462 for 3 games, console and two controllers (plus the hundreds of Wii accessories)

Nintendo Switch
Now I'm going to break down my Nintendo Switch preorder, which includes 4 games like the X1 but some are smaller titles thus cheaper.

Grey Switch: £279.99 (online)

Breath of the Wild: £48 (online)

1, 2, Switch: £34.99 (online)

Bomberman R: £44.99 (online)

Sniperclips: $20 UK price unconfirmed (digital)

Total: £382.98 for 3 games, the system and two controllers.

And that right there is what I suspect is tripping people up, They seem to be rushing out to grab additional Joy-Cons (£74.99 for a pair) and Pro-Controller (£64.99) because that's what we gamers do but, the reality is that the launch line-up hasn't justified the need for 4 Joy-Cons (ARMS isn't out till the spring) and the pro-controller isn't mandatory.

I've seen people's online lists include things like the charging grip (£27.99) stating it as a 100% necessity but again that's not true (yet). The Joy-Cons last 20 hours off a single 3-hour and 20 minutes charge. Only the person this effects is a super hardcore who wants to game for 20 straight hours in console mode but didn't buy the Pro-controller. The reality is a lot of us gamers have our controllers on charge when they are not in use often in accessories like this.

Which retails at £19.99

The Nintendo Switch has one of those built-in and even when ARMS launches and we decide the motion controls are the only way to play it (Nintendo has CONFIRMED it will also 'normal' controls) we aren't going to need both sets of controllers in play 100% of the time.

You'll also see peoples lists containing 256GB SD cards for the system, again saying it's a 100% requirement. Yes 32GB isn't a lot but neither is the 4GB found in the 3DS, or even (in contrast to their game sizes) is the 500GB in the X1/PS4. 32GB should do for day one and should even last us to payday.

That's not to say the accessories are cheap but considering each Joy-Con is own fully functioning controller, as well as unique features not seen in other pads like HD rumble, NFC, IR sensor and motion control. The premium price of £74.99 (for two and bumper rails) is warranted, but it is only after launch will see if it's justified. It is a similar story for the  Switch Pro controller at £64.99 but it features all the same tech as the Joy-Cons bar the IR sensor.

Of cause we're still in the pre-order land where prices are sky high, it only takes a look at the non-launch games prices to see we're still dealing with full RRP placeholders. By Christmas 2017 I'm sure Joy-Cons will be down to £59.99, Pro pads at £49.99, and the games will sit at the same price as the other two systems.

Abe's Take
The Nintendo Switch hits stores in less than a month and as we've seen today the Switch is only as expensive as we make it. Trust me I  know the temptation to buy everything we'll probably could need right away, Hell I nearly bought an arcade style fight stick for Xbox One on launch day and that would have been embarrassing as A)it was expensive as the console and B) Only 3 fighting games hit the Xbox One and none of them is Street Fighter