Switch 2 Sales Reportedly Struggled Over The Christmas Period

The Steam Deck is the better product anyway. Got one recently and damn is it good.

nintendo is having its PS3 moment

a comically overpriced console with few interesting exclusives made by an arrogant company high on the success of its predecessor

The Switch 2 is the first console I've just outright skipped in... well... years now. I guess since the Wii U?

Just every piece of news about it as it was coming out made it sound less and less appealing...

$70 games (that never get discounted because Nintendo.)

Games aren't "games", they're download keys.

Special SD cards that are more expensive.

Microphone support requires a subscription after 1 year.

Charging $10 for a hardware demo that should be included, like Desk Job on the Steam Deck.

And, like you say, the remote detonation option, which is burning legitimate players:

https://www.gadgetmatch.com/nintendo-switch-2-lawsuit-bricked-consoles/

Generally with new hardware it's "Hey, what's not to like?"

With the Switch 2 it's more "What is there to like?"

I didn't get one because it's too expensive.

Steam deck was a little pricey but it has a backlog of games going back like 50 years, and I already have a large library. Plus the games are cheaper.

1. AIn't nobody got no money.

2. It's a Switch, but they added a "2"

3. $80 for Mario Kart? At that price, we've got Mario Kart at home.

In all seriousness, the Nintendo Wii was REVOLUTIONARY when it came out. It was gangbusters when it released. It was $249, which is about $400 in today's money, but for a completely original and amazing new system. The Wii U wasn't exactly as revolutionary. It was a controller with a screen that you couldn't take with you. It was a flop.

The Switch was a modern equivalent of the Wii. It was new. It was different. It was a mobile gaming console.

The Switch 2 IS THE SWITCH. There is nothing new about it to the everyday consumer mom and dad. There are no cool new features. No cool new games. It doesn't justify itself or the cost to the sticky fingered kid next door who is content with Minecraft on the original Switch. Nintendo did what an American company led by shareholders would do and continued to do more of the same and will likely blame the consumer.

I doubt the ability to brick your console remotely played too large of a part in this. It's far more likely the asking price combined with the general economic situation for the average consumer, combined with a worse screen and a lesser launch offering of titles. For my own biases, when you see how consoles have required online subscriptions and how your old games don't automatically run at higher settings when you buy the new machine, I wonder how much more gas in the tank consoles even have without some fundamental transformation.

I like how this article does not talk about the anti consumer practices engaged in by Nintendo, that might push some customers away from their consoles.

The average consumer does not care about this. The biggest reasons for people to not buy a Switch 2 are 1) people don't have money and 2) lack of major first-party games. I waited months until I found a MKW bundle for $450 at a black Friday sale.

Once we get the next 3D Mario or Zelda, you can bet they will sell a lot of consoles.

We're broke

The biggest issue is the price. I remember a time when even the poorest kid in class had a Nintendo because it was cheap.

The last cheap Nintendo was the 2DS over a decade ago. Most parents are looking for cheap hardware with entertainment and there isn’t anything which comes close to it.

Even the switch lite is the same price as the PS3 bundle back in the day. And it came with 2 real controllers and a game.

I was a Nintendo kid growing up, so I'm biased. But I can't even defend them anymore. Their uncompetitive prices and anti-consumer practices are completely out-of-touch. I hope they either start listening to their fans, or go away and allow their games to be sold on other platforms...

Gee could it possibly be because there's absolutely nothing compelling about the product? Everything about it is just crap.

It's overpriced for what it is, pretty much all of its features are gimmicks and do not demonstrably improve on the original, everyone knows their games are overpriced and never reduce in price, and if you breathe on it in the wrong way Nintendo will sue you for 1100 quadrillion dollars. What's not to love?

Nintendo shot themselves in the foot by aggressively going after the modding and archival communities.

They will never get another cent of my money and I own over a dozen Nintendo consoles.

I didn't buy it because fuck Nintendo. They treat their customers with such disrespect and disdain, a company that's only bring held together by nostalgia alone. They've gotten into a cycle of seeing just how much money they can get while putting in no effort.

Three reasons: 1) It's too bloody expensive. 2) Most people are scared to spend money right now. 3) The USA as a global superpower, is morphing into something decidedly more sinister.

I mean, what is even there to play that you can't play on Switch 1?
New Mario Kart? Donkey Kong whatever?
I'm sure they're good games, I just don't see someone who already owns a Switch buying a whole new system just for them

Hardly any exclusives. Hardware is more and more meh with every release. We broke. Steam and GoG are so convenient I don't even think about it. Nintendo will die a patent troll death.

Everyone not on Nintendo's bubble knew a while ago. The Switch 2 was being discounted in ways that no successful console would be, the PS5 outsold it in key markets, and third party software sales for the Switch 2 are abysmally low.

Personally, I prefer not to be Nintendo because of Nintendo’s behavior, but the price is why they still struggle to sell these.

They sold a ton right out of the gate. Everyone that really wanted one already got one. After that, they need parents and grandparents to get them for the kids and that isn’t going to happen as much.

Nintendo was basically a “toy”. You could, for the most part, safely buy a Nintendo console for your kids at a somewhat reasonable price. (I know the OG consoles were a bit pricey).

You could buy your kid a handheld console for ~$200 or less. The Switch 1 was $300, but you could still get your kid a Lite for $200.

Now, the only option is a $450 Switch 2.

I’ve been having a fantastic time with mine. Kirby Air Riders is an excellent sequel to one of my favorite childhood games. Cyberpunk went on an accidental super sale and I was able to get the complete edition for $17 USD. Fortnite doesn’t run like dogshit anymore. The console feels more sturdy and premium compared to Switch 1. An extra charging port on the top makes extended tabletop play possible now.

However I’ll always welcome headlines like this because the more Nintendo struggles, the better they get. Wii Sports was incredible and everyone had it. Switch 2 Welcome Tour should have never been a paid game and none of my S2 friends own it.

I mean, it’s very expensive. If I were employed when it released I’d have probably gotten one, but there’s what like 2 games that are exclusive to it?

It can wait until I can afford one. Probably on sale.

The main thing holding me back is the fact that it doesn’t have an OLED display. With the price hike between the original and 2, in my opinion it should’ve launched with an OLED as standard. When even cheap phones come with it, Nintendo has no excuse not to include one.

And the game prices also aren’t helping, I imagine. Not when the games themselves are lacklustre as well. The new Mario Kart should’ve been a system seller. But the people I know who own it, have reverted back to playing the previous version. That’s a baaaad look.

I’ll likely buy the Switch 2 when they launch an OLED and release a new Animal Crossing.

Fuck Nintendo

what does the switch 2 do that the first one doesn't? other than have the ability to brick the device on you

The games are prohibitively expensive.

Even if you calculate hours-of-entertainment-per-dollar-spent, it’s crazy expensive.

The same is true of PlayStation and Xbox too (and has been for a decade or more). At least in US, don't know about Europe. This is not to defend Nintendo, just saying that if that was the issue, it would effect all the consoles, and would have been effecting them for last many years. Average people don't even know about these, and many probably don't even care.

There might be more to this, but with the current economy, and consoles getting more expensive instead of cheaper as time goes on could be some of the reasons, IMO. And there weren't much holiday sales this year.

First year sales are also generally limited by supply, not demand, so it will be interesting to see how Switch 2 does in its second and third years, specially if we do get next PS and Xbox next year.

I bought the Switch 1 on launch and loved it, it was everything I was looking for on a console. However, every single joystick broke. I bought several joy con packs and they all drift heavily. Even the pro controller drifts. Nintendo Iberia refused to even repair them. They gave me the option to either replace them with a 20 euro discount or pay 20 euros for them to ship them back.

Awful product quality, awful support, zero accountability. Guess what, I'm spending my money elsewhere.

(Ex) Nintendo fan here. I've owned every Nintendo console and handheld since the NES (even the Virtual Boy!) Right after the Switch 2 announcement in April I got a Steam Deck and never looked back, and I love the thing. The list of cons for the Switch 2 is immense - the price of the hardware, the price of the software, Nintendo's extreme anti-consumer practices...in the past, Nintendo at least had cheap hardware going for it. No longer. The list of Switch 2 exclusive games, both released and announced, I'd even want to play is also minuscule. Mario Kart World (which doesn't look even remotely worth $80) and Donkey Kong Bananza are it so far. I thought it would be difficult to not be able to play new Nintendo games, but they've made it extremely easy so far. I'm good with either never playing them or playing them emulated many years from now. It's very clear that Nintendo has become just another soulless corporate game company.

I am so happy to see Nintendo fail.

I bought a Switch day 1, I bought a Switch Lite day 1, there are 2 other Switches in our family... there's no way in hell I'm ever getting a Switch 2 or any other product Nintendo makes.

I have one, I like it as a slightly better switch, but, yeah. There's not a lot of reasons to get one for now.

Mario Kart World and Age of Imprisonment are disappointing, most of the other first party games are just upgrades of Switch games, including Prime 4 that's... Meh.

Bananza was a lot of fun, but it's not selling a whole console.

It's early and there aren't a lot of heavy hitters yet. But for me, Kirby Air Riders alone was well worth it, I waited 22 years for this sequel and it delivered.

I doubt it's a common cause, but my impetus for boycotting Nintendo was Garry's Mod. They sent their lawyers after animators, who actually get people more interested in their games. Their litigious nonsense caught up with them that time.

Hah, we got a second deck, too.

My son got 2 Pokémon games and a dlc. Seems like there's plenty of life left in the Switch 1 for now, so no need to update.

When we got the switch 1, it actually sat unused for most of the first year. After a while we started to really enjoy it though. Maybe we'll get a switch 2 in a year.

I hope they struggle the company underground.

The unwashed console plebs can join the gamers with the Steam Machine/Deck and see what gaming is supposed to be like.

There's still shitty stuff happening, but you're a lot less beholden to specific companies over here.

I don't know if I'll ever get one, and I play my Switch fairly regularly.

It is SO MUCH more expensive than anything undecided to play in my PC. And the exclusives aren't very compelling lately.

When can we own it ourself and mod it?

The first Switch had a unique form factor when it came out, now there are deck pcs that replicate it, even with detachable "joycons". Unless you want to play a handful of exclusive titles there is really no reason to buy it, especially since the old switch will now drop in price.

I’m a ps player mainly because I got the PS1 to replace my Saturn and haven’t had many bad experiences with Sony so far, but I’m definitely looking forward to the upcoming stream machines and will probably get a Steam Deck sometime soon.

I'm going to get one at some point, because my OG Switch's battery swelled up so I got rid of it. It's more about being able to play my existing games, than being in any way excited about spending £70 on new ones. 😔

I wonder if it's because they had 10 million ready to go in June for launch so most people who wanted one got one then. Especially because it'll never go down in price, why wait until the holidays unless you have kids?

They haven't had a crossover hit yet. The Switch had at least 2. Breath of the Wild on Launch and Animal Crossing during COVID. Hoping Star Fox get's a major Breath of the Wild type jump for the series and maybe a new IP. Metroid would be good to have a new sub-series that changes up the formula for 3D adventure. Hopefully a new IP too

This is my shocked face: 😑

I like my regular Switch (because it's jailbroken and I haven't ever paid Nintendo for any game on it) but I see no reason to ever get a Switch 2 when the Steam Deck exists.

Well yeah, it's expensive and they didn't put it on sale. This was obviously going to happen.

When I picked mine up (I knew I'd get one eventually and didn't want to risk the prices going up like they did for other consoles), I saw 5 people walking out of BestBuy with a PS5 for every Switch 2 that sold, and the numbers seem to support that the PS5 outsold the Switch 2 over the holiday period.

I bought one during black Friday. I'm not a big fan though.

The price doesn't turn me off. But I'm very happy with my Steam Deck OLED. If Nintendo ever releases an OLED version, I'll consider it for the Nintendo exclusives, but right now there isn't a compelling reason. I barely pick up my Switch 1 anymore.

I got mine for 99 DKK including Mariokart because the shop selling it fucked up their discount. Best value I've ever gotten. XD

good

Needs more games. Next mainline Zelda or Mario and I'm in. Was never a DK fan and Mario kart isn't enough.

I'm not really surprised. I kind of saw this coming with the price and how the sales started dropping after the launch.

I was talking to a friend about it and i just got brushed off by him saying "The numbers are too large too mean anything". It's crazy how people like him just buried their heads in the sand

Gen z hates Nintendo for their bad business practices.

The Switch 2 is not expensive.

The people that think this are getting screwed by their jobs but they don’t want to think about their wage stagnating while their boss buys extra boats and houses.