Five Ways The Switch 2 Reveal Has Been A Huge Win For Xbox

Games publishers, and Microsoft are incredibly dumb. If an average customer sees a Nintendo game for $80 or a 3rd party title for $50 which are they going to buy?

Many of these Switch 2 titles will cost a pittance to port and have been on the market for so long they’ve already made back their costs and turned a profit. In other words every dollar made is gravy.

So instead of being greedy, challenge Nintendo in pricing. Customers and gamers vote with their wallets.

Microsoft should list all their ports for $50 at most. More people play their franchises then see on the Xbox they can buy a console for $299 and play all the games they like for a monthly rental fee.

Five Ways The Switch 2 Reveal Has Been A Huge Win For Xbox

And one way it could be a real negative:

On the other hand, Nintendo is paving the way forward for games to become more expensive to buy. We all thought it was going to be GTA6 that raised the ceiling, but the increase we see Nintendo introducing is both shocking and alarming. Nintendo have introduced pricing that has increased by as much as 50% (from £50 to £70-£80). Whilst I don't foresee most game publishers raising their prices by such a high percentage, it certainly raises the possibility of games on the Xbox rising to £80 or more. GTA6 will be the next big test. If they come in at £80 or above, then £80 will pretty much become the norm for every AAA game. It could be even higher than that if GTA6 costs more than £80 as it will effectively legitimise any future increase in cost...

@Fiendish-Beaver I look forward to the next generation where every game is free to play or perpetually rented by a subscription because nobody can afford them anymore.

It costs more to make movies now but cinema tickets, digital purchases and Blu-ray Discs are still £10 a pop.

I agree on a lot of points that ironically, Nintendo charging $80 for 3 of its Switch 2 games (2 of which are Switch games enhanced and/or upgraded with content) does make the inevitable price increases for the next PS and Xbox more palatable for a lot of ppl so that is a win for companies. For gamers...not so much.

@RadioHedgeFund tbf, it looks like third parties are generally not charging the same price as Nintendo is for some of its games ($80 is not even Nintendo's standard price, but it's been found for 3 games). Street Fighter 6 is $60 USD on Switch 2, for instance.

I'm not sure these are as big as wins as implied.

As noted, Sony and others were already charging for next-gen upgrades (and upgrading PS4 games to PS5 was a pain in the chair padding (look at the 2K and Activision crossgen nonsense), Don't get me wrong Xbox Smart deliver is fantastic, but if it didn't win over folks by now, they aren't going to care what the Switch 2 does.

Digitally and UK speaking, the most expensive Switch 2 games are £67 (DK is less, the gamekey games are also cheaper suggesting this is production related), that's cheaper than most AAA Xbox games which launch at £69.99. Physical prices are only £5 higher than a AAA Xbox game (if it gets a physical launch) but Switch 1 games were like £10 more expensive at launch before eventually settling down to digital levels.

@RadioHedgeFund Where are you getting new films at £10 a pop digitally? Because Amazon, Now, and Apple are charging £14 a pop, and if it's premier, it's £20.

Also, what Cinema are you using? because Odeon charges £16.50 for adults and £11.99 is lethal for our family of 5

Oh hey Pure Nintendo website is back up.

Not sure which cinema you are using, @abe_hikura, but my Vue cinema in Plymouth, charges £5 for a standard seat, and £7.50 for a reclining, more spacious seat.

I agree with you on the pricing of blu-rays though. I personally only buy UHD / 4K films now, and it is often the case that these cost around £25 when bought upon release...

Not every announcement is about Xbox

To be frank, Nintendo's new pricing might have only been a predicted reaction to obvious world trading war that is ongoing and will undoubtedly result in global price increase in video games as a luxury goods. Just saying..

I think there’s a fair bit of cope in this article.

Asus handheld is going to be more expensive.

Gamepass is already good value - but last I checked, it doesn’t have the Nintendo games on it that people will buy the switch 2 for.

Nintendo raising prices means both MS and Sony will follow suit. As soon as one does it the other 2 follow.

How does MS have any manoeuvrability around consoles - none are available to buy? And they are the most expensive of the 3.

Sure they will make more money by selling on switch2. And thats all MS care about.

I totally agree with everything that you have said here @Fraser_G
I feel a bit disappointed that Nintendo are essentially bringing loads of old third party games that most will already have anyway.
Whilst game price increases were expected, I think they are far too high for many people.

I feel Nintendo are being incredibly greedy and anti gamer tbh.

Xbox offers real good value that neither console is matching to the point that I think they could actually succeed on the idea of offering the best console experience and porting games to other consoles to capture those loyalists that aren't moving, but it's all worthless if Microsoft isn't aggressive with their marketing and they don't do anything to make the value of an Xbox clear.

We also don't know if Xbox will push against the tide or if they'll look at the data from this generation and see it as more beneficial to ride the wave Nintendo and Sony are causing. That's a real concern I have. The industry attacked the budget console Series S and despite offering more consumer friendly value Xbox hardware sales are pretty lackluster (not terrible but not really great either just like exactly okay). Sony's anti consumer strategy so far has done a much better job getting gamers to upgrade.

Consoles are in such a crazy place right now. And I only think it's going to get worse. The $700 PS5 Pro (disc drive and stand sold separately) combined with the $450 Switch 2, basically confirms that the PS6 is going to cost $600 minimum if not $700 with the pro upgrade being $800 or $900. Xbox could continue offering the best value they do now, or they could match Sony and reap the benefits that way if they don't think people care enough to switch over. Consumers in the market have signaled that they don't care anymore and will take this crap lying down. Heck, one major thing that kept me from believing that the next Xbox would go full windows PC or include other storefronts like Steam or abandon proprietary hardware for OEMs (all of which has been rumored) is the pricing and how Microsoft would subsidize to stay within the console market. Well, their competition has just changed the narrative. The gloves are now off. Xbox can go full windows PC and sell the next gen box for $1000 and we'll take it or leave it because somehow the next PS costs more and the next Nintendo console isn't that far behind (I'm exaggerating but that's also looking more and more possible; these consoles are about to be as expensive as a new iPhone or Samsung).

I disagree.

Xbox never understood that games are 1st.

Most people dont base their console choice on where the game is cheaper and where subscription is better.
Average console player owns less than 10 games (regardless of platform).

Switch 2 going to sell gangbusters. People dont care about extra $10 if the game is great and it sells you console.
MK world looks incredible already and is a systemseller day 1. Way bigger than PS5/SX launch.

Moreover, switch 2 is a big threat to xbox series s audience as basically will be able to run same games but also have portability, all bells and whistles and nintendo games.

@BaldB3lper78 This is happening because people let the Nintendo Switch get away with it. Switch games should've been $50 at most. The entire device was weaker than the Xbox One and PS4 and games purchased on it were technically the lowest performing version possible. Nintendo first party as well really wasn't justifying their $60 price increase and especially not when they went for $70. Game development couldn't have cost as much as the AAA games whose prices they were matching. Game freak certainly didn't need to sell the same Pokémon game twice at $60 with a $40 expansion pack to stay afloat. Nintendo also still refused to go on sale. There was also stuff like locking older gen games behind the Switch online pay wall (imagine how Xbox gamers would respond if you could only use backwards compatibility if you subscribed to Game Pass). Gamers continue to let Sony and Nintendo get away with no free cloud saves. Not to mention Nintendo has just consistently always been the most anti consumer and recently they've taken it a step higher with how they threaten to impact the industry with their ridiculous patents and Palworld case.

Yet throughout it all their fans have eaten it up. And Nintendo has been highly successful. So of course this is the natural progression and I can only blame Nintendo so much, because if I were in their shoes and had the data they had about their gamers then I'd take advantage of it too.

Xbox console should really market itself as a budget friendly device. We need more aggressive price cuts for SX and GP should not have any price hikes soon.
THis could be the good plan for next gen if its a traditional console. Make it $549 with GP that sticks to $20 and powerfull enough as ps6.

@RadioHedgeFund movie market is way bigger. Also people consume way more video content than video games. Average casual gamer will play 1 game for months and most are stuck for years or even decades at this point with the same game.
People dont need 5 new games every month and they dont want another sub. Thats why GP is not popular enough.
Ask your casual friends around. THey will probably name couple of games they are interested in, no one will tell you they need a constant stream of games every month.

@WildConcept6 consumers dont care about PRO models and some upgrades but want actual games. Hence nintendo can alwasy get away with their greedy tactics.
Switch 2 with $90 MK world will be best seller.
Thats a real systemseller right there - something xbox does not have at all and even ps 5 is questionable if you own/owned ps4.

@Millionski Odd take at the end consider the Switch already outsold the Series S and now the Switch 2 will cost $150 more than the series S and still be weaker than the Series S. The switch 2 won't be any more competition for the Series S than the Switch already has been.

I'll just say that if exclusives were all that mattered than the PS3 could have sold people on the $600 console eons ago, the WiiU would've cracked at least 15 million sales, Sony wouldn't have fought like hell to prevent the ABK acquisition, and the entire console market wouldn't be stagnating. Really Nintendo's price increases are a sign that despite even their success, they can't really find another way to make more money other than charging the same gamers more. The Nintendo Switch was a good success, but the reality is that they essentially just merged their handheld (DS) consumers and their home console users. At their peak they were selling 150 million DSes and 100 million Wiis. They came back from a low moment, but they're still facing the same issue the rest of the market of not being able to attract a lot of new gamers.

@WildConcept6 series s was a big gap to switch from tech standpoint and they played different games. Now switch 2 catching up and for someone who is OK with performance of SS but also wants exclusives - switch 2 is an option.

My take is switch 2 has and will have exclusives and also is poised to sell very well. It will be a threat to xbox consoles, current and next gen. Unfortunately, xbox has neither so people are looking at other platforms.
Like having opportunity to play gears and mario kart on one device, along with portable+docked mode and such is big for many.
People here dont understand that most dont care about these extra $10 for a game or $100 or even 200 for a console and people want just better experience with more popular games. HEnce ps5 beats xbox, hence switch beats all.

@Millionski This is the major issue the gaming industry is facing and it's mostly being centered in the console market. Consoles were meant to be the gateway to gaming for all, but have largely failed to attract large audiences. They've now become very stuck. No platform is seeing a significant number of new gamers, but costs are rising and their shareholders want growth, so what are these companies to do? Microsoft is expanding the Xbox ecosystem and even making first party games available on rival platforms, Sony is making games available on other platforms (PC and Switch) far less frequently and consistently while also raising prices and doing all their accessories (VR and portal), and Nintendo is absolutely refusing to make games available outside of Nintendo consoles and instead just massively raising prices while also massively controlling costs.

But this all worsens the problem. People who aren't already huge Nintendo fans aren't going to see these ridiculous prices and make this their first Nintendo console (at the very least not nearly enough) and we get stuck in this cycle where consoles are constantly making themselves less attractive to new consumers, so they HAVE to keep raising prices to grow (or losing exclusives and releasing on other platforms). It's really a dangerous game because with the advent of cloud gaming, people don't need gaming consoles or PC rigs to play AAA games. On top of that PC gaming is becoming more accessible in price and user experience. Even mobile gaming (which is already massive) is starting to see more console games. Apple has proven that the likes of AC Mirage can run on the latest iphones. All of these things are set to continously improve as all consoles seem to be able to do is raise their prices. People talk about how the Switch 2 is KILLER for offering 3 year old first party games at full price... what happens when the iPhone does the same? When the latest flagship Android can? When cloud gaming and internet infrastructure improves so much that anything with an internet can play the latest releases?

@WildConcept6 nothing happens because iphone does not have mario kart world, next smash game, next splatoon, etc

switch 2 is a killer because of form factor and exlclusives and all bells & whistles.
yeah in 20 years consoles will be likely dead but whats the point of discussing it now? for now the only dying one is an xbox

@Fiendish-Beaver for me sounds like switch 2 existence sounds more like another L for MS. No one cares about these "nice-to-have" things like smart delivery and such that we appreciate or more hardcore audience appreciates.
Consoles are mass product, not some niche thing so it need to cater to average more casual player.

I clearly see switch 2 as a threat to series S and xbox overall. If it plays more or less same games but also have nintendo exclucives and also its all in portable mode as well => people want to buy switch first, then something like PS for games like GTA and spider man and then do they want another box (xbox) for...game pass?

@Millionski People care, hence why the gaming industry has been facing problems ever since COVID ended and wallets are squeezed tight. Video game consoles and video games themselves are a luxury entertainment item. They're a hobby and very quick to go once prices start increasing especially in economic states like we're in now. All of the consoles are losing because all they can really manage to do is upgrades (slightly more or slightly less), but they're failing to grow as costs rise and the industry faces internal and external constraints. Companies that are managing to attract new consoles don't jack up prices like this. As stated, Nintendo was very successful in combining their handheld and home console audiences and finding success in returning to their former glory there, but you're seriously living in this fantasy land where everyone will race to the stores to buy a Switch 2. They won't. Current Nintendo fans might. Probably will, but most likely adoption will be slower than it was for the first Nintendo Switch. Regardless, most sales will continue to be upgrades. Beating Xbox in hardware sales isn't success. It's also worth mentioning that Nintendo is only winning in terms of hardware sales. They trail far, far behind both Microsoft and Sony in terms of total gaming revenue (and no, Xbox didn't only surpass them when they bought ABK or started going multiplatform; Xbox gaming revenue has been higher than Nintendo's for a while). We don't know margins, but I'd expect that's also influencing these pricing decision.

... and never mind. Good lord, why am I bothering? I mean, lmao, the iPhone is ALREADY a bigger gaming platform than any console. There are a few billion mobile gamers compared to the 150 million peak consoles see. My comment there was that eventually mobile phones will see more and more higher end games you once needed a console to access and those platforms will continue to grow as consoles fade into irrelevancy if they can't do anything other than charge higher prices. But I get the strange feeling that not a single word I say matters to you. I guess if you enjoy the future Nintendo has laid out, then go for it.

@WildConcept6 why I should care about revenues of MS especially now if they go publisher way? And margins?
Not hard to make most money when you buy out half of the industry and go multiplat.

I talk about consoles. The most popular one with best selling games and most rated games is switch. Thats a fact that for some reason you cant get over with. That defines a success for console. Always has been.

During covid people bought switch to play animal crossing. That was a big phenomen and one of the most selling games in industry
And yes switch2 will be sold out and will be a huge seller again.

I am not denying phones and eventually consoles will die. But I care on console and things are today with them and in foreseeable future.

I dont know why are you bothering so hard to defend MS.

Everything being an Xbox means I’ll also get to play Nintendo games on my new Xbox handheld also known as the Switch 2 when I get one. Makes sense for Xbox as a publisher but not for Xbox as a console in the future. But thats a good thing imo.

@abe_hikura my odeon charged £5 for Adult and Child. It’s so cheap 😂

@abe_hikura They’re an average of a tenner each on Apple. VUE tickets are £6 a pop.

@IronMan30 then I hope they keep it that way! There is no way Nintendo are sticking with $80 as an RRP going forwards. Or did they not learn anything from the 3DS launch?

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I agree. There have been some tone deaf and smug responses to this on PX and PS. If you look at SNES pricing in 1993 and adjust for inflation, games were WELL over $100. New PlayStation games in 1997 adjusted were close to $100. I’m puzzled as to why anyone thinks that this is somehow unprecedented. Not defending Nintendo, but this isn’t 2008 anymore. The world isn’t the same, the industry isn’t the same, and there are new waters to traverse. If you compare prices from the 90s and 2000s through an inflation lens, $80 feels generous. That being said, I still agree with everyone that it sucks. I certainly am not looking forward to that with Nintendo games and the INEVITABLE hikes coming to PlayStation and Xbox games.

These next level price points certainly do make sub services more expensive, but one has to ask, if prices continue to rise for individual games, sub costs will to, no?

@EvilBear you can’t compare with ‘inflation adjusted’

In the n64 era (for instance), we got the full game on the cartridge, we got fancy boxes, manuals, artwork, posters, maps all kinds.

Now we get a cheap case, cheap disc and bit of a cover. Without the game on it. While manufacturing costs have reduced, supply chains are better.

Then there’s digital, where there’s no reason for it to be as high as it is.

Xbox is definitely doing a lot right when compared to Nintendo. Will Nintendo straight smoke Xbox for another gen? Probably and they'll make a lot of profit. Can they avoid the curse of messing up every other launch? Looks like not haha

OK, My ten cents on this...

Microsoft threw down the gauntlet when they offered Sony a lot more than they needed to with the ActiBlizz settlement, and Sony's not reciprocating.

Nintendo's Palworld litigation and numerous anti-emulation and anti-fangame stances recently have made the whole fact they released MKW at $80 and require you to double dip for 'upgrades' make them as bad as Sony.

All Microsoft would need to do is make a xCloud 'console' that's say $150 (including a controller), a Series S successor that's around $300, the handheld at $400 and their Series X successor at $600, and they would be able to gain interest from quite a few people since they'd be the only company who actually are selling to the budget market.

Yes, they might not have Mario, Starfox, Splatoon, Pokemon, Zelda, Metroid... but tell me this... How many of Nintendo's internal franchises have really had much in the last few years?

@ValentineMeikin probably should remove all that clutter and make SX successor and make sure to undercut ps6 with pricing. Also GP price hike and BS tiers doesnt help.

But its too late. Damage was done irreversibly at this point. Their console whatever it is wont sell any good. Its not even exclusivity situation but aggressive marketing against console and push to all devices. People just be happy they dont have to buy another 600-800 box to play bunch of games since they will be able to play them on ps5/pc.

Not quite. Nintendo has NSO while no where near the same level it does offer a number of benefits that would be paid otherwise (the Zelda upgrades come with NSO) and access to classic Nintendo games…many of which shaped the industry. Nintendo is also still getting a number of games that Xbox isn’t (that Xbox should get mind you. Many of the JRPGs that skip xbox make it a poor comparison to Switch or PS5 and there is no reason for that).

The game everyone is talking about being 80 is 50 in the system bundle. So you don’t have to pay 80. And it’s the only 80 dollar game. The rest are 70 or less just like PS5 and xbox.

The console price maneuver for Nintendo is the Switch Family of systems. Switch is still getting new games including flagships like Metroid Prime 4 (I have preorders into next year). And the S2 is backwards compatible so if you bought a lite at 199.00 you can upgrade to an S2 later and just transfer your library. Or you still buy a Switch (at 299 or 349) which has a library of well over 15000 games (before someone screams shovelware I have over 800 and while my tastes are varied I am not buying Nori Love Rage Shooter 3 or some nonsense) which means that jumping with Switch is still a good starting point to lead you to S2.

I am not saying the Switch 2 is everyone’s cup of tea but if I didn’t have a game system and looked at both the Series X and the Switch 2 offerings, I would buy a Switch 2. Xbox has some serious pluses, but the wins cited in this article requires one to not have researched both options.

You can lend, borrow and RESELL the digital games on the carts.

Can you do that with a digital purchase on Xbox? No.

The Switch 2 edition upgrades are included free if you have a NSO Expansion pass which most people will have. It's like not having Game Pass and an Xbox. Unlikely, you'll have the subscription for online anyway.

Anyone complaining that Pure Xbox shouldn’t be covering this needs to understand that the website lives on traffic.

This article has more comments than most of the past few days articles. It’s okay for them to do articles like this to draw people in and get people talking.

Also, most gamers don’t have tunnel vision. We like to compare and talk about the competition a bit (or we are multi platform gamers and like to see what each camp is saying).

@Justifier Not correct, you don't have to buy from Xbox store you can shop around just like on PC, so..
Assassin's Creed Shadows is £51.99.
Monster Hunter Wilds is £45.99.
Etc, prices from cdkeys.

@RadioHedgeFund yeah, I figure they'll back down and make it $70 for most games but to save face they'll just discount MKW more often than they normally would have.

I went from not really caring about the Xbox handheld to suddenly having a strong interest in it. If I'm going to be paying $450 for a Switch 2 it's like I might as well be cross shopping it with something like this now, and if Nintendo wants to start charging $80 - $90 for their games the prospect of me getting a next gen handheld with access to games I already got from Xbox, along with the much lower price games will likely have on the Microsoft store makes the Xbox handheld look a lot more attractive.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Are you suggesting that cardboard and instruction booklets that were included were worth $40- $70? I absolutely can, just like every other commodity, compare the prices on a dollar from that era versus now.