We’re just over a week away from the launch of the Nintendo Switch, which releases in the United States on March 3 for $300. Any way you slice it, that is an attractive price point for a console launch, especially given the Switch’s design as a home/portable console hybrid. Like any piece of new gaming hardware, you’re going to be paying significantly more than the asking price of the console if you actually want to have any games to play on the Switch at launch, but the recent news that the digital version of Dragon Quest Heroes will take up more storage space than the Switch includes out of the box reminded me of just how expensive this thing is going to be for anyone who wants to do some serious gaming on it.
Best case scenario, you’re out $360 (plus tax) on launch day if you’re just looking to pick up a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with the Switch, which is what I’m sure many plan to do. However, I’d wager that most people are going to want to have a bit more than that before long, especially since the Switch (and Nintendo consoles in general) is designed with multiplayer in mind. Since the Switch only comes with one pair of left and right Joy-Con controllers + dock, you’re going to have to pony up for more controllers down the road if you want to play with other people and that’s where things really start to get pricey. A single Joy-Con retails for $50 and the price climbs to $80 for a pair, which is more expensive than a standard PS4 or Xbox One controller (and that’s not even counting the additional $30 you’ll have to spend if you want another Joy-Con Grip to attach the controllers to).
Photo: Nintendo