We’ve been hearing all kinds of rumors that suggest that the Nintendo Switch follow up, dubbed the “Nintendo Switch 2” by the fans, will be announced and released sometime in 2024. However, Nintendo has yet to officially release any information about the mysterious console.
As it turns out, Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy Kantan Games, recently posted his forecast for gaming in 2024 on Gamesindustry.biz. Needless to say, the Nintendo Switch 2 was a topic that came up.
“I believe the next hardware will drop next year for $400,” predicted Dr. Serkan Toto. “There is a high chance that games will cost more, too: $70.”
On one hand, this would mean that the Nintendo Switch 2 would launch at a price lower than the Xbox Series ($499.99 for the Xbox Series X) and the PlayStation 5 ($499.99 for the disc version).
However, this would also mean that Nintendo Switch 2 will be the first Nintendo console that will be priced at $400. However, counting for inflation, it technically wouldn’t be the most expensive console that Nintendo has ever released.
Digital Trends has a nifty listing that has recorded the prices of all Nintendo consoles so far. Additionally, we can also see just how expensive each console was for their times due to inflation adjustments.
According to Digital Trends, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo, the Nintendo 64, the GameCube, the Wii, the Wii U, and the Switch launched at the prices of $180, $199, $200, $199, $250, $300, and $300 respectively. Counting for inflation, these consoles would be priced at $428, $414, $329, $290, $320, $336, and $316 respectively in 2020.
In other words, the original Nintendo and Super Nintendo systems of their times are technically the most pricy Nintendo consoles. Regardless, this seems like a step up in price compared to the Switch.
• Nintendo Entertainment System – $180 ($428 with inflation in 2020)
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System – $199 ($414 with inflation in 2020)
• Nintendo 64 – $200 ($329 with inflation in 2020)
• Nintendo GameCube – $199 ($290 with inflation in 2020)
• Nintendo Wii – $250 ($320 with inflation in 2020)
• Nintendo Wii U – $300 ($336 with inflation in 2020)
• Nintendo Switch – $300 ($316 with inflation in 2020)
We’ll also apparently be paying $70 for games going forward. Of course, it should be noted that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had already been priced at $70.
Dr. Serkan Toto also forecasts that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be an iteration over the Switch rather than a revolution. This seems to lineup with the rumors talking about how the Nintendo Switch 2 will effectively function as a direct upgrade over the Nintendo Switch.
Ultimately, it’s noted that “Nintendo might add some bells and whistles to the device,” but the new console is still going to be similar to the Nintendo Switch. More than likely, Nintendo doesn’t feel a need to further innovate their console at the moment considering that the latest sales report indicates that the Nintendo Switch has sold over 132 million units since its launch.
Here’s hoping that Nintendo will have plenty of major titles to be release or announce around launch to get fans to overlook that glaring $400 price tag.