3 – What Will the Nintendo Switch Price Be?
$350 USD. This is the price that Nintendo launched their deluxe version of the Wii U (and it’s unlikely Nintendo will offer multiple Switch SKU’s at launch). This price is right between the PS4 and PS4 Pro price points and the same price as the Xbox One S. While the Nintendo Switch may not be as powerful as the Xbox One S or PS4 Pro, Nintendo will hopefully have a launch line-up that will sway gamers to spend that money.
Our Thoughts:
Nintendo needs to price the Switch very carefully. $350 is the absolute maximum price for this console, and if they bundle the console with a big game, even better. However, if Nintendo really wants to make an impact, then they should launch around $250, which undercuts their competitors by at least $50!
2 – Will the Console Be Region Locked?
Nintendo has traditionally region locked their consoles. As such, gamers in some countries were at the mercy of Nintendo and publishers. If Nintendo or a publisher didn’t think a title would sell well in a region, they just wouldn’t release it there. This ultimately led to gamers missing out on games. If Nintendo removes the region lock, then gamers would have access to every game released and the flexibility of purchasing games from outside their region at lower prices.
Our Thoughts:
During the Third Quarter Financial Results briefing in March 2015, former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata did acknowledge consumer frustration with region locking and that they would strongly consider removing region locks (while referencing Nintendo NX). With that in mind, we’re confident that Region Locks will be removed.
1 – Is Your Body Ready?
Fortunately, your body doesn’t need to be as ready as it has in the past, as it looks like Nintendo’s focus has shifted away from the excessive motion controls that started with the Wii and continued to a lesser extent with the Wii U. But is motion control completely gone?
Our Thoughts:
Ubisoft announced that Just Dance was coming to Nintendo Switch – and unless the Nintendo Switch dock features a Kinect-like camera (doubtful) that we didn’t notice, then it’s likely the system features motion controls in some capacity. Based on this, we definitely believe motion control is back. The most likely candidate for motion control is the detachable Joy-Con controllers.