Japan is abuzz with anticipation for the release of Nintendo’s Switch 2, but the country’s crumbling economy has local voices wondering if it will do as well as the first Switch. A region-locked model with a lower price tag may be Nintendo’s way of helping the gaming giant’s home country continue to have fun, even in rough financial straits.
Nintendo fans worldwide are looking forward to June 5, and the release of the long-awaited Switch 2. The incredibly popular Switch will see its specs and titles upgraded and expanded with the shiny new release.
But in a recent article published by Japan’s Bunshun Online, freelance gaming journalist Takuya Watanabe says that Switch 2’s new hardware and features come with inherent social risks, and even an exclusive lower price for Japan might not save sales in the country’s inflation-wracked economy.
Japan’s discounted, region-locked Switch 2 causes global stir
In a possible effort to fight inflation pains and resellers (not to mention poor wages and a tariff trade war), Nintendo will offer a Japan-only version of the console in the land of the rising sun. While the US, non-region-locked Switch 2 will cost about $450, the Japan-only model is set to sell for about ¥50,000, or $340 at current exchange rates. Gamers are noticing, as a $100 USD discount is nothing to sneeze at.
Some Nintendo fans on social media are joking about moving to Japan to buy the region-locked Switch, but there’s also a downside to the discount. Nintendo has clarified that the “Nintendo Switch 2 Japanese-Language System (Japan Only) only supports Japanese as the system language, and only Nintendo Accounts with the country/region set to Japan can be linked.”
The company claims “it will be offered at an affordable price to make it more accessible to consumers.”
Still, Watanabe isn’t fully convinced the new units will sell, even with the other local option of shelling out more money in Japan for the multi-lingual version and global connectivity. This Switch 2 has an MSRP of about ¥70,000 ($475 USD).
“The more of a core gamer you are, the more tolerant you are of high prices, but this is not the case for Nintendo game consoles, which also have many casual fans,” Watanabe says in the report. He continues: “Unfortunately, considering that Japan is continuing to become poorer, it would be best to go for a drastic price reduction. This decision will be welcomed by native Japanese speakers living in Japan, but of course it will also create friction.”
The gamer notes criticism from non-Japanese about the so-called special treatment, and also says that even the discounted price is still a hefty one in the eyes of the nation’s casual, everyday gamers. The original Switch, by comparison, only cost about ¥33,000 (~$250 at current exchange rates). There was also a budget version for ¥22,000 (~$150).
Watanabe emphasizes that as game titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza become bigger in scope, prices are soaring, approaching ¥10,000 for a single game.
“The Switch 2 console is certainly cheap,” the gaming journalist notes, “However, there is a limit to resisting the global trend of price increases.” Watanabe emphasizes: “If the Japanese economy worsens further, there is a risk that the Switch 2 will be seen as a ‘high-spec, core game’ … If that happens, it will be difficult to expect the same growth potential as the old Switch.”
The Bunshun Online report further delves into past problems with the Nintendo 3DS and obscene images being sent, as the handheld device had a microphone and camera feature. The old Switch ditched these features for the safety of casual gamers, but the new Switch 2 will again have voice chat, and feature camera connectivity. Watanabe notes the inevitability of bullying when communication is introduced, but points to the new parental controls Switch 2 will feature, saying that “safety considerations are solid.”
It’s of course hard to predict how Switch 2 will be received in Japan, but with rice prices doubling, inflation still raging, and strong foreign currencies pouring in via over-incentivized, rampant overtourism, to some local gamers it seems strange anyone would criticize Nintendo for giving its home country a break.
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