After months of waiting, with tons of speculation and rumors, Nintendo finally revealed the Nintendo Switch price tonight at a live event in Japan. As many had predicted, the price was below what many other consoles have initially shipped at, hitting $299 in the US. The Nintendo Switch also had its release date revealed as March 3rd.
This is definitely within the realm of the Nintendo Switch price estimates, but the question is can the new console/handheld hybrid perform better than the Wii U. It seems like it could, though the console market is a very different beast today than it was when Nintendo initially found success with the NES, and then again with the Wii.
The Wii U was an unmitigated sales disaster for the company, and many attribute this to the high price that it launched at, hitting the market in 2012 at a price of $349. That wasn’t too bad, but the problem was that it never really went lower than that, even when its main competitors were cutting their prices and throwing in free bundled games.
The Nintendo Switch price sets it up in a better place coming out of the gate, but can Nintendo keep that momentum going through 2017 and into the all important holiday season. Launching in March is an interesting idea, and a big gamble. It gives Nintendo a long run time to build up an install base, and a decent catalog of games for players to enjoy, but if the console hits the market with a thud, it could be dead on arrival.
Of course, with a big launch title like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, if that also gets revealed tonight, the Nintendo Switch could be the massive success that the company needs. We’ll all find out when the Nintendo Switch hits US stores in March for a price of $299.
