Donkey Kong Bananza isnt quite as expensive as Mario Kart World (Nintendo)The Friday letters page argues over the positives and negatives of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, as one reader is sad at the death of mini-consoles.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe future of pricingSometimes I think people genuinely enjoy complaining. Ive seen so many online wailing about the Mario Kart World being 80 (even though its actually 75) and completely ignoring the fact that the digital version is 67 and you can get it bundled with the console for just 34.If you get enjoyment moaning online and trying to pretend things are worse than they are then fine, but I think Ill be getting the console and the game which looks fantastic for that low price.Dont get me wrong, even 67 is too much and Im not happy about it, if its going to becoming the norm. But it actually sounds like itll be a different price for every game, given Donkey Kong is 59 digitally and that stupid tech demo thing is around 5.I also dont know what people are going to do when GTA 6 turns out to be 100. Its already been rumoured and Nintendos announcements make it clear things are moving in that direction. Personally, I think its a terrible solution for the increasing cost of making games and a far better one wouldve been just making them half the length.But thats not where things are going and if nothing else I think you can pretty much guarantee youll get your moneys worth out of Mario Kart. Im still playing Mario Kart 8 now and this new one seems to have a lot more going on.Ashton MarleySign of the timesWell, flabbergasted at the price of Mario Kart World. 74.99.I cannot see any defending or justification of it.This at a time when bills are soaring.They want people to pay over 70 per game.I feel sorry for the parents of kids that want a Switch 2 and its games.This feels like greed.For me personally it put me right off from buying a Switch 2 and straight to looking at the price of a Steam Deck, as Id ideally like a handheld for work.Nintendo actually stunned me. The prices, the paying for a tech demo, the upgrade prices, the physical copy which is really a download key, the price of Joy-Cons, the price of a Pro Controller. Wow.Not for me this.Found prices at 279.99, for refurbished, which isnt too bad.MattCard dealerDo you know if its true that the Switch 2 cartridges dont have the game on them and they are only a download key? If true, thats a total deal breaker for me, as I like to actually own my games. 80 for Mario Kart and its just a download code is a joke.I hope Nintendo arent going down that road, as Ill end up skipping the console completely (and Sony and Microsoft will do away with disc drives too probably, so a retro future awaits).SimonGC: Its complicated. Theres going to be both normal game cartridges, that actually contain the game, and what Nintendo refers to as a Game-Key Card, which are literally just a key to unlock a downloadable game. Its implied these will be clearly labelled and the only confirmed example so far is Square Enixs Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster.Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukHardware preferenceVery happy to see the GameCube being on the Switch 2 right from launch. Its a very underrated console and Im glad its getting its due. It does make it sound like Nintendo is trying to make the Switch 2 the everything console, that can play any game, so I was a little surprised the rumour about being able to use a console as a Wii U GamePad didnt get announced as that sounded exactly the sort of thing theyd do.I have to be honest though I do prefer the mini-consoles as the best way to play retro games. I guess you make more money from having to keep a subscription going but I really loved the NES and SNES models and wouldve liked to have N64 and GameCube as well. They couldve even made them so you could add extra games as DLC, but I guess thats too much work really.Its a shame the age of the mini-consoles was so brief, because I really like them, and its a special shame we never got a decent PlayStation one.SobertWrong figuresIm a massive Nintendo fan. Ultimately, I was impressed by the Direct.But80 for a first party game? WTF?!The console price I can live with. The game prices are too high. 65 max.Pro Controller is almost 80 too.Overall, this will make me choose more carefully what I buy and will impact on how many games per year I buy.They have to be 9/10 or above for me to from out that amount. And Im 100000% not buying them digitally at that price.LeeGC: The physical edition is 75. The digital version is 67 and the game is only 34 if you buy it as a bundle with the console.Christmas presentI thought the Switch 2 direction was good, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong will be day one for me, and the console had for some cool features in handheld mode (VRR, 120fps) I was hoping for.My biggest disappointment was the lack of a release date for Metroid Prime 4, which would be the perfect launch game for me.I think Nintendo very deliberately held their cards close to their chests in terms of first party, with only games releasing in the first few months after being shown, to save some announcements but mainly to sell the system as a new go-to place for third party games.Even Nintendo themselves must have been surprised how well indie games faired on Switch 1, and they surely want to generate that kind of interest in bigger, more high profile games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring.(The hybrid nature of the console remains a huge unique selling point, I feel).I fully expect another Direct around July (isnt there always?), showcasing their planned Christmas games, which will no doubt include a new Mario game as no mainline game in the first six to 12 months of a Nintendo console would just be wrong.The biggest head scratcher for me though; where the blazes was Microsoft? Theyre on record saying they want to support the platform, and there was no better event to announce Halo or Forza or whatever.Even some smaller games, like Rare Replay or the more recent Battletoads, would have sufficed and seem like a perfect fit.Im sure theyll pipe up eventually, but Microsofts absence was surprising to me.ANONGC: Youre right, their lack of involvement was very strange. Were in two minds as to whether theres likely to be a big Christmas game lurking in the wings. To avoid disappointment, its probably best to assume there isnt, as there are a lot of, admittedly minor, games scheduled for 2025 but with no current release date.Small changesIve just watched the Switch 2 reveal and Ill be honest I thought Id be saying its a Switch Pro and in a way it is but they have done what the first switch should have been like. I think the price is a little bit wow but that does look like Nintendo have took a small jump.Its like every little bit of the Switch 2 is a little bit better in every way. Will it be enough to sell it? Only sales will tell but that should of been how the switch was. Would I buy one? Maybe. Not at that price but in time maybe I would, yes.DavidThe young guardOne interesting and easily missed point made by a YouTuber I enjoy (Arlo, a big Nintendo fan and a great character) was the three young figureheads for the Switch 2. The producer, director, and hardware lead fronted the presentation and they looked like they were deliberately being positioned as the new guard for Nintendo.When the Switch 2 is replaced, Miyamoto will be well into his 80s (which doesnt bear thinking about), but I think the young team has made a really encouraging first impression here.The game prices do sting, and it means Ill probably be more likely to share games, wait for discounts or sell some on (as long as the Virtual Game Card system doesnt somehow mess that up). Bundling in Mario Kart World for just 34 is a hell of a sweetener though, and it pretty much locks in the games chances of being high in the software charts every week along with Grand Theft Auto 6 for at least the next kajillion years.While it could be considered disappointing that we havent yet seen much, first party wise, thats comparable with the best looking games of the PlayStation 4 generation (Horizon Forbidden West, Read Dead Redemption 2, etc.). Maybe Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza represent Nintendo once again underlining how production budgets are better spent exploring how interactivity and scale can be expanded rather than focusing on expensive graphics, only for new games to operate within the same old constraints.Thats pretty much the spirit of Zelda and Mario over the past eight years and I have to say if either or both of these new games turn out to be killer apps, Ill be increasingly convinced Nintendo (and their new youthful overlords) have it spot on.Its almost bizarre to think after all this time Metroid Prime 4 is finally coming out in the middle of all this as well, and it looks pretty good on its own.PandaInbox also-ransThese Switch 2 prices are all over the price. The upgrade payments seem pretty reasonable and the hardware bundle with Mario Kart is great, but the game on its own is outrageous and the Welcome Tour thing for a fiver is bizarre. It may be the only Nintendo game whose sales are measured in single digits.WotanSo I guess Nintendo is not actively engaged in killing physical gaming, because its just too expensive to buy it on Switch 2. Not a move I had on my bingo card.FocusMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: Nintendo Switch 2 Direct fan verdictGameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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