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Games Inbox: Is Nintendo justified with its Switch 2 prices?
Mario Kart World is more expensive than Black Ops 6 (Nintendo)The Friday letters page is unsure how much of a success the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be, as one reader asks if the new Pro Controller is worth it.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukDevalued classicTo people complaining about the price of Switch 2 games you do know the price hasnt increased with the budget of modern games, dont you? They cost 10 times what they used to but were still only paying, what, 80% more than we did in the 16-bit era? SNES games were routinely 50 in 1993.Go see a musical in London and itll cost you 60, a stadium concert is 100+, and each offers only a few hours experience versus these huge 100-hour games.So, while 70 feels like a lot I dont think it really is in the grand scheme of things. Rather, its Steam and co.s fault for allowing prices to race to the bottom. When modern classics are 4.99 it changes everyones expectations. No, Nintendo aint cheap but I applaud them for always preserving the value of their games. At least this way youll really play them.Owen PileCause and effectI know Matt said that he couldnt see any justification or defence of the price increase of games, but he kinda gave one himself.This at a time when bills are soaring. They want people to pay over 70 per game.Those two things are not unrelated.Still, it is hard to justify paying what still feels like a lot particularly when there are so many excellent cheap or free games still kicking around (Ive only just finished Dragon Age: The Veilguard in last months PS Plus offering, with RoboCop: Rogue City next up!). Its odd: games are both too cheap, and too expensive!Other Matt (he_who_runs_away PSN ID)GC: Dragon Age is on PS Plus because it was a flop and now theres probably not going to be anymore, because no one bought it.Same as it ever wasIm not excusing Nintendo for its RRP of 74.99 for Mario Kart, but the RRP for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 was only 5 cheaper at 69.99. Street Fighter had a RRP of 60 on SNES 23 years ago. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was released on the same day as the N64 and was 70. The game didnt even have a battery back-up, so you couldnt save the game unless you spent another 30 on a memory card!Then, of course, there was the Neo-Geo console released in 1990. The games cartridges were 130 to 200 each! Just saying.Tim KeelingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukFives the charmIm lucky enough to have been invited to pre=order the new Switch on the Nintendo Store but, as its looking quite expensive, I was wondering if you could advise me on whether the new Pro Controller is worth investing in?I already have four for the Switch but Im not sure its worth 70 for a new one (especially seeing as the C button doesnt interest me). Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.Lord CrumpGC: Its very similar to the original one. The only major differences seemed to be the C button, an audio jack, and two new programmable buttons on the back.Video game-esqueThis is not exactly game-related, but I feel compelled to tell anyone who might listen about Scavengers Reign, that Ive recently been watching on Netflix. Its a sci-fi animation that follows a small group of survivors stranded on an alien planet and depicts how they strive to stay alive when literally anything can kill them, often in unpleasantly sticky and icky ways.It features some fantastically grotesque and imaginative alien wildlife and a really oppressive, unique world. I think it would be of particular interest to those with a gaming mindset who, like me, play games to explore and experience a sense of discovery. Also, some game developers may benefit from taking influence on how to create interesting alien lifeforms and planets!woodylfc1976Not cheap enoughHave just been doing a little shopping on the CeX website. Put a few DVDs and games in my basket. All good. Clicked view basket, 49.95 so far. Yeah, good pricing. Went to the next page, couldnt get all delivered to the shop for free. Oh well, 3.95 delivery. Seems reasonable. Look at the bottom and the total jumped to over 70! They were charging 3.95 per item. Are they having a laugh? Maybe 20 for a heavy console and a pile of games but not 4 quid per game.I like CeX normally but Im gonna be dumb if I were to pay that. Surely, they can bundle all of the items up and ship them to the store I selected. Even scummy Sports Direct only charge you once!Less game having, due to excess postal practices.BobwallettPS: the games were: Assassins Creed Valhalla, Gears Tactics, and Evil West.GC: Isnt it likely theyre all coming from different stores?Uncertain futureHave enjoyed the fans back and forth since the Switch 2 reveal. Its interesting to see where gamer sentiment is starting to fall in the days since.Price is obviously the big sticking point and I think both sides of the argument are kind of right. It is very expensive to get set-up on Switch 2, but it is also probably worth it in the long run when you look at the last machine and its first party support. If you already have a PlayStation 5, and can play third parties as intended, I can understand the caution and Im with you, but if youre a Switch-only gamer It is a good deal.Looking at the costs. Youve got the console, a couple of first party games (preferably on cartridge since this is Nintendo after all), the Pro Controller, the camera, a new express memory card, paid updates to older games, old third party games that will be full price releases and a fiver for the instruction manual. This starts to add up very quickly, even if you dont get everything at once, and that should be acknowledged even if you think its good value rather than calling out people for complaining, as some have.Im interested to see how it lands after the initial run of early adopters wanes and the unfolding economic situation starts to bite. Will we see a 3DS repeat? Will Nintendo re-evaluate and take the hit after it becomes apparent the market wont take the initial prices? Im not sure I see cuts if sales are sluggish medium term, but this has to be a mega hit for Nintendo, as all their eggs are in this basket. The units need to get into the hands of gamers no matter what. Maybe some more imaginative trade in scheme for OG Switch owners could work?MarcEvil weekendIve spent my whole weekend gaming and watching films (Heaven) but Ive got back into Resident Evil 5.Its in my top 10 games of all time. Ive played through it about 20 times, and it has the nostalgia with the Lickers and great gunplay. It just came out after Resident Evil 4 so was always compared to that game, whereas I think 5 is more fun.Chris Roidfield is just a legend and everyone loves Sheva hopefully they do remaster the game.SimonModerately hypedWell, the Nintendo Direct definitely got me interested, not super hyped, despite the Switch 2 looking pretty special and possibly more powerful than I hoped to imagine. But it was helped by a rather decent looking Mario Kart World game, which pretty much was exceptionably more than I expected.A world of courses and connected within a larger world, which in all honesty I did not see coming! Though its not something Ive been trying to find information about, as I havent played racing games of any form for a long time.The amount of vehicles and courses is commendable but even more game modes was nice to see. But free roam is pretty interesting and to explore the countryside between races is a nice idea. Definitely one of my favourite games shown.Loving the feel of Donkey Kong Bananzas comic style of gameplay and definitely need to see more of what this game can do, and please have a great soundtrack to accompany it. The first three Donkey Kong soundtracks on the SNES are still the greatest ever, in my own opinion, for this franchise.Not too surprising news about the two Switch mainline Zelda games getting remastered, with some extra locations and dialogue with new scenes possibly. But all good stuff and the same with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.The Duskbloods and Tarnished Edition of Elden Ring was another surprise and Bloodborne vibes happening in The Duskbloods is enticing indeed. Gothic vampire worlds are up my street, especially if FromSoftware are behind it.Although my current Switch has been used for mainly third party indie titles, apart from Zelda, the Switch 2 does show some good ideas for the core Nintendo titles. Switch 2 looks like a sound console for sure and Ill definitely be looking forward to the reactions of gamers and critics to the new guy on the street.AlucardGC: The Zelda games arent getting any new content.Inbox also-ransDo we know if Switch 2s GameCube library will use the new screens bells and whistles or is it just retail games? Id very much like to experience F-Zero GX at 120fps and I doubt Im the only one.ANONGC: They didnt say anything about frame rate, but itll be higher resolution and have online multiplayer.I read that Nintendo really were thinking of calling it the Super Switch. I get why they didnt (what if theres a Switch 3?) but I wish they had.WatsonMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. 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