The retail price for the Nintendo Switch is going to be revealed on January 2017. Nintendo's CEO reportedly said that the company will not sell the Switch at a loss but could people afford it?
Wii U As Point Of Comparison
Nintendo launch the Wii U on November 2012 in which the basic unit was sold for $300 and the Deluxe for $350. Believe it or not, the company sold the Wii U at a loss when it was first released, according to arstechnica. Despite this sales tactic, the Wii U did not get a lot of customers.
Does this mean that the Switch will cost more than $300? This is not necessarily the case, the Wii U cost a lot more due to its GamePad in addition to the console. The Switch however, has a much simpler and economical design. Hopefully, this can help lower the Switch price down.
Price Comparison With Sony PS4 And Microsoft Xbox One
A PS4 or Xbox One basic unit sells for about $300. The high-end ones including the PS4 Pro can be availed for $400. The upcoming Xbox One Scorpio however, has no retail price yet. It is a fact that Nintendo Switch could not compete with the likes of a PlayStation or Xbox One in terms of computing power. But its main selling point is the console handheld hybrid feature which can justify a premium sales price.
Nintendo Switch Best Retail Price Estimate
Some industry observers estimate that the Nintendo Switch will possibly cost around $350 at its launch date. This would make it as expensive as the other leading consoles that have considerably more processing power. It's also possible for Nintendo push down that price further to S300 for a simpler version that has fewer accessories or less permanent storage. Hopefully, Nintendo will be able to set a price that most people would be comfortable with.
