Nintendo Switch Tax

[@DubsBrown]

Love it when Gamestop is like Used switch game, cartridge only, 6 years old, $5 off new price.

[@SakuraAvalon]

That's consistent with previous Nintendo games.

[@RoachCatJr]

Mercari/eBay is the way to go

[@djsponge10]

@@RoachCatJrmercari is the way how I have my complete 1st party switch collection. Loved finding these random ass 1st party switch games for $15-$30 and when they got two games you need that are $25 each asking $40 for both and they usually will do that, it’s great. Highly recommend using mercari for 1st party switch games

[@LaggyLuke]

That's pretty much the only way how stores like Gamestop stay alive. Local Finnish "Gamestop" gets basically 2€ from each NEW game. So the real money comes from people who buy a game (used or new), play the game, return it for store credit.

[@leeartlee915]

@@DubsBrown I’d just be grateful there are still carts to buy. Next generation is likely the last we will see of physical media.

[@phayroent9742]

Nintendo not understanding the 'barrier to entry' of having 6 year old games still at full price is actually psychotic. How many copies of Mario Odysessy are they realistically still selling to justify that price after nearly 7 years? Why not drop game prices after 3-4 years to a base of 34.99 at least or 44.99 at most? Player Selects at 29.99 or even 34.99 would go a long way towards helping parents buy some games for their kid(s) that just aged up enough to be trusted with a $300 dedicated game device.

[@uwaa5768]

because its not for kids anymore and if they keep doing its because it works. Blame your average manchild for products gettingg inflated and crappier

[@dyermaker4731]

And then they sit around wondering why people pirate them in droves.

[@QuantumChrist]

That's why broke people pirate games cause they stealing from Nintendo instead of buying the game or not buying at all.

[@NottJoeyOfficial]

The answer is that they're selling enough copies that they know they don't need to price drop. The Wii U console and many games that weren't Nintendo Selects were still full price right up until the end. I still remember seeing Splatoon for $60 next to copies of Splatoon 2 also for $60.

[@QuantumChrist]

​@@dyermaker4731, Piracy is not service issue, It's the UNWILLINGNESS to Pay for People's art and hardwork.

[@leeartlee915]

This generation getting rid of Nintendo Selects AND never having a console price drop was… well, it wasn’t good.

[@MaesterMike]

100%

[@mikeywebb9598]

The switch not raising in price due to inflation is the price cut, $300 in 2017 is equivalent to $386 in 2024, it also got a cheaper model so why on earth would it drop in price, especially when it’s still selling…

[@leeartlee915]

@ Yeah, I’m still not convinced.

[@mikeywebb9598]

@@leeartlee915 i wasn’t trying to convince you I was stating an objective fact, hope this helps 💕

[@leeartlee915]

@@mikeywebb9598 It’s just a silly argument. Inflation, by definition, is always on the rise. Has it been higher than normal? Sure but that is NOT why Nintendo hasn’t lowered their prices. So while inflation is a “fact”, the rest of your assertion is speculation. Have a pleasant day.

[@jordanhoughton1948]

R.I.P Players Choice and Nintendo Selects discount re-releases.

[@ethanhaynes7406]

While they could technically come back after the switch 2 releases, the fact that switch 2 will be backwards compatible makes me think nintendo will figure that they can still sell all the og switch games at full price with occasional discounts

[@JM-pm1yb]

After they nearly sunk with the Wii U. They pretty much stopped

[@dinoshi64]

Yeah those are so dead and I'm not holding my breath for them to come back with the switch 2

[@Screwy]

Actually I can see then doing Nintendo Selects releases after the Switch 2 hits given the back-compat, but they're probably gonna be like $30-40 instead of $20 Also sidenote but it would give then the opportunity to do a physical for Famicom Detective Club 1+2 in that line similar to Pikmin 2 on Wii

[@AxeIRad]

I’m glad they stopped cause the packaging sucks just lower the prices at the least without changing the box and we’re golden

[@chocolocojames213]

The price of the Joy Cons is the real con.

[@fortynights1513]

Didn’t realize pro controller is cheaper because it’s clearly the better controller

[@DoctorWhoNow01]

Them not going down in price is insane

[@toastonmitchell2636]

Especially with HORI pads that are cheaper and work pretty well for most games

[@LazyTomato]

What's wrong, you _don't_ wanna spend 70 bucks on another pair once a year when your previous set starts drifting?

[@chrisyoung1576]

OMG is Galm - 1 in the flesh

[@PowerSynopsis]

"I'm your average everyday Nintendo fan." Explain why you have so many Wii U consoles, pal.

[@VezixHaikal]

PAL, NTSC and SECAM*

[@Alfonso88279]

​@@VezixHaikalyeah, not average xD

[@KaitouKaiju]

The average Nintendo fan owns half a Wii U

[@Sclzbot92]

We know one Wii U’s is for in case he drops lasagna on his primary Wii U

[@job4ama753]

Clearly you’re not an average Nintendo fan🙄

[@lightninstriker10]

Honestly the short version of the Switch Tax explanation is this; Because they can and we keep paying it. Like.. there's just not much more to it than that.

[@hazelcrisp]

A big reason why I don't don't buy into the eco system. I just want the games. Not a fan of the Switch as a console personally. When I can get games and acessories cheaper on every other platform. Nintendo is literally the most anti consumer platform there is.

[@danr8267]

Yup

[@UncannyEXP]

​@@hazelcrispKeep crying

[@dr6559]

I would’ve thought it was Sony after the bumper price of Ps Plus by like 33% and instigated $70 games as the norm but hey, you do you.

[@Supermanohman]

The idea of fair Market value which drives all economic theories is simply "what people are willing to pay" that's all it's ever been. In food, housing, car sales, and entertainment

[@0cellusDS]

Nintendo fans be like: If the game is too expensive for you, simply buy fewer copies.

[@Supermanohman]

They remind me of that SNL star wars bit with Kyle Mooney saying "I have 3 copies. 1 to display, 1 to open, and 1 just in case"

[@J-Unit90]

Tangentially related, it drives me absolutely insane that Nintendo includes $50 games in their voucher program. We know how math works, Nintendo!

[@Dreadjaws]

LOL. I think they even include some $40 games. There is genuinely a way to use their vouchers and lose money.

[@basedchimera5859]

I'm just glad it was viable with tears of the kingdom as it was $70

[@Supermanohman]

​@@DreadjawsI think the vouchers were usable during black Friday with Mario Odyssey and totk at 40

[@Edduperez10]

to be honest, as someone from Latin America, the Nintendo Selects were my holy grail. At least every three months I could get 2 great games at an amazing value instead of 1 full game, now all the games are here +$65 it hurts the pocket a lot.

[@VagrantValmar]

Si tenes la posibilidad de importar, te recomiendo comprar las versiones asiáticas. Son mucho más baratas. En lo personal, el Switch es donde encuentro los juegos físicos más baratos de lanzamiento si busco bien. Básicamente, es de saber aprovechar los precios regionales y la región libre.

[@andreysegura2510]

Depends on where you are. Games here are cheaper than the regular $60 price. Recent games have been roughly $58, and that's after import taxes and other costs. It still depends on where you buy, (they can go as high as $100 depending on the store)

[@_boof]

Buy indie, support indie

[@FH4Player6397]

​@@_boof No

[@Bloodglas]

as a Canadian I don't even remember how many years ago it's been since the exchange rate made new games 60$. they've all been 80$ up here for a long time now. like if I saw one on sale for 60$ it'd actually be worth considering by comparison.

[@crownedcryptidgaming]

Bring me back to the good ol days when Walmart and Amazon also sold games for $10 off for some reason

[@slamburger]

I forgot about that

[@luciasaid2799]

you still can. just not for nintendo....but every other platform has good deals at one point or another.

[@danr8267]

​@luciasanaid2799 na just they discontinued that program. It was $10 off every switch game even new ones on release

[@Silverguise]

Back when Amazon gave you preorder discounts. I was buying new games for $40 for a while.

[@NinjaJay2001]

well i think back in the day, the thought was "people would rather pay a cheaper price online and wait for the item VS pay for instant access in a store" but now everything is just the same price bc Amazon knows people will pay

[@MINTY_FN]

I know collectors hate them, but this exact bs is why Player's Choice/Greatest Hits/Platinum etc. versions of games were great. "you know that popular game that came out 2 years ago? Here's a new print that costs like half". Games should be cheaper over time, especially now they're distributed digitally. It actually sucks that these stores just keep these games at full price now. Even Sony does it now. During the PS3/4 days games would routinely drop by like 25% after a year or two. This doesn't happen at all for PS5 games. Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, Demon's Souls, etc. are all still full price by default on PSN and it's been 4 years. This is why I got the disc version of the PS5. If there's no used market then Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft have full control over the pricing of games with no competitor on their own platform. The reason digital only works on PC is because Steam isn't the only store and has to actually try to be competitive and it's a lot easier to sail the high seas so publishers have to be a bit smarter about maintaining customer loyalty.

[@sevaansevant]

While R&C: Rift Apart and DS are still full price, Sony HAS seemingly dropped the price permanently on some games, or at least two that I know of: The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon: Forbidden West. It seems they have dropped from 70 US dollars to 50 (the PS4 versions are actually $40, too). It's possible they'll drop the price of more games in the future. Actually, PS5 games do go on sale for good discounts somewhat often, as I'm just finding out. R&C: RA has dropped down to $30 five times since its release. Hell, the Digital Deluxe Edition is on sale for $40 right now. Demon's Souls has also been similarly priced in the past. God of War: Ragnarok's most recent sale was $30, Spider-Man 2 was $40 dollars recently, Stellar Blade was $50, and Returnal is currently $30, and Forbidden West has been $30. PS Plus also includes the likes of R&C, Returnal, and DS as part of its catalog (at least the last time I checked. Forbidden West WAS on there). Overall, these prices are at least significantly better than Nintendo's. Not to mention that the PS5 is backwards compatible and a lot of PS4 games are permanently $20, and they drop to $10 in sales regularly, which is insane.

[@stevenbobbybills]

​@@sevaansevantThank you for providing this much-needed context in a far better-written way than I would have.

[@PIKMINROCK1]

Basically, what Nintendo has done is the voucher system instead where every game can be bought at a discount if bought in pair with another game (roughly $50 per game). Nintendo also does regular 33% off sales on a handful of titles seasonally. Since nearly every game they've released is a million seller, with several 10 million sellers, it's very easy to see why Nintendo hasn't been incentivized to bring back the Selects line. They should still for those sub 3 million games that are 2+ years old but alas nothing.

[@abnorth2276]

The reason to why games do not become cheaper over time is that there is no incentive to price things lower compared to the times when the only time a purchase of a game could be made was at a physical store. Because there wasn’t any way of marketing sales in physical stores effectively to players they had to lower the price before new big releases because they did not want to leave money on the table. Now, with internet being more of a thing there is infinite marketability of games on any given platform as long as the platform is somewhat successful. Therefore there is no reason to lower prices a lot.

[@radaro.9682]

Games should be priced relative to cost for copy. As it costs Nintendo nearly nothing to create a copy of a game transmitted over internet digital copies have no justification for their price.

[@lalocompi]

Nintendo knows that the most powerful drug that exists is nostalgia. And there are many junkies out there.

[@myriadmediamusings]

Sigh yeah unfortunately the infamous tax has gotten me to be pretty picky with my purchases as of late. Plenty of titles over the past year that I woulda picked up without hesitation if not for the price, and that in turn has led me to be more attentive of reviews and what have you to make it certain what’s being purchased was worth the damn 60 bucks as opposed to saving that money for gas or food.

[@krisbailey8537]

Gas for two weeks, or Mario party….. I know what most people go with

[@AlienRino]

I’ve straight up started using my buffed switch to play Nintendo’s games. I’ve been a fan of too many years to be getting fucked over like this

[@Verchiel_]

Well, that's some silver lining Becoming a smarter consumer at the cost of trying more games.

[@StarWolf5298]

When it was revealed that Game Builder Garage had a price of $30, my first reaction was "wow, what's wrong with it?"

[@DELTARYZ]

the fing unskippable tutorial

[@neo_b]

shoutout to Nier Automata for being a mostly uncompromised port sold at $40 too… they really cooked with that one tbh

[@demonpugo]

When Scott mentions steam deck but forgets that it too can play your physical ps5 games remotely too.

[@alexherman77]

2:30 “Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix from the Xbox 360 Xbox Live Arcade” just rolls of the tongue doesn’t it?

[@conorjohn490]

I wonder how much it would have cost to buy each new version of Street Fighter 2 starting on the SNES. It's entirely possible the answer is more than $500 just for North American releases.

[@ilikestamps2978]

I wish every company was like Capcom. They reduce their games by $10 every year

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

Member of the club that remembers the Nintendo GameCube tax way back in the 6th Console Generation. It always felt like the fact that the GameCube not selling well resulted in its multiplatform games always costing $10+ additional dollars for the GameCube version over the Xbox and PS2 versions, and that was way back in the late 00s long before the recent explosion of inflation.

[@beiwubsnsod7378]

That still holds now. Gamecube ports often sold the least and are usually pricier compared to ps2 and xbox versions.

[@celestialstar6450]

It may also have had to do with the cost of manufacturing the mini-discs for the GameCube. The Wii and WiiU were the only Nintendo consoles to use the same media as their competitors (DVD/Blu-Ray). All the other Nintendo consoles had proprietary cartridges (and the mini-discs, in the case of the GC).

[@sc3ku]

I remember that for the N64 even before the Gamecube. cross platform PS1 games were always cheaper than the N64 because of disc vs cartridge. Good thing you could actually still rent games back then!

[@mineland8220]

I think there has always been a nintendo tax overall just because nintendo is nintendo and not console exclusive thing

[@g2a5b0e]

​@@sc3ku You still can. Gamefly still exists.

[@RangeReaper0406]

8:55 I feel like this is the first time Scott has ever mentioned the Steam Deck, I may be wrong though.

[@bluewind7988]

I remember when 3DS games were still sold, and I would buy them a lot more often than with today's Switch games. Hell, I would've never played games like Kirby Triple Deluxe, A Link Between Worlds and Super Mario 3D Land if they cost more than $30, and those were all "Oh cool, I don't have these games, I should give them a try" purchases. Meanwhile with Switch games, I see games I don't own and go "Oh, cool, I don't have these games, maybe I should give them a try someday" and then proceed to never buy them because every single one costs $60. Last time I bought a Switch game was when Tears of the Kingdom released, every single release since then have had me react with wanting them but not being bothered to buy them. I'd love to try out games like Super Mario RPG, Thousand-Year Door, Skyward Sword and the Luigi's Mansion games, but every time I see that $60 and I hesitate just enough to wait for months and years before either buying them or they eventually just aren't avaiable anymore

[@nsgames24]

You can do what I did a couple years back when I was looking to get myself a Switch and buy them on eBay. Yeah, I'm aware that you will be at the mercy of resellers and buying games online means you'll have to wait for it to come in the mail, but still. I managed to get a copy of Smash Ultimate for less than $50.

[@tomlion0116]

Be fair TTYD for the GameCube before the Switch release were waaaaay to expensive to buy. For this reason 60$ for me and many people it was a deal. Now you can buy the GameCube version for 50-60$ because it got re-released, before it was 100+$ for a 20 year old game.

[@wootmasterzorsx]

To be fair, the Super Mario RPG remake and Thousand Year Door remake are… well, remakes. Full, from the ground up remakes, and I think the price is more justified in those cases since they remade all the assets and all. Yeah, they’re old games, but it’s a lot more effort to remake a whole game than it is to do a Wii U port or an upscaled remaster. With remasters and ports, I entirely agree, and tend to wait on those kind of titles for if I have eShop money or a holiday or something and nothing else I want is coming out anytime soon. Since yeah, those games being full price is way less appealing, let alone justified. And I hope it’s obvious, but your purchasing choices are totally fair and I think you’re right on the matter, I agree on the pricing being not ideal in the slightest. Just that I’m more okay with a full on remake. Or at least ports that add a lot of cool stuff, like Kirby’s Return to Dream Land and Mario 3D World.

[@Kniffel101]

TTYD is worth that for sure, the other 2 should get their MSRP set 25-33% lower.

[@m8rs558]

I wanted TTYD but how they made it 20 units cheaper everywhere but the US made me decide to just emulate the original

[@tonyphillips8726]

Hello, Average Nintendo Scott

[@cato3277]

Scott Nintendo Switchman

[@myriadmediamusings]

I love it when Scott says its Nintendo time and Nintendos all over the place.

[@SweenyLand]

KEN WAS ALREADY VIOLENT

[@staringcorgi6475]

This is street fighter not street peace makers. Fighting is by definition violent

[@ErrorNumber404]

but this ken will hit your grandma

[@jrchannel7405]

​@@ErrorNumber404 so he's "morally dubious Ken"

[@Timic83tc]

Finally Scott talks about Luigi mangione 2

[@sashanilssen]

And in some countries its even worse. Breath of the Wild (nearly 8 year old game btw) is selling for over 80 USD in our currency in South Africa. And then they wonder why so many of us emulate here.

[@throwaway7679]

B-but BOTW is one of the best games of all time!!!!!!!! *sniff* Even if it was worth 200$ *scratches cheato dust hand on ass* I'd still buy it!!!! Exploring an empty world with five enemy types *wipes nose* i-is peak content for such a price!!!!!!!!!!!

[@ZacharyHamiltonMusic]

Oh, in Rand?

[@Daft0Cean968]

@@throwaway7679wtf are you talking about 💀

[@wafAtom]

The price of games here in SA have doubled from what they were in 2017. I paid R749 for BOTW on the eshop during the launch period, now its R1499

[@cccg838]

Begging on knees and belly for Scott to wipe his hardware before showing it on camera

[@BrisbaneBears]

Insane that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s price didn’t tank at all in over two years. It still runs like a PowerPoint presentation

[@Crispierbug]

Scarlet and Violet is the best selling Pokemon game in Japan, it's the first Pokemon game to beat Pokemon Red and Blue in domestic sales, the game is a great financial success.

[@vargsieber]

​@@Crispierbugsuccess doesn't equal quality, S&V run like shit and aren't worth their prices.

[@V-Jes]

Because pretty much no mainline Pokemon game goes on sale ever by Nintendo themselves...

[@FuqYu]

It’s borderline unplayable. I’ve enjoyed most games since the release of Red & Blue but it’s just a bad experience

[@cabrondemente1]

Because stupid fans buy both versions. They encourage to keep the price up.

[@Deepfried_duck]

0:22 face reveal?!?

[@Deepfried_duck]

This is a big moment.

[@TwistedLullabies]

No

[@dabird1222]

Yes

[@harrisonwhaley7872]

No that’s the cameraman

[@TheViper4Life]

Scott has a face!?

[@cdgui267]

i live in a 3 world country and it is impossible to buy games for the switch, no sales policy is just the stupidest thing ive ever heard

[@ESPmrBrough]

its ok, switch emulators run on fairly weak pc hardware. just save for the best computer you can and never have to pay nintendo for a game again

[@gabby222themoon]

@@ESPmrBrough mini pc does this well

[@VictorSivtsev]

Hack it

[@jrchannel7405]

Same, but I just buy the digital games on sale or import the physical copies from ebay or something

[@Krawurxus]

The reason they don't discount their old games is because they don't need to. Nintendo understands very well. People will simply still buy these at full price, especially those who like to own physical games. Even second hand they don't get that much cheaper, I basically never see any Switch games besides trashy shovelware go for less than 30.

[@Taco117.]

They did Nintendo selects on Wii , 3ds and Wii u why can't they do it now

[@Krawurxus]

@Taco117. Because Iwata is dead and the Wii came out almost 20 years ago. It's an entirely different company now. Even if we don't like it, you better believe Nintendo does all the market research they need to price their products so they net maximum profits. Everything they do is calculated but some people seem to think that a multi billion dollar company actually exists to benefit their customers. They don't, they exist to fill their investors pockets. Every bad thing they haven't done yet - the only reason they haven't done them is because they think the reputational cost is too high and it'll lose them money long-term. It's fear of their customrrs, not love of them that keeps them in check.

[@ahmedhasan4966]

​@Taco117. Because the Wii U sold poorly, and the sales for the Wii and the 3ds were declining by the later half of its life, the Nintendo Selects were necessary to help. However the ds didn't get a player's choice or a Nintendo selects. Why? Because it sold well and it's wasn't necessary same applied to the Switch. (Though I wish there was one on the Switch.)

[@darinherrick9224]

And that’s why I’ll never be a Nintendo fan. I own almost no actual Nintendo 1st party games for any of their consoles because they are too expensive. Don’t own ANY for Switch. 3rd party games on digital store all the way.

[@bretchamberlain8285]

I was 21 when the switch came out. Good age to want to buy the next console, but I had more pressing responsibilities so I was going to be patient and wait for a price drop. Never happened, and no "Nintendo selects" price drops on games. Still don't have one and honestly don't care to with how much it costs.

[@EthanLubin]

Thumbnail is an insane strategy to make this video age well, i really respect it

[@CatsCatsCatsCatsCats]

What

[@EthanLubin]

@CatsCatsCatsCatsCats he does NOT own returns hd yet

[@NoelleTGS2]

@@EthanLubin he also referred to it in the past tense during the video lmao

[@gabby222themoon]

@@EthanLubin but it’s been out for awhile…

[@silvermoon2608]

@@gabby222themoon why would you say that when a quick google search would tell you that no, it’s not out yet

[@calebwyman5510]

It’s $60 but he’s a factor in tax and other things you’re paying 80 $90 a game at least in Canada

[@tipsy634]

this is the first time ive seen you pissed off about a price that didnt destroy a console launch. thank you this is part of why steamdeck has been rising in popularity, you can get most of the same games for a much lower price. it's also really easy to, ahem, emulate games on steamdeck that nintendo are selling full price rereleases for.

[@FuqYu]

This. It’s why I basically buy anything cross platform on Steam. My Ally runs it better than Switch. The value proposition of the Deck is amazing and the quality of the experience on a PC handheld is great. Especially when you consider that the Nintendo EShop has been slow and laggy for years.

[@Azakir25]

Define "rising in popularity" please, because the steam deck is an extremely niche product compared to something like the Switch. It didn't even sell 5 million units.

[@FuqYu]

@@Azakir25 Hey! 'Rising in popularity' would mean a format that was niche now being a lot more popular than it was before, with products like Asus ROG Ally being available in big retailers and the Steam Deck being the most popular (and clean experience in a) PC handheld in the category, when these handhelds were seen as enthusiast only in the past and lacked significant power to compete with consoles. So, like, the 'popularity' has 'risen'. Does that help?

[@tipsy634]

@@Azakir25 so youre comparing its sales to the fastest selling console in history?

[@Eldritch-707]

Spot the Woz at 0:21 Oooh and at 7:13!

[@LordZoth6292]

The price points on their games, is why the Switch will most likely be my last ever Nintendo console. I've only bought a handful of games, and have paid more than triple what I paid for the console. I love Zelda, and Mario, and the whole gang. Nintendo is leaving me in the water tho.

[@Alfonso88279]

At the end of the day you dont matter to them. You are not their target audience. Their target audience doesnt care about the price.

[@KaitouKaiju]

Cloud only games was the nail in the coffin now you can buy a game without knowing whether or not it even runs on your device

[@dinoshi64]

​@@Alfonso88279 You're saying this to them like as if they're in disbelief at how the company isn't treating them right or something. Just kinda condescending of you, they're not a kid or anything. It's okay for them to just be disappointed at a company's choices and not want to pursue with buying their products.

[@uberculex]

Most people spend more on games than the console... That's normal.

[@OGaccking]

I never thought switch games were expensive, until I started buying games from steam. Never got any switch games except buying for my kid.

[@FunkyGhost37]

KH 1.5 & 2.5 being Cloud only is insane. Even IF they couldn't use the PS4 version, they could've just ported the original PS3 versions of those packs. It was pure laziness.

[@andreysegura2510]

Or a lack of confidence. The least amount of effort to make as much money as possible. Porting the games would have been expensive and they may have not been able to recoup the cost. I don't like it, but they're trying to make money

[@interruptingPreempt]

I had been so excited about KH on switch, but when I found out it was cloud only, I backed off. I felt cheated. Still do.

[@Taco117.]

But you have to realize the switch is not that powerful I'm sure the PS2 is more powerful than the switch and if they put the version on the cart or digital it would run worse than the cloud version

[@FunkyGhost37]

@@Taco117. The PS2 is NOT more powerful than the Switch by a long shot.

[@dinoshi64]

​@@Taco117. This is a wild take lmao. No, a switch by definition, and specs, IS more powerful than a dang system from what, 20 years ago or more? It's just the KH remasters are, well, ports of the PS2 originals on PS4 which technically makes them PS4 games and those, sure, don't always run well on the switch. But efforts can be made to optimize the games best on the console, square just didn't give a damn and put them on the cloud, and somehow think selling the same price as the actual versions is fine

[@sowsow6677]

basically what i noticed with the switch is that the games are double the price of what they are on other consoles

[@throwaway7679]

And they run worse

[@Mystical_Deen]

Yhh and look worse and runs bad. I swear to God buying the Rog Ally from best buy at $340 was the best decision I have ever made

[@IntergalacticDustBunny]

I go to pawn shops for my switch games (mostly), I recently got Luigi's Mansion 2, Red Dead Redemption, and Metroid Prime Remastered for $40 for all three (tax included), other deals included Zelda BOTW for $12, Mario Odyssey for $5, Rune factory 5 for $15, a Switch lite with Animal Crossing and Mario Kart for $90 total. So there are good deals to be had if you frequent the places and get to know the Employees. Of course the down side is you usually have to wait for a specific game.

[@wardraven8755]

Got my Nintendo switch pro controller for $60 6 years ago and just bought one today for $60.

[@jayjam_]

0:21 ME TOO SCOTT! ME TOO!

[@AwesomeX]

🤨

[@Grapyboi]

Me three

[@GiveBackWhatIO]

Punishment for forsaking the Wii U

[@nathanwithrow35]

Where I live a new switch game is bound to pop up at any pawn shop sooner or later. And at reasonable prices. That's where I usually go for my games.

[@gabrielledebourg2487]

Another thing that makes it worse is the lack of digital gifting (something they could do on Wii U!) Which means that it pretty much rules out gifting a MYRIAD of titles, especially indies who might not have a physical release or the one it has is a limited edition. And before someone says ”give them eShop point” that’s not at all the same thing, because it both means I can’t decide the game I gift and also means you can’t take advantage of sales. I recently had a friend for Secret Santa who wished for Switch games and there were many I’d would have loved to have given her, and during the sale, they were within budget to give more than one as well. But because there were no way to actually have her receive a game digitally (and physical copies were WAY too expensive), I had to give her something completely different.

[@cornbread3056]

This is the same company that sold an alarm clock for $100

[@Nogoon69]

Mario needs a new pair of shoes cough it up😭

[@Bloodbun666]

I loved it when nintendo put luigi's mansion on 'sale' (it was 2 bucks less) for halloween and made a big deal about it.

[@RenegadePandaZ]

It's basically the Nintendo 64 all over again. If you were around back then, this same situation was present, almost exactly. Third parties charged more for most of their games because Nintendo had strict policies about how many cartridges had to be ordered and charged the publishers a not insignificant amount to do so, then passed that on to the end user. Nintendo, of course, did it because they knew everyone would buy their games regardless.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Imagine paying for a Donkey Kong without a New Funky Mode

[@Theachivmentsearcher]

"In hd mr squidward... in hd"

[@InnerAnxiety]

I wish games were $60 in Canada games are $80-$93 for the standard edition. for us $60 is a "sale"

[@SlingMeAWeb]

Yup, only got TOTK because of its $60+ "sale" for Black Friday.

[@ausommet]

thats due to currency conversion. a $60 game in Canada is a $40 game in USD

[@nachos1162]

I feel like controllers at max should be like 40 bucks. I hate that a spare controller is the same price or even more expensive than a brand new game depending on the console. I remember going to get a new pro controller and seeing the price and go "bro that's more expensive than a game, why is this more expensive than a game? This shit is essential to playing games so why is it so fucking expensive???" Like, I know there's the argument that "well it's integral to the experience so they can charge you more because you absolutely need it and will use it more than a game" but think about it. The joy cons break from drift after like 4 months of use, why should they be charging 80 bucks for them if they're gonna break so fast? They aren't worth 80 bucks at that point!

[@luciasaid2799]

i think the price would be fine if joy cons were on the same quality level as like an xbox series s controller, which can cost you similarly....but will last you for years, and can pair with pc, android plus your xbox.....nintendo is just a pricey label banking on their exclusive titles, with subpar and overpriced hardware that relies on gimmicks

[@KaitouKaiju]

I've definitely never bought a Switch Pro controller for more than 40 bucks

[@KieranHarris44]

Buy an 8bitdo adapter and you can use any random bluetooth controller. It's what I do to play with an xbox controller.

[@JohnSmith-fq3rg]

Stop buying news ones, buy joysticks online for far cheaper, take apart your controller and replace the joystick. Just saved you $60.

[@LunarWingCloud]

Scott has some weird opinions He likes collecting original label releases of games and hates collecting and displaying value releases, but laments the value releases like Nintendo Selects and Players Choice aren't a thing anymore He is truly a man of depth

[@jacobmonks3722]

Not weird at all. He will buy the original copies out of preference, but he doesn't expect everyone else to do the same.

[@JohnSmith-fq3rg]

If the spine of the case looked the same that'd be better. It used to be important for the spines to be a diffrent color in retail stores back when they'd just put games on shelves before black people ruined that for everyone. Back then you could look at a collection or shelf and pick out cheaper ones for your kids and narrow down the selection quickly for gifts, but now that they are only in our personal collections at home, the yellow is just annoying to look at. Like the dumb yellow simpsons season dvd that was homers head instead of a normal case so it fucked up your whole collection.

[@BugsyFoga]

Nintendo:where all are which games are full priced and you can’t do anything about it

[@mythosinfinite6736]

🏴‍☠️

[@TheFool87]

No, you can do something. Buy a second hand copy which Nintendo makes no money or try the other way which also Nintendo makes no money. None of these happen if they lower the prices.

[@NihilistGarcia-zz6jo]

You can do something about it Pirate 😊 it’s free is easily accessible and you don’t support bad practice as well

[@eduardofromwiisportsresort9636]

​@@NihilistGarcia-zz6jo I can play the games and they run 10x better on my PC at a higher resolution than the switch 😭

[@Bomberman66Hell]

Just mod your switch and pirate everything

[@Soapy_Papoose]

Just the Nintendo tax, it has always been a thing.

[@josiahlewis5838]

Finally, someone is talking about this. Where I'm from nobody is buying physical games because of the markup some sellers will put on them, understandably so because they bought it for so much and they want to make a profit. I'm sorry Nintendo I'm not paying $60 usd for an okayish pokemon game.

[@aquasp102]

I think one of my favorite examples of "Switch Tax" for a game was with 2064 Read Only Memories. At launch, I remember the game costing $20 on other platforms, but when it later released on Switch, it costed $20.64, which is pretty funny.

[@Apocalyptic_Sentinel]

There are also the multiplatform games that are sometimes more expensive on Switch that cost less on other systems and run better on them. I like my Switch and enjoy playing it but if a game is $60 on Switch and $15- $20 elsewhere I'm getting it on a different platform. I know Scott mentioned it in the video but it's still kinda bs.

[@LJ7000]

The great thing about the Wii/Ps3/360 (even ps4) era of releasing previous gen games was that the companies had so much belief in their new games making loads of cash that they were happy to just shovel off old games for $10 in the online store. It was just seen as easy pocket money for old rope. Now, they are really kind of nervous and see this old IP as a genuine important part of their profits.

[@jcloud7]

AND YOU’LL LIKE IT!

[@gigalodon14]

At least you can get used copies for a good price on Ebay. Last month I got Splatoon 3 for 25€ and ngl I was pretty surprised to see it running perfectly because I was definitely expecting something to be fishy😭

[@DELTARYZ]

something IS fishy, it's the salmonids

[@MxndRot]

Switch Tax??? Its Nintendo, so that means I'm a Tax Evader :D **bends paperclip and looks at joycon rail**

[@eduardofromwiisportsresort9636]

the switch was the only real console I've owned that I never amassed any library for. I got it in 2018, played super Mario Odyssey, and eventually a bit of animal crossing when it came out and that's it. I think those two and l.a. noire are the only games I got for it until it ended up in storage in 2021. Sometimes I feel bad and wanna give it another go but, why? I can't afford to shill out 40, 50 or even 60 bucks for most of the 1st party titles I'm interested in. My PC serves me well enough.

[@luciasaid2799]

more than well enough, steam is a never ending catalogue of amazing deals and great games, always growing.

[@darinherrick9224]

Third party games cost almost nothing on the digital store. Just check out the 1st party games at the public library.

[@lukebytes5366]

The last time I remember actively buying a switch game was shovel knight back in 2020. It's a good library, but the vast majority of my games came as christmas and birthday gifts rather than from my own money.

[@Neutrona35]

THAT IS WHY CFW

[@Iffondrel]

A big contribution to my early (talking 4 years old with an n64 for me and my siblings) gaming access was when my dad brought home a box of 64 cartridges that he'd found at the DUMP. Dont know what the previous owner did for that to happen, but they had almost every star in mario 64. Me and my brother, meanwhile, had our collection of games more than doubled, even with the repeats.

[@Jade_Geode]

I like to call DKC Tropical Freeze on Switch “Tropical Freeze & Knuckles”

[@Joppuman]

It exists in the used market too, and it really does just seem that it’s because they can. There are plenty of games you can get cheap on ps4/xbox but are still like $25 on switch

[@ArisuBeloved]

Honestly, I just wait like a few years and buy them second hand for like half price. Barely any of the Switch games are actually worth buying day 1 at $60. They usually end up costing less on Playstation by that point and they almost always run better.

[@PowerSynopsis]

I bought exactly 2 Switch games when they came out: TotK and EoW. I _could_ have waited on EoW, but TotK was absolutely worth it. In general though, waiting a while then hunting for a killer deal on eBay is my preferred way to collect games. Actually, I also bought Splatoon 3 on release. I wanted to jump in that right away because of the nature of the game, but honestly, if I waited a month I could have found someone selling it for cheaper too.

[@crispymattastic]

Unless it's a first party game like mario , zelda etc then second hand gives you only 10$ off.

[@drewbreezy5854]

I always think you are paying more to have legal access to Nintendo's IPs. That is one thing Nintendo has in spades that Sony and Microsoft have very little of.

[@Ddddddddddd381]

$60!?!? in Canada the games start at $80

[@chrisbeach423]

Metroid Prime remastered for 40$ was a steal. That should be the standard price for remasters.

[@ovahdos]

To be fair i literally put 500+ hours in to Advance Wars Reboot Camp and loved every minute of it lol That works out to literally only .1299 cents per hour in my case even factoring in the 8.25% Texas state sales tax for a total of $64.95 for the full physical game. Still veryyyy well worth it imo and I got more play out of that game than any other game i've ever purchased or played on the switch the entire time the console has been out

[@luciasaid2799]

people have 1.500 hours or more on dbd in steam, a game you can get for five dollars.

[@throwaway7679]

Who cares dude, money =/= gametime Don't let yourself get ripped off with games all because you put a lot of time into it.

[@scottwesner9362]

If you don't want to watch this whole video first of all; why. Second of all 27:18 is a great summary

[@insertnameshow]

14:43 oh yeah go this for £20 by price matching at curry’s because Asda kept canceling my order.

[@MikeyInsanity]

"Nintendo Holds 12 Hour Meeting to Decide if Company Can Survive Selling ‘Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze’ for Less Than $60" - Hard-Drive, September 19, 2019 (obligatory mention they're a parody website) Funny thing is that for Black Friday 2023 Nintendo discounted the game to $30 so 5 years after it came out on Switch, I finally bought it.

[@cayder7485]

4 views in one minute Scott’s stash is out of its prime

[@joeyisabsb1]

I have close to 100 Switch games and noticed I mostly buy third party games and not Nintendo first party ones. It doesnt really have to do with the cost, i just think Nintendo first party games are either too easy or feel too much for kids.

[@AceofShadow]

I’d have bought Luigi’s Mansion HD if it was a bundle of 1 and 2 but I skipped buying 2 again just for it.

[@FluffyAbsol]

Nintendo's way is "Where else would you play it?" Emulators.

[@flipadoodles8677]

I waited so long for breath of the wild to go on sale that tears of the kingdom came out.

[@fantasystaplesuwu1554]

My local gamestop has used game cartridges for nearly every game that *has* a cartridge. All below $40, and all work perfectly fine.

[@frankiethewaffle2476]

Eh, I would kind of equate it to early adopters, buyers remorse. Ya know, when you paid full price and it in $20 now? The games are the same thing no matter when you buy them so, why aren't they worth the same money? Far as the special ed. consoles, yeah I guess but, instead of spending any money hunting one down, you order online, paying for shipping. So, I got a Hyrule Edition Lite for $209. Same day delivery, no shipping. Kinda worked out. Thing of it is, Nintendo sees it as, if you want their stuff you'll pay for it.....and I will, I guess.

[@matheusavila2688]

thank god free games on the switch are an option

[@bland9876]

I paid $30 for Skyward Sword at Best Buy idk when.

[@ahmedhasan4966]

I just recently got Breath of the wild at a random store for $30.

[@Jetterz1999]

I played Brothership when it came out and it made me glad I'm emulating now. The game bored me after a few hours of playtime, and had I spent 60 dollars on it I would've been pissed

[@Warrenmitchum]

I blame the resellers that wanna charge hundreds for Nintendo games whether it be bad or good. Nintendo saw that and said wow. They will pay $100.00 for Ribbit king and Wario ware on the old GameCube? As long as we don’t charge $100 for a game the price is good. I don’t see people are noticing that.

[@TheOneTrueNothing]

To be fair to the special edition consoles, at the time I bought my OLED, the special editions were only £5-10 more (however much that is in dollars) so it felt like you'd only be paying whatever it cost to apply the special designs rather than some limited edition tax (the only reason I went standard was none of the limited editions appealed to me)

[@benamisai-kham5892]

Its so insane that the only great way to get deals on first party games is to happen upon the right store or waiting to purchase at the right time on amazon- which even then, its usually only between $10-20 off depending on circumstances. Nintendo barely puts their first party games on sale in the eShop and it's infrequent enough that some have only been on sale maybe once or twice because of how selective they are with which games are deemed alright to go on sale on the eShop.

[@summeraethers]

Scott’s Stash has turned into what Scott’s Main KZbin channel used to be like years ago; sarcastic jokes with informative entertainment- less of the storyline skits as the main channel seems to host now

[@Most_Likely_Joe]

Scott my guy... Clean ya screen 😂

[@droycon]

Maybe if the switch 2 doesn’t do as well we will finally get decent prices again

[@YourUncleBenis]

The Switch Tax is the reason my Lite is just a KZbin player for when my phone is charging half the time. There are a ton of games that I'd buy for it if the price was equivalent to Steam, but then I buy it on Steam for cheaper, where I can mod and record it, and it's like, "Why would I buy this for more on Switch?" Only first party Nintendo game I've bought is Metroid Dread, and that was only $35 for a loose cartridge on eBay.

[@portalpuppy31]

BIONICLE FAN SPOTTED!

[@mikeywebb9598]

I’m struggling to understand why you got a switch to begin with

[@YourUncleBenis]

@@mikeywebb9598 It was mainly because I'd started doing plasma donations around that time, and whenever the lines got really long, having something to play that wasn't just my 3DS came in handy. Plus, a refurbished Switch Lite was cheaper than a Steam Deck.

[@jac_238]

@@mikeywebb9598yeah I’m with you there, I was with him until he said Metroid Dread is the only first party game he owns, like the complaints about the price of ports of third party games is valid but why even own a switch if you have no interest in the first party games, more often than not those are worth the full $60 they’re asking for

[@uncoolben79]

if normal ken wasn't violent, I'd hate to meet violent ken

[@tek1645]

I used to consider "switch tax" acceptable since it was more like a "handheld tax" but ever since steam deck launched, the tax is not worth it anymore.

[@luciasaid2799]

and phones have for long been compatible with bluetooth controllers like the steelseries ones or the xbox ones. and a good present day phone is just as good hardware wise as the overpriced brick the switch is lol. and yes, the deck is the way to go handheld now.

[@theunallied9850]

Glad i got a gen 1 Switch *if you know you know

[@justjoeblow420]

I ended up completely skipping the Switch as by the time I finally had the spare money to consider one the Deck had been announced and I decided budget wise even if it costed me a bit more I would come out ahead, and two years and change into owning a Steam Deck I can safely say I was correct. I ended up just borrowing a buddies Switch for the few first party games I really wanted to play like Mario Odyssey.

[@ASquared544]

I feel like Nintendo of America does not have a single economist on their sales team

[@gladesucks7907]

Bring back Player’s Choice

[@ahmedhasan4966]

Or Nintendo Selects.