Why Nintendo Switch pricing ruins it for Australians

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The other day we finally got to hear all the highly anticipated information regarding Nintendo’s latest console the Switch, and for a majority of us, there was a collected sigh of relief as it would seem Nintendo finally learned from some of their past mistakes, especially regarding the well-documented disaster that was the Wii U.

For starters, the launch lineup includes the brand new Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild game, enough for any Nintendo fan to get their wallet out to purchase a Switch. I won’t go into too much detail about the console itself and its features, as we already covered what was revealed during the conference.

switch
The Switch console and detached Joy-Con controllers

What I would like to discuss is the fact that once again we Australians have been completely shafted in terms of pricing. It is no secret to gamers out there that Australia’s pricing on video games is some of the worst in the world, I can personally tell you that at times it has actually been cheaper for me to purchase a game from overseas, pay the exchange rate difference along with shipping than actually going down to my local electronics store and buying it locally.

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I have been looking forward to the Nintendo Switch ever since it was first rumored under the codename of “NX,” but with the recent announcement of pricing I cannot lie and say that I wasn’t filled with disappointment. For Australians to purchase the Switch we are expected to pay $470AUD, now that doesn’t sound too bad right? Wrong!

That price only includes the console and included accessories, it does not include any games whatsoever. So if I wish to purchase a game for my brand new console I need to add an extra $80AUD, bringing the total to $550AUD. In order to give you an accurate comparison, I can purchase a brand new Xbox One S for $399AUD which includes Gears of War 4 and a 4K UHD Blu-ray copy of the excellent Mad Max: Fury Road.

zelda breathe of the wild
Link as he appears in The Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild.

Sure the Xbox One S is by no means a brand new console, but another issue here is that Nintendo is notorious for rarely lowering prices on their products, you can still find Wii U and 3DS games going for full listed retail price despite being over 3 years old.

I know a lot of people residing in Australia who have now stated they cannot justify spending that amount on the Switch and are annoyed with the pricing, I have no doubt it will still sell like hotcakes but for a majority of us Nintendo fans it doesn’t instill much faith. It is just part and parcel of living in Australia, a rather small price to pay but an annoying one that Aussie gamers must continue to endure.

What are your thoughts on the Switch’s price in your country? Are you still going to be picking up a unit on launch day? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.

[button link=”http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/01/nintendo-switch-price-games-and-release-date/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Gizmodo Australia[/button]
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