Nintendo Switch 2

• 10 June, 2025
• Opinion
• Essay

I'm, admittedly, really pressed about Nintendo since the Switch 2's launch. I've been since the announcements of its Terms of Service, its marketing... and I feel like the games for it are a bit of a trap card. They're meant to entice you into being complicit with Nintendo's corperate disregard for consumers. Not that the developers at Nintendo or the studios Nintendo hires for game development are at fault, because I don't think for a second they determine the company's stance on legality, Terms of Service, etc. But it really puts people in a tight place.

First and foremost: it's fine to like the games. I'm not talking about that. What I am talking about is Nintendo as a company. Specifically, them using capitalism to extort as much as they can out of their consumers now that exploiting your supporters has been deemed normal thanks to other companies like Sony and Microsoft. I'm going to sound a little old-timey, but once upon a time, Nintendo was a company that appealed to those looking for affordable, quality content. It used to aim to be as accessible as possible, entertaining many generations regardless of their income. And now, as I get older, I see that spirit dwindling. In fact, I'd argue it's completely gone. Many blame Iwata's passing for Nintendo's downfall, and while I think there's some truth to it, I think it's more on who came to fill in his shoes. Iwata was someone who didn't grow up rich, successful, or as a businessman. He grew up as a kid with hopes and dreams. I don't claim to know the man, but it's easy to learn about his history and life online. It's going to be very hard to have someone with such a similar background fill his shoes. Japan, following World War 2, took after America's capitalistic system, and you can see its affects at its worst within its work culture, especially with "crunch," where employees are expected to stay overtime with no extra pay. Japan is the natural extreme of this culture that's prevalent in America: Japanese workers will even live at their own offices just to meet impossible deadlines.

Nintendo stepped into the gaming industry primarily for profit, but I can't deny and say that there weren't aspiring developers wanting to create something and put it out there. Nintendo was a platform for creatives, and revived the gaming industry thanks to focusing on quality and affordability. That kind of mindset was kept Nintendo so popular for so long. It wasn't "one of them." It didn't exploit the consumer through subscriptions for an online service, because that was offered for free. Granted, on outdated, old, shotty servers, but it was still free. It was still accessible. They focused on accessibility so much, that when the 3DS launched and nobody was buying it, they lowered the prices. Iwata took pay cuts, because he cared about the employees at Nintendo that would be affected by the price cut. He allowed himself to take a hit, because it meant more to make something accessible than to stick behind money. As much as the Wii U was a failure for its poor marketing, I think it's the last system where Nintendo focused on accessibility before things took a dive for the worst, even though they played it safe to a detriment. Because then, the Switch came along. All was good, hypothetically: good games, INNOVATIVE ones. Iwata's fingerprints were left within the Switch's design, games, and features.

... But, the catch? Nintendo needed, no, WANTED to exploit the consumer for more money. And they did this through the paid Online subscription.

Nintendo defended itself saying that it needed to pay for its services, but, do they really need to exploit consumers for it? They partly own the Pokemon Company, which is the highest grossing franchise in gaming. They basically have an infinite money source with that combined with their own game sales.

... And then, the controversy with the Joycon drift on the sticks. Nintendo denied the drift being real in a lawsuit, and pretended it wasn't a problem by offering out replacement joycons that, too, will eventually break down. I've seen some comments on YouTube videos claiming that some users experienced drift on older consoles. I believe it, but the truth of the matter was it was NOT that common back then. The controllers were inherently made with more sturdier parts that were made to last. You'd think, with modern technology, that would only get better... but, that's where capitalism comes into play. Why bother making something sturdy, when if you make it fragile, the consumer will come back and happily replace it with another replica? It's the same American practices, but now being practiced with a Japanese company. But this isn't new, as we've touched on. Japan takes after America in its capitalistic society in a lot of ways. The Switch 2's Joycons have been taken apart recently, and they're made with the EXACT same materials when it comes to the stick. Expect to fork over thousands over the next 5 years replacing controllers, because it's only going to get worse.

Speaking of... the games and console are outragiously priced. For comparison, the Switch 1 was priced at around $300 USD. Joycons were priced at $40 USD. The Switch 2?

About $450 USD.

And this isn't even counting the price for Switch 2 Joycons, at $95 USD.

"But the technology's improved," one may say, "of course it's going to be more expensive!" But does it really need to come at the cost of those who will be using it to pay for it? The people who are struggling now more than ever to afford basic living commodities? "Well, they shouldn't be buying games then," they may reply. And while that's fair... I think games are an art form that really enhance a person's living experience. There's games that changed me forever as a person inherently, allowed me to connect with others, inspired me to create. I think making games as accessible as possible is nothing BUT positive because of the amazing impact it can create on people. If someone wants to experience art, it shouldn't have to come at the cost of a monthly mortgage. It shouldn't come at the cost of a single grocery trip.

This isn't even tackling how Nintendo's attitudes towards those who modify their systems has gotten so much worse. Nintendo always hated hackers and modders. During the Wii and DSi era, Nintendo would ban cheaters and hackers that played the games to ruin everyone else's experience. For example, those caught cheating on Mario Kart Wii were banned. This was fine though, because in this case, the modders were actively hurting other people's experiences. But, it didn't stop there. Nintendo sent out patches to prevent people from modifying their Wii in ways Nintendo didn't like, but hackers always got around it. I hacked my Wii as a pre-teen, and while I never cheated online, it was one of the most foundational experiences of my life. Modifying a console and its games however you please? Inserting custom content, playing with friends WITH that content? It's a wonderful, formative experience. It makes you feel so... free.

Nintendo's initial combatitive attitude with hackers continued into the Wii U, but it was upped when the Switch was released. Telemetry was implemented, meaning that Nintendo would know exactly what you're doing on your Switch for how long and when. While it served to pick out modders and ban them, it's undeniable that it's an inherent privacy violation. Previously, Nintendo didn't resort to these tactics. Sure, the Wii was made in an era where it wasn't really possible, but the Wii U sure was. And they didn't. But the Switch? They dived right into it. And this only got worse with the Switch 2. In the Switch 2's Terms of Service, Nintendo outlines that if you make ANY unauthorized modification to the console, they have the authority to brick the system. This makes the system as useful as... a brick. The worst part? The way the Terms of Service explain it, it's less that you own the Switch 2 and the copies of games you buy for it. You're renting them. The Terms of Service explicitly state you do not own these, but you're purchasing a LISCENCE to use them. Many companies in America follow this kind of set-up, that way, they have total control over the consumer and how they interact with a product. It's been very common within the gaming industry for a while now, but the fact even Nintendo adopted it marks a change. No longer does Nintendo care about making itself accessible and affordable, no longer do they care about their impact on the industry. They've made it monitarily... so, much like an American company, as long as they're making money, who cares if they hurt people? Who cares if they slowly take the previously free and expected rights of their consumers, if it makes them money?

Buying the games only further fuels their capitalistic venture. The games are priced at $80 USD. "Well, they have a lot more content in it," one may say. But what does that say about previous games outside of the Switch 2? Does Super Mario Odyssey, priced at $60 USD on launch, not have enough content? What about Luigi's Mansion for the GameCube? Sure, it was priced at around $40 USD, but adjusted for inflation, it matches the same $60 USD consumers paid for games today. It's the same value, but adjusted slowly overtime due to the economy. However, this time...? Nintendo excuses it though "content." It's setting a precident for the rest of the games that will be on the system produced by them. It's a sudden jump. You could argue that the economy, at least in America, is crashing and the tariffs are impacting the price. However, the price before the tariffs were removed? It made the price WORSE. They're removed from Japan now. These are the raw, unfiltered prices.

Nintendo's trying to put their foot in the door with their games. Even if they're quality, it's the foot in the door that allows them to further abuse their consumerbase. It's why I refuse to purchase a Switch 2 with my money. If I ever purchase anything, it will be at a discount. It will be a re-used Switch 2. Nothing will be brand-new. I have to save money for not only myself, but for my family. The animals that live with and rely on me. I'd rather just... pirate, to be honest. That way, no money is lost on my end.

I used to think Nintendo was the exception to the rule of capitalism. Now that it's become the norm, it makes me frustrated to see people purchase a Switch 2 after seeing so many people complain about it. It's one thing if it was bought FOR you, but it's another thing if you contributed to purchasing it, I feel. It feels like people care more for the games versus the precident that Nintendo is setting. Nintendo is hiding behind the quality games to push for further abuse against the consumer. But, it's all okay, because the games, bro...! The games...!

... Just, pirate the games, please. It's better than wasting your money on a billion-dollar company that couldn't care less about anyone. Or, if you MUST... just get them used. Nintendo HATED retailers like GameStop for re-selling used games, years ago.