Games Inbox: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell out?

The Tuesday letters page thinks the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was amateurish, as one reader is surprised Silksong’s brief reveal has gone largely unnoticed.

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Tariff turmoil
I’m not surprised to find the Switch 2 is already starting to sell out, in terms of pre-orders. Based on the success of the original Switch and Nintendo’s overall positive reputation I imagine that it will be difficult to get hold of this Christmas, even though they seem to be doing their best to disrupt scalpers.

I can’t say if it’s worth it, I haven’t played it, but I can say that Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong both look good and everyone who’s played them seems to agree. I doubt I’ll pick one up this year but who amongst us can predict what their money situation is going to be by that point, given everything going on right now.

I wonder if all the nonsense with the tariffs will end up hastening the end of this generation or prolonging it. If Sony can get by for a while with PlayStation 5 stock as it is, does that mean they’ll try to avoid moving to the PlayStation 6 until Trump’s gone? Or will they fast forward it and pretend it’s made in some place that hasn’t got as bad tariffs (I’m sure the UK will be happy to help!).

I really have no idea but never mind delaying the Switch 2 Direct by a couple of days, I’m starting to get the feeling Nintendo should’ve waited till next year.
Lomax

Schoolboy errors
Personally, I’m very disappointed with the Nintendo Direct. Not so much its content but the amateurish way Nintendo has handled it all. I would’ve liked to see more big budget first party games, but Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong did look good.

My bigger complaint is why did Nintendo not just delay the Direct a week and see how the tariffs played out? They were announced weeks ago, so they had plenty of time to press pause. And why are they being slow to announce prices? It’s getting on for a week now and we still don’t know how much the upgrades are or games like Drag X Drive or Welcome Tour.

Some of these things have been announced for other countries and some not at all, but it’s all completely random and feels slapdash. One thing I would normally think of with Nintendo is that they’re organised and sensible, but I’m not feeling that at all at the moment. And that bait and switch with The Duskbloods being some multiplayer-only rubbish is unforgiveable.
Hurst99

Family upgrade
Nintendo releasing games like Metroid Prime 4 with upgrade codes for the Switch 2 versions, after that whole presentation on Switch 2 cartridges being red, seems like a really silly mistake.

Most of the comments seem to be focusing on how this affects the resale value, as you wouldn’t be able to pass on the upgrade code once you’ve used it, but it’s worse than that.

If you’ve got more than one Switch 2 in your household, which I don’t think is that uncommon if you have more than one kid, it effectively means the one with the upgrade tied to their account get the Switch 2 version and everyone else is stuck with the Switch 1 version unless you buy a more upgrade package for a game you only own one copy of!

Is it so hard to put the Switch 2 copy of the game in the Switch 2 box?
Tim

GC: We’d hope that you’d get the upgrade if you shared the game with your family group, given how keen Nintendo seem to be at pushing that idea.

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Definitely not definite
I’d like to offer my personal opinion on the Switch 2 and Nintendo’s controversial pricing of their titles. Let’s address the bluntly obvious truth. The very same people ridiculing Nintendo, over the price of Super Mario World, will still pre-order the bundle, because why would they not? Despite the PS5 Pro’s £700 price tag, millions still brought it.

Frankly, Nintendo will sell millions of copies. I understand the hatred, because it’s a cruel fact of life that Nintendo charge an insane amount for their first party titles. Metroid Prime 4 and The Duskbloods will be overpriced for definite. They’re exclusive to the Switch 2 and it’s a clever act to rope in FromSoftware to develop an exclusive. They’re one of the most renowned developers and in my top three favourites. The other two being Rockstar and CD Projekt Red.

That being said, I’m absolutely pre-ordering the Mario Kart World bundle – since it seems folly to pay £74.99 for a separate copy. I love you Mario, but not that much. Unfortunately, it’s currently out of stock everywhere I see and Amazon haven’t sent an invite my way yet. Hopefully that necessitates a change and I’m soon blazing my way past Wario and blue-shelling Bowser on the racetrack.
Shahzaib Sadiq

Beautiful consoles
Does the PlayStation 5 become more visually appealing the longer it sits under your telly? Does its bold but rather unusual design eventually win you over? The console reminds me of the occasions when I’ve asked artificial intelligence to generate an image and the AI software draws something that looks so wrong that no rational human mind would ever conceive it.

What were the executives thinking when they settled on the final PlayStation 5 design? Yes, that’s the look we want. Let’s make our new console resemble a giant liquorice allsort that’s nearly been stamped in half.

The plastic feet things that you have to slot onto the console’s underside to stop it falling over are good too. Of course you could design a console that doesn’t fall over in the first place.

Maybe I’ll grow to like the PlayStation 5. At least it isn’t a conventional box. I think Sony really got it right design-wise once. The slimline PlayStation 2 was a seek and unobtrusive item that I was glad to own.

Has there ever been a truly beautiful games console? Has any manufacturer got console design just right? I also really like the Panasonic GameCube, but part of that console’s appeal might be down to its monetary value and rarity.
Michael Veal (@msv858)

GC: As far as we’re concerned it only gets uglier the more you look at it. Our favourite has always been the PC Engine. The PS one is nice too, and the European and Japanese SNES (the American SNES is the ugliest).

Time to think
Sorry for the delay, but big thanks to big boy bent for the recommendations on Streets Of Rage 4 and, in particular, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge. I’ll definitely play both before Marvel Cosmic Invasion, as it sounds like they’re great fun and there’s a lot of replayability to both.

As to what console I’ll be playing them on, that’s up in the air since the Switch 2 Direct and previews. I haven’t managed to secure a pre-order but am weighing up when and how to fund getting one.

I’m wondering whether I should sell my current Switch and PlayStation 5 to fund the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle, when it becomes available again. Selling my current Switch is a no-brainer, however, whether to also sell my PlayStation 5 is my main dilemma.

I almost exclusively play console exclusives or smaller indie titles, especially since becoming a father almost a year ago. I loved Sony’s output during the PlayStation 4 era but have since found they’ve become stale on the PlayStation 5, with only Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart being a true highlight. The two Spider-Man sequels and God Of War Ragnarök were the main offenders on this formula fatigue, where they were good, not great, and didn’t feel fresh and engaging.

Two PlayStation 5 games are currently making me question whether I should sell the console to facilitate my Switch 2 purchase: Marvel’s Wolverine and GTA 6. Wolverine was a major draw in me buying the PlayStation 5 when it was first (and only) teased, so the radio silence on the game for the past four years has been frustrating and we have no idea when it’ll actually be released or even how it might play.

GTA 6 will generate so much hype that it’ll be hard to ignore. However, if I’m honest, GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 didn’t blow my mind as much as most, probably because I don’t play online and found the core mechanics of each to be a little dated.

I have some thinking to do for the next couple of months, especially if I manage to get a Switch 2 pre-order. It’ll be interesting to hear if other Inboxers are having similar dilemmas.
Hubert

GC: It’s not for everyone, but Returnal is by far our favourite PlayStation 5 exclusive.

Printing money
One thing that has interested me, for the price of Switch 2 games.

Nintendo games never normally lower in value. The retail price usually stays static. Then they go ‘out of print’ and prices to buy it increase.

How much could a Nintendo £70 game escalate in price to?
Si-Zero

GC: The only game we can think of that’s ever gone out of print is Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and that was on purpose.

Ultimate appraisal
I think the Switch 2 hardware looks excellent. The 1080p, 120Hz capable screen is more than I’d expected, and it looks like the docked performance is a serious upgrade over the Switch. I initially thought the 256GB hard drive was a bit stingy, but the game sizes haven’t jumped up by as much as I thought (microSD Express support is also great).

The software emulation solution for backwards compatibility might be a slight concern for those looking to transfer over their Switch library but hopefully it’ll work seamlessly for the most part. Third party support looks really good, but I’m very invested in the PC ecosystem now so can’t see me diving into Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2. Thought the Donkey Kong Bananza/Ultimate Destruction game looked great, hopefully it lives up to the hype.

The hardware price seems reasonable for the specs and the software prices were obviously a shock for some but weren’t far off what I expected. The higher prices inevitably mean I’m less likely to take a risk on games or to double-dip on remasters or ports. And due to my own inherent stinginess, and that of those around me, I’m less likely to give or receive games. I don’t blame the gaming companies for that though and I’m sure things will settle down eventually.

All-in-all, it’s not something I’ll be rushing out to buy but I’ll pick one up eventually. Hope everyone that gets theirs at launch has a wonderful time.
Magnumstache

GC: We’re glad you mentioned The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, that was the first thing that came to our mind too.

Inbox also-rans
You know the Switch 2 reveal has got people in a spin when Silksong makes an appearance with a 2025 date, and it doesn’t make the cut for any of the articles about Switch 2. Although to be fair that might be because many see the game as vaporware at this point.
Simundo

GC: It was always supposed to be 2025, although we’re not sure how believable that really is.

I’d forgotten how amazing the Wii Shopping Channel music was. Boo for not bringing it back!
Tez

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

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