Q (abridged):
今後のハードウェア、ソフトウェアの価格戦略についても言及したうえで教えてほしい。
Please tell us about your future hardware and software pricing strategy.
A (abridged):
Nintendo Switch については、ビジネスを長期的に行っていく中で、できる限りハードウェア、ソフトウェアともに、価値と価格の維持を行ってきました。現時点でこの方針について変更が必要だとは考えていません。
As for Nintendo Switch, we have maintained the value and price of both hardware and software as much as possible in our long-term business. We do not believe this policy should be changed at this time.
but the switch launched at the end of the FY, so they did not expect it to make a big difference.IIRC it went down in late 2016 and early 2017 shortly before the Switch launched.
well, this to me speaks "phase out". if your sales slow down, and you don't want to price cut hardware, then i don't see another option.Actually, there was one other thing in the Q&A:
Furukawa says no price cuts.
This is about R&D spending, not the sales forecast.but the switch launched at the end of the FY, so they did not expect it to make a big difference.
It would only make sense if the Successor is planned to launch either at the end of FY24 (so March 24) or if its next FY.
Or do you guys mean that theey differ between successor and Switch?
I expected it to be counted same as lite and OLED, as part of the family.
Only price increases.Actually, there was one other thing in the Q&A:
Furukawa says no price cuts.
Je ne sais pas parler le français.C'mon guys, let's speak proper French!
No switch revealNintendo will post a 3 minute long Switch 2 reveal video 6 hours before this direct. The Nintendo Direct will contain all game footage from the new console that releases alongside TOTK.
In the VERY UNLIKELY event that the above doesn't happen... well it's still possible an early Switch 2 release happens H1 this here... I think a key indicator will be what's in this show. If they do a full on TOTK blow out I think it makes it less likely. If this show is lame and doesn't have much hype then that makes it more likely. but...What do they have for 40 minutes of content though? Gotta quite a few new reveals?
At this time... Wink wink hahaActually, there was one other thing in the Q&A:
Furukawa says no price cuts.
We've always been there.jesus christ who invited the French
Any minute now...No switch reveal
Any minute now...
That's a great suggestion for Nintendo. Let's also tell them to put Mario in sports games and see if they agree that's a good idea.Hideki Yasuda by way of Mochizuki said:"For next-gen console, Nintendo should release new hardware with new design once in every two years"
The only major release 32GB game I know of in the U.S. is Witcher 3, which was standard $60. Now, if TOTK is the inaugural 64GB game, that'd be pretty hot.To be fair, $70 TOTK could be due to a bigger and/or faster cart. 32Mb games sold for $70 or more in the SNES days, maybe this one is 32-64GB. Do we have other examples of a higher price due to the cart size?
This is rather curious. I would not be shocked if Switch 2 games retail at $70, once the precedent was set, all publishers were bound to follow suite. I did find it interesting that the eshop page that had the $69.99 price had a release date of just 2023 and not May 12, 2023.
Not reallyChaos in 6 hours from now.
You don't make a game engine only to use it for one game, but you can expect an upgraded version of said engine.Also the game seems to be reusing the game engine
We don't know enough about the scope of the game yet. There's no reason to expect them to drop their previous engine and start entirely from scratch to 'justify' a pricepoint.Also the game seems to be reusing the game engine, assets, physics, and overworld map I don't see why it would be $70 other than greed
That's not what I'm saying at all but okWe don't know enough about the scope of the game yet. There's no reason to expect them to drop their previous engine and start entirely from scratch to 'justify' a pricepoint.
What I got from your words are "reusing assets and engine -> no reason for an increased price". Am I wrong?That's not what I'm saying at all but ok
oh, i mussread the post then. my bad, makes total sense, when spending is down, but was up, that means its done.This is about R&D spending, not the sales forecast.
It's not you getting punished for having to pay MSRP--it's retailers honoring $60 preorders who will be punished.I think it's stupid imo because pre orders have been up for a while at $60 and I did not pre order because a lack of information regarding the game. Now it seems that if it does launch at $70 I get punished because of my skepticism? Kinda lame.
I feel so bad for Amazon and Best Buy :(It's not you getting punished for having to pay MSRP--it's retailers honoring $60 preorders who will be punished.
It IS the Direct.Man they sure are holding that Drake announcement very close to the Direct.
it won't happen but I want it to happen.Direct starts with a black screen. THX music plays and slowly fades in, Killer Instinct announcer screams ULTRAAAAA. Jensen appears - you are about to enter the Next Generation of Handheld Gaming
Man they sure are holding that Drake announcement very close to the Direct.
Well, people are going to be genuinely surprised when it gets announced -- sometime later this year, after TotK's release.I do so much want for Nintendo to be crafty duplicitous gremlins, leaking false information surrounding the state of the new hardware, and letting us all be genuinely surprised when it is announced. But that’s fair bit too optimistic for me. Wishing everybody else luck - less than two hours to go.
As for me? Just give me Tears with decent IQ and good voicing. I’ll cope.
Well, people are going to be genuinely surprised when it gets announced -- sometime later this year, after TotK's release.
My megaton would be them doing the new TotK trailer, and when they have the Switch logo, have a Switch logo and a Switch 2 logo as well. Don't even highlight it or anything. Make it look like an oops. At the end of the whole direct announce a Switch 2 direct for tomorrow.Nintendo will post a 3 minute long Switch 2 reveal video 6 hours before this direct. The Nintendo Direct will contain all game footage from the new console that releases alongside TOTK.
In the VERY UNLIKELY event that the above doesn't happen... well it's still possible an early Switch 2 release happens H1 this here... I think a key indicator will be what's in this show. If they do a full on TOTK blow out I think it makes it less likely. If this show is lame and doesn't have much hype then that makes it more likely. but...What do they have for 40 minutes of content though? Gotta quite a few new reveals?
I have reason to doubt that.
Nintendo didn't put it up for pre-order. Retailers did, betting that the price would be 60. If the game launches at $70, watch every single preorder get cancelled.I think it's stupid imo because pre orders have been up for a while at $60 and I did not pre order because a lack of information regarding the game. Now it seems that if it does launch at $70 I get punished because of my skepticism? Kinda lame.
If you think the game isn't worth $70, don't buy it. In the next two years I would bet on every AAA first party release from all three console makers to be $70+. Games have never been cheaper, and they've never been more expensive to make.Also the game seems to be reusing the game engine, assets, physics, and overworld map I don't see why it would be $70 other than greed
I am not going to buy it. I wouldn't care if it was for a new system and they started it there but it's fucked up to do it to a sequel.Nintendo didn't put it up for pre-order. Retailers did, betting that the price would be 60. If the game launches at $70, watch every single preorder get cancelled.
If you think the game isn't worth $70, don't buy it. In the next two years I would bet on every AAA first party release from all three console makers to be $70+. Games have never been cheaper, and they've never been more expensive to make.
In 1986, the median US income was $29k a year, and the original Zelda was $50. TLoZ development took two years and a core team of 6 people.
In 2017, the median US income was $60k a year, and Breath of the Wild cost $60. BotW development took six years and a core team of 400+ people.
In 2022, the median US income was $70k a year.
The only way games have been getting bigger and bigger every year without going up much in price has been that gaming has become a larger and larger industry, leading to more and more sales. But sequels almost never do as well as the originals on the same console.
Tears of the Kingdom almost certainly cost more than Breath of the Wild to make, and will almost definitely do fewer sales, in a market where the dollar is worth less than it was 6 years ago, but the average gamer has more of them.
For the record: Games are fucking expensive. I have nothing but sympathy for fans of a franchise who worry about being able to afford to play the next game, and I think the tendency to make bigger and bigger games is bad, as it the tendency to make everything a homogenized corporate product that turns game play loops into mind-numbing gambling.
And yes, it is greed. Of course it's greed! It's fucking capitalism! It's the disgusting pursuit of perpetual growth till the bottom falls out. But a $70 shift for games is just economic inevitability, unless the whole industry - and the economic background - upends itself, fast.
Oh well!I am not going to buy it. I wouldn't care if it was for a new system and they started it there but it's fucked up to do it to a sequel.
I've gotten to the point where I look at games as their price per hour of gameplay. Any game I get for under $1 an hour of gameplay is a magnificent deal.I am not going to buy it. I wouldn't care if it was for a new system and they started it there but it's fucked up to do it to a sequel.
OkOh well!
You joke but how the fuck is Pikmin 4 looking as rough as Pikmin 3 which was supposedly ported over from that first Wii project?Well, thank god the new Switch was announced in this trailer, because we all know there was no way Switch could run Pikmin 4