FBTB

Category: Nintendo Switch 2

  • The price of the new Tears of the Kingdom amiibo is stupid

    The price of the new Tears of the Kingdom amiibo is stupid

    I remember when amiibo first came out, they were so hard to find. The demand was crazy and the price wasn’t unreasonable for what you got: a well-sculpted figure that had an NFC chip. It was Nintendo’s entry into the then-crowded toys to life genre but rather than build an entire game around the toys, Nintendo did what Nintendo does and did their own interpretation of the concept. They instead made their toys game-agnostic so that they could potentially work across multiple games. Plus, they weren’t central to the gaming experience. Where by now we’ve seen toys to life games shuttered and nothing but a distant memory (Skylanders, LEGO Dimensions, Disney Infinity), amiibo is still going strong with Nintendo continuing to release new figures and new themes.

    When amiibo debuted, the price per figure was $12.99 with 3-packs logically priced at $35.99. That was about 11 years ago back in 2014. More recently, MSRP rose to $15.99 when the Legend of Zelda series came out in 2017. I still found that price to be reasonable given inflation and the rising cost of goods. You get neat in-game features depending on which amiibo you’re using on a particular game and the whole experience was meant to be just fun little bonuses or making your game settings portable and convenient.

    But now, they have skyrocketed to a whopping $29.99 for the new Tears of the Kingdom amiibo of the four sages. That is nearly double the previous MSRP. The price hike is most likely due to the stupid tariff situation. This report at ComicBook.com details the original price of the new TotK amiibo going up from $19.99 to $29.99*. At $19.99 I could have accepted it as a natural rise in the cost of goods, but at $29.99 it’s laughable and an easy pass. Because what’s the value that you’re getting out of them? A 4-inch tall, non-poseable figure? Some random in-game items, a chance for a paraglider fabric and maybe a weapon? A portable save file for your settings? (This price hike only affects the new amiibo; the ones that are currently available are unaffected)

    While those are nice-to-have, none of them are must-have and even if they were, would they justify the $29.99 price tag? Not really. You can get a whole set of Zelda NFC cards off of eBay for about the same price or less, or make your own for even cheaper. I’m not suggesting you go and buy such a set; it’s not something I would do personally but given a choice between the two in these uncertain economic times, if I had a meager budget I know which choice I would most likely make. Especially considering how much more expensive everything related to the Switch 2 is going to be now.

    And it seems the general Nintendo fan feels the same. Newly release amiibo would sell out quickly and the unlucky ones would have to wait weeks and months before being to find them online or on store shelves at MSRP without resorting to scalper prices. But as I write this all of the new amiibo that were announced alongside the Switch 2 are still available for preorder. That $29.99 price might be past the tipping point of what fans are willing to pay.

    This price hike may seem insignificant especially if you were not an amiibo collector before, but it serves as a microcosm of just how stupid the tariffs are and they’re impact. If nobody buys them at the higher price, they’ll hit a sale or a clearance price eventually making it more affordable to get. But Nintendo might look at the low sales figures and think that amiibo are not worth making anymore because people weren’t buying enough of them.

    Job or no job the price of these things are ridiculous. It is unpredictable if the tariffs will be lifted. And if that happens it doesn’t necessarily mean the prices of these things will go down to normal level. Which, if that ComicBook.com article is to be believed would have been $19.99. I understand things can’t always stay cheap forever. A gallon of gas is longer under a buck, a comic book can’t be found for .75 cents, and a pack of gum is no longer a quarter. Prices rise for everything. amiibo would have eventually hit $29.99 and still seem affordable and reasonable, but we are not there yet. I like my amiibo collection, but I’m going to have to wait a while to get any new ones.

    * The Street Fighter 6 amiibo is a whole other level of crazy stupid. That ComicBook.com report says that the original intended MSRP was $29.99 but now they are listed as $39.99. Is the extra ten bucks a Capcom tax that players have to pay? Thankfully, you can buy the Street Fighter 6 22-card amiibo set featuring all the Year 1 characters for the same cost as a single figure, $39.99.

  • Nintendo announces the Switch 2

    Nintendo announces the Switch 2

    Nintendo revealed an announcement trailer for their next generation console, the Switch’s successor, called the Switch 2. And of course, I have reactions. But first, in case you haven’t watched the trailer, you can see it right here:

    First off, the name, Switch 2, I think they missed an opportunity to use the Super adjective and call it the Super Switch. Perhaps this is the beginning of numbered console generations for Nintendo as they’ve never had a numbered successor in the past. Will we see a Switch 3 in another eight or nine years? We’ll have to wait until my last kid graduates high school to see.

    It doesn’t look fundamentally different. It has two removable joy-cons that are magnetically attached to a screen, and a dock to charge and output the display to a TV. Gone are the brightly colored blue and red joy-cons and instead we get basic black that matches the rest of the console. The only indication of color is the recessed area around the thumbsticks. We’ve seen what Nintendo can do with special edition units so I can’t imagine they’ll change that approach for the Switch 2.

    Everything is larger too. The screen and joy-cons seem like they will be much more comfortable and easier to use. The screen also boasts a USB-C port on the top which is a welcome addition for tabletop play. For the current Switch you had to use a special kickstand adapter in order to keep your Switch plugged in in tabletop mode.

    And speaking of kickstand, this is what the new one looks like on the Switch 2:

    It seems flimsy and a major step back from the OLED’s full-width half-panel kickstand. The original Switch’s kickstand was a complete joke, this one is a step up from that one but a downgrade from the OLED version.

    Not gonna lie, the Switch 2 is giving off some Wii U vibes. The Wii U failed because people couldn’t really tell what the differences were between it and the original Wii despite the Wii U having a giant screen controller. Gamers knew but even that wasn’t enough. The Switch 2 looks so similar to the original, kids asking their parents for the upgrade will be hard pressed to justify it.

    The reveal trailer also showed what I can only assume is Mario Kart 9. There weren’t any announcements for launch games and there plenty of rumors floating about, I have my own wishlist of launch titles but I think to really drive sales of the Switch 2, Nintendo has to come out swinging with Switch 2-only games. When Breath of the Wild came out, it was available for both Wii U and Switch and that might have been to placate Wii U owners as an apology for investing in a failed console more than anything. At least that’s my theory. The launch titles need to be absolute bangers to really drive sales. I’ve long held a theory in my head that Metroid Prime 4 would be a Switch 2 launch title, and that may still be true. I can’t imaging it being released for both.

    Other than the Switch 2-only must-have launch titles, the hardware specs need have a serious upgrade over the Switch. Developers need a reason to make games for the Switch 2 that they just can’t do on the Switch. Nintendo fans have always held their ground that graphics don’t matter as much and it’s all about gameplay. It also helped that Nintendo has managed to create some gorgeous looking games despite their hardware limitations compared to other consoles. But I think its time now that Nintendo catches up.

    Anyways, that’s all I got for now. Obviously, we’ll have more commentary once more details are officially revealed. Don’t believe any of the rumors out there. You’ll just set yourself up for disappointment.