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Why Are Nintendo Switch Controllers So Expensive?

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A lot of casual gamers would choose the gaming system Nintendo Switch for their daily gaming. The Nintendo Switch is a very adaptable console that offers options for a wide variety of gamers, from the  most casual gamers to the super enthusiasts. The Nintendo switch controllers are also a perfect fit for the console, of course. No doubt, the Nintendo Switch controllers are very high quality.

So why are Nintendo Switch controllers so expensive

The Switch controllers are packed with a lot of technology. Nintendo does not do things halfway, including their controllers. Nintendo only releases quality products that retain their status year after year.

If you would like to know more on this subject Do you want to keep reading this article. You can also check out this video if you do not like to read. 

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Is it just the Switch controllers that are expensive?

Although it is easy to say that Nintendo follows the trend of other companies, they do follow similar tactics. If Nintendo makes one part of their system with high-quality parts, then they will make the rest of their system with the same amount of quality. Nintendo does not do things halfway and they are known to be a company that has great quality items. This is why when you look at the Nintendo consoles it is not just the controllers that are expensive but also the consoles themselves as well as the games. Below are some of the reasons that Nintendo‘s items are more expensive than other gaming companies.

Nintendo Is Not A Trend Chaser

One of the major reasons Nintendo is such a strong brand is the fact that rather than innovate, they iterate. No matter where you are just coming from, the most recent Mario Bros. game would be immediately recognizable to you. The thing is, the Nintendo brand finds what they are best at and sticks to that stuff.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is such a good example. Even though you’re now going to be sucking up ghosts with a vacuum cleaner, you are still going to be jumping, running, and platforming against the clock in every stage. That is an iteration on the Mario formula, rather than a reinvention.

Nintendo always delivers super high quality on all of their games, even though we are also used to them spamming the nostalgia button. From the moment we hear about it, it is already a finished product ready to be launched, not a work in progress. With digital content management, however, this launching is no longer such a strict necessity.

Nintendo’s commitment to only releasing quality is the reason you won’t get a Nintendo console or game for a reduced price.

Nintendo Has Built A Loyal Audience 

All companies focus on building captive audiences, and companies in the gaming world are not an exception. Once a company has focused on building a captive audience and gets you as a customer, the price doesn’t stop going up, and that’s exactly what Nintendo does. Netflix, for example, is content with offering a month of usage for free because they are sure that once you are hooked, there is almost no going back because you love using it.

It’s the exact same strategy that works for Nintendo even though Nintendo, in comparison to companies like Netflix, does not offer months or years of free usage. Not even in the tougher economic times when the pressure to do that must have been high. Compared to Microsoft or Sony, Nintendo really has no reason to go down on their prices in the current economy so we all get used to dealing with the high prices.

Manufacturing Quality Items Is An Expensive Endeavor 

Over the years, tons of journalists have written about the enduring devotion of Nintendo to plastic cartridges. All the way from the beginning of the console wars down to the handheld market, Nintendo has stayed with plastic cartridges, even doubling down on their use of  them in the early days.

Cartridges definitely do come with their advantages. For one, unlike DVD/CD/Bluray, cartridges are way more resistant to damage. However, they will always be more expensive to manufacture, and that’s one of the main reasons Nintendos are a lot more expensive.

The high price of cartridges is really pronounced in 3rd-party software. You can usually get a digital version of the game you want to play at a lower price than the physical game. To protect the sales of their physical games, Nintendo has to sell the digital-only version at the same price. Otherwise, online customers would have a cheaper deal.

The Feedback Loop

In spite of the price discrepancies in the inter-console offering 10-year old AAA RPGs at the full price as well as the high prices of titles that are specific to Nintendo, the Indie is likely the part that would have your bank account screaming  the most for help. I find that where my bank account is really bleeding is in the Indie scene. If you are buying the $40-$60 games, you would probably have to buy only a couple of those in a whole year. The price probably comes with a psychological barrier. But, if you are buying the $5, $10, or $20 game, you are likely going to find that you are buying a couple or so a week.

Considering how much hype indie games have surrounding them, getting caught up in them is very easy. And Nintendo has not even hesitated to throw the gates wide open to Indie Devs on the Switch. Apart from one or two exceptional titles, you could find on a yearly basis, do you really get a lot of quality game time out of these titles? It’s probably only about four hours you spend on these games before you give up on them. Now, when it comes to spending your hard-earned money, it’s okay to be a little paranoid and make careful choices with what you spend your money on.

It’s also okay to be mad at the careless games journalism sites that just go on and promote games that are actually not that good. Games that are, as a matter of fact, really terrible. There’s a lot of questionable sites out there writing great reviews for very many really bad games, so you should be wary. You don’t want to  just spend your precious money and gain nothing from it.

No doubt, a lot of the journalism sites trade positive reports on a game for access to the industry, free games, and a number of other benefits.

Conclusion

In addition to the fact that it uses some of the latest and best technology, the Nintendo switch could be expensive for a variety of reasons. For many reasons too, Nintendos are generally more expensive than other brands’ games. 

Nintendo makes some of the highest quality items and over the years Nintendo has shown to always do right by the customer. As you know from above they have great customer feedback and because they listen to the customers the customers continue to buy their products over and over again. The customers and gamers are willing to pay a higher price simply because the quality of the item is higher than different companies. Most people in the gaming world know that you get what you pay for and that is no different than the Nintendo switch consoles and controllers.