Month: January 2017

Enlarge / Early information suggests we should expect a starting price of around $250 for this little guy.

As we come ever closer to Nintendo's planned Switch announcement event on Thursday night and Friday morning, speculation is running rampant about how much Nintendo will charge for its unique hybrid portable/TV console. So far, a number of retail leaks are lending credence to industry expectations that the system's price will center around $250, perhaps with a deluxe version bundled with a game at $300.

To be sure, early prices posted in retailers' internal (or public) systems are often placeholders without any real information behind them. That said, the sheer number of retail-sourced leaks pointing to a price in the $250 range to $300 range is becoming significant. Those leaks now include:

• Back in November, Toys R Us' Canadian website briefly posted a Switch listing at CAN$329, or approximately US$245 at current exchange rates. The listing was quickly taken down.
• Also in November, Nintendo leaker extraordinaire Laura Kate Dale cited two "vetted" sources in reporting the basic Nintendo Switch unit would sell for £199.99 (approximately $242.18) at British retailer GAME. The retailer is also planning on selling a £249.99 version with a pack-in game and more internal storage, according to Dale's report.
• Later in November UK retailer GameSeek started offering Nintendo Switch pre-orders at a price of £198.50 (about $240.32). Unlike most "leaks" of this type, Gameseek's listing has remained up since November, though it has been sold out for most of that time. Gameseek also offers a "pre-order price guarantee" if the eventual price ends up being higher, suggesting the site is relatively confident that the Switch won't be much more expensive than what's been posted.
• Yesterday, Reddit moderators posted a moderator-verified leak from Best Buy's internal price system suggesting a listing for a "Nintendo N2" console priced at $249.99.
• Target stores are currently showing a "Wii U Switch Placeholder" entry in their systems at $299.99. You can see this entry for yourself using the Target inventory tracker at Lego-focused site Brickseek.
• The biggest outlier of the group of leaks comes via an unconfirmed photo of a purported Walmart price sticker for a "Switch pre-sell" listed at $399.

These retail leaks are broadly in line with industry expectations for the Switch pricing. GamesIndustry.biz talked to analysts after the Switch's October unveiling, all of whom said $250 to $300 would be a "sweet spot" for the system, depending on bundled games, accessories, and hardware power levels. Dale at Let's Play Video Games says conversations she's had with industry watchers suggest we should expect a $250 to $300 price in the US as well. And a Nikkei "Reporter's Eye" analysis piece out of Japan also suggested this week that Nintendo should target a price of 25,000 yen (about $214) and that investors should be wary if it comes in above that price (despite some reports, Nikkei doesn't cite any insider sources in that report).

Enlarge / At the Crave factory in San Francisco, Q/A tests the products' components. (credit: Jordan Kushins)

The first 2017 episode of Ars Technica Live is tonight, January 18 at Longitude, Oakland’s very own tiki bar! Join Ars Technica editors Cyrus Farivar and Annalee Newitz as they sit down with industrial designer Ti Chang for a conversation about hardware design, crowdfunding, and how to build the perfect vibrator.

Chang is the co-founder and VP of design for Crave, a San Francisco-based company specializing in discreet and luxury sex toys. She leads the concept and design for the company’s full line of products, which has won numerous awards including Red Dot, IDEA, and Good Design.

Filmed before a live audience, each episode of Ars Technica Live is a speculative, informal conversation between Ars hosts and an invited guest. The audience, drawn from Ars Technica’s readers, is invited to join the conversation and ask questions. These aren’t soundbite setups; they are deep cuts from the frontiers of research and creativity.