The Nintendo Switch game console will sell for ￥29,980 (US$260) in Japan starting on March 3, the same date as its global rollout in the US and Europe.
The maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games yesterday announced details of the Switch’s release at the Tokyo Big Sight events hall. It said the console is to sell for US$299.99 in the US. Customers in Europe would need to ask retailers there for prices.
Anticipation has been mounting. In teaser videos, Nintendo Co has shown players using a handheld whose remote controller section detaches from the left and right sides of the main part of the device’s display. Players can use the Switch as a regular handheld, put the display on a table, or use a TV screen as a monitor.
Photo: Reuters
“Nintendo Switch is a brand-new kind of home gaming system that offers a wide variety of play modes,” Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima told reporters.
Nintendo needs the Switch to buttress a turnaround after the disappointing sales of the Wii U and the 3DS handheld. Nintendo has been playing catch-up after consumers dumped older machines in favor of using smartphones and personal computers to play games. The company also faces powerful rival game machine offerings from Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp.
The Switch needs to win over new, younger players, who may not be hard-core game fans and might be daunted by its hefty price tag. Many had hoped it might sell for closer to US$200.
Nintendo is promising a more immersive, interactive experience with the Switch, including online playing and using the remote controller in games that do not require players to be constantly staring at a display.
It said 50 software makers, including Electronic Arts Inc and Sega Corp, are preparing 80 games for the Switch. It also promised in-house games such as a Legend of Zelda, which will go on sale the same date as the Switch.
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