TheNintendo Switch 2was fully revealed in early April 2025, giving audiences a closer look at its biggest features and several third-and first-party games coming to the console. While many walked away from the presentation feeling hopeful about the new console, especially with respect to high-profile exclusives likeDonkey Kong BananzaandThe Duskbloods, information released in the Direct’s wake has dampened that excitement.
One of the more problematic aspects of theNintendo Switch 2is its price point: at $450, the console is more expensive than both the PlayStation 5 Digital and the Xbox Series S—two devices that have comparable performance as the Switch 2, with more games and features. There have been some other well-publicized head-scratchers as well, like the decision to charge $10 for theNintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which is effectively a glorified tech demo and marketing tool for the device. Nintendo’s flurry of puzzling moves, while perhaps not too influential for the console’s grander fate, are reminding audiences of Microsoft’s left-field strategies with the Xbox One, which certainly didn’t help that console’s sales early on.
Why People Think Nintendo Is Having Its ‘Xbox One Moment’
The Switch 2’s Online Requirements and Pricing
Among the most controversial elements of the Xbox One at launch were its pervasive online-only requirements, which many deemed to be anti-consumer. The Xbox One could only be used when connected to the internet: without a consistent internet connection, no games could be played, regardless of a given title’s online functionality. This was a result of howMicrosoft chose to handle game-ownershipverification; every game, digital or physical, had to be essentially “activated” every time they were booted up to confirm that the user actually owned them, making the device virtually useless without a stable internet connection.
Xbox eventually walked back this decision, but many believe that the impact the online-only requirement had on the Xbox One’s reputation was irreversible.
Audiences are now likening theNintendo Switch 2’s “game key cartridges"to this Xbox blunder. Nintendo confirmed that some physical Switch 2 games won’t actually contain the data for the game itself on the cartridge, but rather a “key” that will allow players to download the game. The Switch 2 will need to be connected to the internet the first time this game is booted up as well, but the online requirement won’t extend beyond that.
Still, many feel that this doubling-down on digital-only products is problematic and puzzling, especially sinceNintendo is charging more for some physical games. The cartridge will also need to be in the console for the player to access the relevant game, making this option come across as little more than a less-convenient alternative to downloading a game from the eShop. It’s not quite as egregious as the Xbox One’s always-online requirement, but it has sparked comparisons nonetheless.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 PR Foibles
While not an actual shortcoming of the console itself,Microsoft’s public statements about the Xbox Oneduring its launch rollout didn’t help the console’s optics. One of the more infamous comments during that era came from then-CEO Don Mattrick, who addressed the aforementioned always-online requirement by saying, “[f]ortunately, we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity. It’s called ‘Xbox 360’.” Aside from coming across as somewhat snide, this remark was viewed as diametrically opposed to the rest of Microsoft’s messaging, that being that the Xbox One was enough of a leap forward to make the 360 obsolete.
Nintendo CEO Doug Bowser made a similar statementrecently with respect to the Switch 2’s high price point, pointing out that the original Switch is still available as a platform for players to “come into [Nintendo’s] gaming universe.” This sort of PR statement is obviously similar to the above comment from Don Mattrick, in the sense that it feels like a way to bat away criticism without addressing consumers' root concerns. Time will tell just how much these decisions impact the Switch 2 in the long-run.
Nintendo Switch 2
The successor to 2017’s Nintendo Switch continues down the same path as its predecessor, providing a hybrid experience that supports both home and handheld gaming. Launching on Jul 26, 2025, with games like Mario Kart World, the basic Nintendo Switch 2 bundle comes with the console, Joy-Con 2, straps for the controller, a dock, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, and a Joy-Con 2 grip.
