The excitement for a new console. There isn’t much anything quite like it. I’ve only nabbed a few precious machines on actual launch day in my almost 50+ years of gaming. I stood in line for the Nintendo Wii and walked away with one in my proud hands on launch day. It was at a Toys R’Us. So that makes it even more special. I pre-ordered the Nintendo Switch from Game Stop and received it on launch day. I also pre-ordered the Xbox One Scorpio and did not receive mine on launch day, even though it shipped that day. The UPS guy didn’t deliver it that night, although he claimed he did. A quick routing through the concierge-level service I receive from Amazon got me my unit the second day. I also received the emergency backup I ordered when the UPS driver tried his scam. And obtained a third on my drive home from work the day after launch.
Did I ever mention just how much of an Xbox fan I was?
I also bought my original Xbox from Game Stop on launch day.
Did I ever mention just how much of an Xbox fan I was?
Yesterday, Eurogamer reported on the intended Nintendo plan for further marketing its inbound device, the Nintendo Switch 2, beyond its initial Direct on 02 April 2025. It’s a bit startling, actually. Four hour slots for people.
Yes, sure, there’s a whole pre-sign-up process and a 60 minute arrival window for you to be there. But a four hour time-block for going hands-on with a device prior to release is unpredecendented in the tech industry. Much less the gaming industry which has been inundated by SKU shortages and scalpers since the PlayStation 2 launched. Those time blocks will only up to 2.5 hours in the US I believe, so we Americans, likely due to our unruly behavior and inability to be civilized about anything, are being put on a much shorter leash. Still. This windows are bonga.
What’s weird to me is that Nintendo, with all of its market share and most, feels the need to market its product so strongly. That the Switch 2 is going to sell like Taylor Swift tickets is no secret. And it’s not like we don’t know or understand what the device is going to do and who it is for. This is no Apple Vision Pro, or PlayStation Portal. No one is asking “Who is this for?” So why the need for such a wind-up?
I’m not sure. One possibility is that this thing is not going to be in the ballpark of the price people are predicting. If it goes for north of $349.99, then, yeah, maybe there is a need to put it in the hands of real customers in order for them to get their hands wrapped around the price once you announce it. To be able to justify and rationalize it. In a year when GTA6 is coming out and the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t be able to play it, it might be a tougher row to hoe. To present to a gamer the need to pay $399.99 for a console that can’t play GTA6 when they already have an XBox or a PlayStation that can’t play GTA6.
It’s almost as if Nintendo is going to have to have some electrifying exclusives to justify the cost of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Regardless, it’s still an exciting time to be a gamer. In the year of the launch of a new console which will tip the industry dynamic and make some things change. I’m not the target demographic or audience for the Nintendo Switch 2 as a PC-only gamer. But I’m still excited for the changes, for the potential. And to see my fellow gamers who it is for be made happy.
Rounding Off Infinity 