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In this article, Rylie Revercomb talks about the rising controversy regarding Nintendo's newest gaming console.
The problem with nintendo
The problem with nintendo
By: Rylie Revercomb
By: Rylie Revercomb
Nintendo. What does the company name make you think of? For many people, the iconic Italian plumber might come to mind. Mario, with his trademark red and denim outfit, and initial embroidered cap-- “It’s a-me!” Or, maybe someone’s mind wanders to the company’s other successes. Nintendo has created various games, most of which are successful. Many family-friendly game brands do not get too far in the industry, but Nintendo has been able to keep an iron grip on the top of the game industry. With popular characters like Mario, Link, Pokemon creatures, and Kirby, it is easy to see why they have stayed relevant over the years despite drastic shifts in the gaming world. However, it seems that now, of all times, support for Nintendo is fading-- FAST. With the announcement and launch of Nintendo’s newest console, the Nintendo Switch 2, fans are becoming frustrated and unexcited. Why is that? Why now, after all this time? What is so wrong with this console? This is the straw that broke the camel’s back and sparked one of the largest video game controversies 2025, and there are many reasons why.
For starters, the biggest problem is the cost of the new console. Of course, if anyone is keeping up with the big theme of this year, it is that the word inflation seems to be in every other conversation. Whether Americans are talking about the price of eggs or the price of video games, many people just cannot seem to stop complaining about money. It must be nice to be a rich man, eh? According to the official Nintendo website, the NES (the first Nintendo Console) cost $179 at the time of its release, whereas the Nintendo Switch 2 is selling for a whopping $450-- more than double the price. Of course, people want to be angry, and you would think that they would have a right to be. After all, $450 for a console and $80 for any game to go with it just seems absurd. However, that is not the full story. Because we are talking about $179 in the 1980s and $450 in 2025. If you apply the same amount of inflation to the original console, then that $179 would be equal to approximately $523 today. Many Nintendo lovers on various social media sites like Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, and Threads have been sharing this information with the clueless people online. One would think that being told they can get a console now for cheaper than in the 1980s would make this entire situation simmer down. It didn’t. No, people are still angry.
Image by: Smash Khaled
This is because of another problem, one that is frustrating fans more than the price of a console. The problem is in the fine print when buying a Nintendo Switch 2-- a small clause in the End User License Agreement that allows Nintendo to permanently disable your console for rule violations. Sounds crazy, right? Yeah, Nintendo fans were not taking this bit of information well. It turns out that, for years, many console owners have been jailbreaking, also known as “modding”, their Nintendo consoles-- most popularly the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo DS and 3DS. This practice is so popular, in fact, that there are many step-by-step instructions online teaching users how to jailbreak their own consoles. Instructables, a popular DIY console website, explains how to do this in less than 14 steps. The blog owner refers to themselves as a “hacker” and says they want to “play games, listen to music, browse the internet, install SNES… and other emulators… for free.” This method has become quite popular, which is likely why many are upset about the new clause. However, this also does not seem like Nintendo’s fault. They do not want their customers hacking their consoles and getting their games for free-- games that teams of developers worked hard on for months at a time. Why are people upset about something when they are the ones in the wrong?
Image by: Reddit
Nintendo has been facing these kinds of problems from their fans for years. It’s not a new development that started with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Main problems started for Nintendo with the release of the Wii U, which was the first hand-held console that could also be hooked up to the TV. The concept was fantastic. It had a lot of original games with complex storylines, and also hosted a variety of mini-game multiplayer games. So why did it fail? Supposedly, the marketing was bad, people were confused about the gamepad concept, it had a “lack of appealing games”, and Nintendo did not effectively convey what the console had. That is what all of the articles addressing the failure of the Wii U blame it on. It is known as a big commercial failure. But… Is it really because of that? If you ask anyone who actually has a Wii U, or has played Wii U games on a friend's console, most would tell you that the launch games were very good. With the release of the Wii U came original games Splatoon, Paper Mario: Color Splash, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Nintendo Land, Super Mario 3-D Land, two new Zelda games, and more original titles. None of these games were bad, and some were so good that they were later added to the Nintendo Switch with added perks. In fact, Splatoon was, and still is, an incredibly popular game with multiple franchise additions and spin-off games. IGN, a popular gaming website that covers FAQs, gameplay walkthroughs, and more, has only positive things to say about Splatoon. The game is described as being “Refreshingly original and a whole lot of fun to play,” and the sequels have positive reviews, too. One review claims that Splatoon “Provided a sense of exhilaration I haven’t felt since Mario Odyssey’s Darker Side of the Moon.” This is why, when it comes down to it, Nintendo is not the problem. Fans are.
Unfortunately, there are always people who will complain about anything and everything. Some people who are not video game critics and have only played multiplayer shooting games will go out of their way to criticize anything that is not fast-paced and gory. Similarly, those who enjoy slower games will whine about the brutality of some of the more action-oriented games. The point is, everyone’s a critic. The complaints about the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 have been proven ridiculous when compared to the inflated price of the older consoles-- and the only other complaint about the console is that Nintendo does not want their consoles getting jailbreaked. In the end, it seems like criticism of Nintendo is just people complaining to complain. My advice to the readers of this article: if you want a Nintendo Switch 2, then go out and get one. And enjoy playing!
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