With the official announcement of the Nintendo Switch just a week away, a ton of rumors and speculations are starting to come out. One of the most recent ones to come out is the price on Gamestop Italy’s pre-order page. Is the price just a placeholder, or is it close to what will actually be the launch price?
GameStop Italy listed the Nintendo Switch with the price tag of 399.98 Euros, which equals out to about $418.91. It does say that the final price has not been confirmed nor released, but it does bring up an interesting talking point. How much IS the Switch worth?
If you peruse the internet for information, there are a lot of expectations as to how powerful the Switch will be, what the specs are, and what the features will be. According to Tweaktown, here are the frontrunners in possible specs and performance.
Console Mode
- Chip type: highly-customized, revamped Tegra, possbily 20nm Maxwell or 16nm Pascal
- Power: USB Type-C, charged docked
- Video out: HDMI
- GPU clock: 768MHz (max, could be variable based on game/app/program, won’t always hit max performance)
- CPU clock: 1020MHz (consistent performance)
- System RAM: 4GB unified memory (unified VRAM and DRAM)
- Resolution output: native 1080p switched over from handheld’s 720p resolution
- Unreal Engine 4 GFX display settings: High
Handheld Mode
- Chip type: highly-customized, revamped Tegra, possibly 20nm Maxwell or 16nm Pascal
- Power: USB Type-C, external charger
- Video out: N/A
- GPU clock: downclocked to 302MHz (maximum based on game/app/program, won’t always hit max performance)
- CPU clock: 1020MHz (consistent performance)
- System RAM: 4GB unified memory (unified VRAM and DRAM)
- Battery Life: ~3 Hours?
- Resolution output: 720p resolution in 6.2-inch tablet handheld
- Unreal Engine 4 GFX display settings: Medium
Nintendo Switch Info and Specs
- Nintendo Switch handheld tablet uses non-removable, rechargable 3.7V Li-Ion battery
- Both 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi supported No
- LTE/cellular internet support
- USB Type-C confirmed
- No Ethernet port in the Switch cradle/dock, requires USB-to-ethernet adapter, compatible with Wii’s LAN adapter
- Switch handheld supports MicroSD for expanded memory
- Laptops can be hooked directly to the cradle
- Detachable JoyPad controllers are connected via Bluetooth
- Low-power Bluetooth, likely Bluetooth 4.0 +
- AC Adapter output (from dock to handheld) DC 5 V – DC 15 V, 2.6 A – Switch has max power draw of 39W while charging on cradle, supports Type-C quick-charge*
- AC Adapter input (from wall to dock) AC 100 – 240 V, 50 / 60 Hz, 1 A – standardized power, hinting the Switch may be region-free (the Wii U’s adapter, however, is similarly rated and isn’t region-free)
So now let’s stop and think about this. Yes, it is a fancy device that can go with you, however the PlayStation 4 Pro will obliterate the Switch, with the offers of upscaled 4K gaming and increased performance, at around the same price. This, in my opinion, would be even more absurd than the Wii U’s 299-350 dollar price tag. Could it be worth that amount, yes. However, it is having to go up against not just the low priced Xbox Ones and PS4s, but their higher performance brothers, the Xbox One S, Project Scorpio, and the PS4Pro. If that is the case, then more than likely only die hard Nintendo fans will fork out that money, because it just isn’t worth it for lesser graphics, but you can take the game with you. You would be sacrificing quality for convenience, and is that even worth it for a few hours of not having to have a TV?
Just some thoughts to ponder. Do you think that the price is close to what the launch price will be? Is it worth it for the convenience/games. Would you be willing to trade in your other consoles to get it? Let us know down below, and we will have a better idea come next week’s conference.
