The world waited with bated breath for April 2nd. The day Nintendo would finally unveil the long-awaited Switch 2. How powerful would it be? How much would it cost? How many games would they show? Would there be any classic Nintendo moments that left us saying, “What?” Well, never fear because Nintendo indeed went full Nintendo today. They answered everything, showed off some good-looking games, and managed to upset millions of people all around the world all in one Direct. But I’ve rambled on enough, let’s get into what happened during today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.

$80 GAMES?!

When it comes to the gaming industry, I try very hard to be a positive person. I love video games and all I want is for the people who make them to live happy and healthy lives while being able to provide me and so many others with incredible experiences. That said, I’ve always admitted that the biggest problem with the industry is greedy companies who take advantage of the loyal fanbases they’ve grown over not just years, but in cases like Nintendo, for decades. With that said it’s still frustrating to say that a company like Nintendo that so many fans have such fond memories of has let down a lot of people today.

Mario Kart World will launch digitally at $80. I’m someone who argues that $70 for games is too much, but the fact that Nintendo has reset the pricing market is incredibly frustrating. Even more confusing is that their other big first-party announcement, Donkey Kong Bananza will be released at $70. Metroid Prime 4 looks like a game I could have played on the Wii, but I guess because it can run up to 120 FPS it’s worth $70. Sure… But why is there a price difference? Is there a reason? Is it simply because Nintendo sold nearly 76 million copies of Mario Kart 8 and they want to make as much money off their most successful IP? Yes. That is 100% the answer. What’s even more frustrating and disappointing about this announcement is that it opens the floodgates for every studio to follow Nintendo’s lead. For months, I rolled my eyes at the idea of GTA 6 selling for a base price of $100 but this absolutely opens that door. In fact, I would be shocked if it didn’t release for that much. I’m sure some will think I’m being hyperbolic, but I truly believe this is a dark day for the industry and especially for everyone who loves playing and supporting the people who make video games.

With that rant over, I do want to awkwardly transition into saying that there were several positives about today’s Direct. For starters, the Switch 2 is a lot more powerful than I think most people expected. I know a lot of people were thinking the device would be the equivalent of a slightly weaker PS4 Pro but the fact that it can run games at 4K/60 FPS and in some cases, 120 FPS is incredibly impressive. Funny enough, the price of the console is also cheaper than what I was expecting. As Nintendo explained all of the console’s bells and whistles I was expecting to hear a $500 price point, but at $450, I think the Switch 2 is a reasonably priced console that sounds like a great upgrade for someone looking to finally move on from their Switch.

On top of that, despite the ridiculous pricing decisions, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza look like great games. I’ve never been much of a Donkey Kong fan but I think it’s really cool that Nintendo is trying to breathe new life into its existing lineup of characters rather than continuing to rely on the regulars of Zelda and Mario. Other interesting game announcements (at least for me) included Deltarune Chapters 1-4, Witchbrook, Hades 2, and a surprise announcement from FromSoftware with Duskbloods. Something else I really enjoyed was seeing that the mouse functionality that the controllers are capable of can be used in certain titles like Metroid Prime 4 and more importantly Civilization 7.

Yes, you did read that right. The Switch Controller can be used as a mouse. My first reaction to that is, who cares, but the more I’ve thought about it, I think it opens up the possibility for a lot of smaller titles that might be more difficult to port over to consoles to find a home on the Switch 2.

Overall, I’m conflicted about the Switch 2 announcement. While I think the console itself looks great and, at least when it comes to future Nintendo games, gives developers the chance to make high-quality games that can potentially stand next to games that will be released on the PS5 and Xbox. With that said, I’m incredibly frustrated by the price hike and will continue to be worried about what this means for the gaming industry moving forward. At the end of the Switch 1’s life, we saw Nintendo raise game prices from $60 to $70 simply because the market said it was now okay. Does this mean that by the end of the Switch 2, we could see Nintendo regularly selling games for $90 or even $100? Vote with your wallet because I promise you, if you don’t, games will only continue to go up in price until the only people who can afford to play games are the reviewers and influencers who are already getting them for free.