Nintendo, if ever there was a corporate villain in gaming, continues to live up to its reputation. Their crusade against retro emulation sites—many of which host far more than just Nintendo IPs—is a blatant attempt to erase gaming history and force consumers to continually buy into their latest offerings. Longtime fans who pay tribute to their work, like GilvaSunner, are also shut down with the same ruthless energy. They’re a pretty scummy, anti-gaming company.

The games pricing is kinda dodgy

And now, Nintendo is raising software prices—despite offering games that don’t even come close to matching the performance of current-gen titles on other systems. Yes, gameplay matters. But performance matters too. Whether you’re buying a car, a PC, or a Blu-ray disc, paying more typically means you’re getting the best in terms of tech and experience. Nintendo’s new pricing structure makes a mockery of that concept. Their games are asking for premium prices without offering premium performance—it’s absurd.

Mario Kart World is a Switch 2 launch title

Then there’s the launch lineup. Breath of the Wild, Yakuza 0, F-Zero GX, Soul Calibur II… A lot of us have played these before. The “new” Mario Kart World? Well, I’ve kind of had my fill of Mario Kart too seeing as it’s been regurgitated for well over 30 years now. It’s hard to get excited about yet another iteration—especially with rumors that 200cc mode has been removed which, if true, means that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains the definitive version still anyway.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour announcement from Nintendo Direct

To top it all off, Nintendo’s latest grifts include charging $10 for a tutorial on Switch 2 and asking for a similar fee just to upgrade existing titles like Tears of the Kingdom for compatibility. How a game’s value increases two years after release without meaningful upgrades is beyond comprehension. You don’t even get the DLC if you pay for the upgrade. And I won’t even get into the Game-Key Card debate. The Timeless Gamer guys and gals have that well covered.

In short, the Switch 2 feels like one of the biggest cons in modern gaming—a rehash of old content, a downgrade in value, and software price tags that mocks the customer.