The Nikkei is estimating the Switch will be under $250 at launch in Japan, and has been fairly accurate with its predictions in the past.
Prominent Japanese business newspaper The Nikkei has come out with a prediction of the Nintendo Switch‘s launch price. It is claiming that, in Japan, the device will retail for around 25,000 yen – $215 USD with today’s exchange rate. It’s worth noting that the Nikkei has a pretty accurate track record with this sort of stuff – it got very close to the Wii U’s launch price back in 2012, and has made other accurate predictions regarding the DSi and 3DS in the past.
This is a very attractive price for the Switch, but may have fans worried about the power and quality of the console’s components. Sony’s PS4 currently retails for around $300 while an Xbox One will set you back $250. When both consoles launched they were $400 and $500 respectively.
It’s also worth noting that the Nikkei only made a prediction on the Japanese launch price, and the US cost is not always indicative of the exchange rate. The Wii U launched at 26,000 yen in Japan but jumped up to $300 US for it’s North American release.
The Nikkei also stresses that this is simply an average figure consumers should plan around, and not a straight prediction or figure taken from a source familiar with the matter.
Either way, we should only have to wait until this Friday, when Nintendo is planning on revealing some more information on the console (which should hopefully include its launch price!)
Source: The Nikkei (Japanese) via Engadget
