Today's Edition
TOKYO (AFP)
Nintendo hopes to match the runaway success of the Switch when its levelled-up new console hits shelves Thursday, with strong early sales expected despite the gadget's high price.
Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the Switch 2 is an upgrade to its predecessor, which has sold 152 million units since launching in 2017 -- making it the third best-selling video game console of all time.
But despite buzz among fans and robust demand for pre-orders, headwinds for Nintendo include uncertainty over US trade tariffs and whether enough people are willing to shell out.
The Switch 2 "is priced relatively high" compared to the original device, company president Shuntaro Furukawa said at a financial results briefing in May.
Sales of the Switch, which can connect to a TV or be played on the go, were boosted by the popularity of games like Animal Crossing as a pandemic lockdown pastime.
The Japanese company forecasts it will shift 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original in the same period after its release.
The new device costs $449.99 in the US, over a third more than the Switch. A Japan-only version is cheaper, at 49,980 yen ($350).
New Switch 2 games such as Donkey Kong Bonanza and Mario Kart World -- which allows players to go exploring off-grid -- are also more expensive than existing Switch titles.
Most original Switch games can be played on the Switch 2, and some Switch blockbusters such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have enhanced editions released for the new incarnation.
The Switch 2 will have eight times the memory of the first Switch, and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse.
The Super Mario maker is diversifying into theme parks and hit movies, but around 90 percent of its revenue still comes from the Switch business, analysts say.
The console's pre-orders have since sold out in the US market and elsewhere, with the company boasting of particularly high demand in Japan.
