Nintendo’s next-generation console is almost here—and it’s already stirring up heated debates. With the Nintendo Switch 2 set to land in France on June 5, 2025, fans are buzzing about far more than just the game lineup. The new console’s €469.99 price tag, lack of an OLED display, and soaring game prices are drawing as much attention as the promise of a serious performance leap.
Publisher|Nintendo
Release Date|June 5, 2025 (France)
Genres|Console Hardware, First-Party Games
Platforms|Nintendo Switch 2
The Switch 2 is shaping up to be a technical powerhouse—but not without some sticker shock. Many fans had hoped for a more wallet-friendly successor, only to be met with a hefty €469.99 price for the standard edition. The omission of an OLED screen, a feature found in the late-model Switch, has left longtime Nintendo loyalists feeling shortchanged when they were hoping for an upgrade, not a downgrade.
The price pinch doesn’t stop at the console. First-party games have climbed in cost to match the hardware’s ambitions. Mario Kart World will launch at a hefty €89.99 for physical copies (€79.99 digital)—a steep jump for a series known for family-friendly fun. Accessories are expected to follow suit with their own premium pricing. For context, even during the PS5 and Xbox Series launches, game prices rarely pushed this high in the French market.
So, what’s Nintendo’s reasoning? President Shuntaro Furukawa tackled concerns head-on, explaining that the Switch 2 has been in development since 2019, with a single mission: deliver processing power the original Switch simply couldn’t touch. “Many customers are still playing the original, even in its ninth year,” Furukawa noted. But developers hit a technical wall, pushing Nintendo to engineer a significant leap forward.
Furukawa highlights Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza as proof of what the new system can do: entirely new ways to play, powered by a “greatly enhanced” architecture. While the Switch 2 may look familiar at first glance, Furukawa insists that “the hardware and peripherals have been completely redesigned,” packed with innovations and signature Nintendo polish. It’s a familiar shell, but a radically overhauled interior—is that enough to justify the steeper price?
Nintendo is clearly betting that technical prowess and imaginative new experiences will help fans overlook the higher costs. But with budget-conscious players scrutinizing every detail, the Switch 2 faces a tougher crowd than its beloved predecessor. Will raw power and fresh gameplay win over gamers wary of paying more for less obvious change? We’ll know soon enough when the console—and its eye-watering games—hit French shelves this June.
TL;DR: Nintendo Switch 2 lands in France June 5, 2025 at €469.99. No OLED screen, but major hardware upgrades power new titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. High prices spark controversy—will innovation win out?
Source: Nintendo via GamesPress