The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has ignited controversy by carrying a €9.99 price tag instead of arriving free in the box. Longtime Nintendo observers are comparing this move to the glory days of Wii Sports and Astro’s Playroom, and asking whether Nintendo’s priorities are shifting away from its most devoted audience.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Release Date | 5 June 2025 |
| Genres | Interactive Tutorial, Mini-Games |
| Platform | Nintendo Switch 2 |
The Welcome Tour is pitched as an interactive guide to showcase HD Rumble 2 feedback, HDR visuals, 4K output, and the console’s revamped UI. Players navigate a digital “hub” with six mini-games—each demonstrating a hardware feature. For example, “Rumble Rally” tests the new gyro mapping, while “Spectral Splash” highlights HDR color ranges. But without the official camera (€59.99) you miss the AR stages, and the GL/GR button puzzles require Nintendo’s Charging Grip (€34.99) or the pricier Pro Controller (€89.99). Finally, only a 4K TV unlocks the full fidelity of the “Retro Remix” pixel-art demo.
Fans have voiced their frustration across social media:
“Charging for a tutorial? Wii Sports was free—this feels like daylight robbery.”
—@RetroGamer92
“I love Nintendo, but €9.99 for a guided tour? Hard pass.”
—@SwitchFanatic
On the Nintendo subreddit, one user calculated the total cost for “100% completion” at over €115, prompting dozens of comments about abandoned carts and trade-ins.
By contrast, Nintendo’s decision to monetise its onboarding stands out in the console landscape—especially when rivals are bundling or streaming similar experiences for zero additional fee.
Nintendo claims the €9.99 fee reflects “the care and work” invested in crafting the Tour. Senior producer Bill Trinen told GamesPress, “We wanted players to experience every new feature at their own pace.” Yet industry analysts warn that fragmenting launch content risks alienating early adopters, who drive word-of-mouth momentum. With hardware margins already thin on cutting-edge components, some see this as a bid to recoup R&D costs—but at the potential expense of brand goodwill.
Looking ahead, Nintendo could restore fan faith by bundling future tutorials or offering a free “lite” version. Alternatively, a subscription-style pass on Nintendo Switch Online could include premium walkthroughs and bonus challenges without the upfront fee. Transparent pricing—and perhaps occasional free access windows—would go a long way toward maintaining the company’s reputation for player-friendly launches.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 Welcome Tour charges €9.99, with full completion locked behind €95 in additional accessories. Compared to the free experiences bundled on rival consoles, this marks an unwelcome shift toward monetising core onboarding—one that may dampen launch enthusiasm and calls into question whether Nintendo still remembers the magic of its past pack-ins.