While the basic Nintendo Switch can be found in stores around 300 euros, the new OLED model will hit the market next October at a price of 350 euros. A price increase that could be justified with a larger screen and OLED technology, more internal storage or improvements in the audio system, but that is far from its manufacturing cost, leaked in the last hours.
According to Bloomberg, the manufacturing cost difference from the basic Nintendo Switch to the OLED model is only 10 dollars. Specifically, Yoshio Tamura, co-founder of the industrial research company DSCC, suggests that Samsung’s screen adds $ 3-5 per unit, while the increase from 32 to 64 GB is only 3.5 dollars, according to Akira Minamikawa of Omdia. Other components such as Support new tab and LAN port they would only cost a couple of dollars extra.
Ultimately, these numbers indicate that the new Nintendo Switch OLED model is overpriced compared to its cost of production, a common practice of the Japanese company. Nintendo has sold Nintendo Switch at a profit margin since its launch in 2017, which means that both the basic model and this new OLED model would be considerably cheaper if they were adjusted to their cost of production, lowering Nintendo’s profits.
There has been some controversy as to whether or not it is worth paying an extra cost for the improvements offered by the OLED model Nintendo Switch, but in any case, the new version of the console will go on sale next October 8th, along with the launch of Metroid Dread. Similarly, rumors continue that there could be a new Nintendo Switch that offers 4K resolution. How much could such a model cost with Nintendo’s pricing policy?