Nintendo Switch Is One Of The Most Affordable Consoles Of All Time… According To Inflation

With the initial pains from the pricing of Nintendo’s Switch firmly behind us, did you know the hybrid console is one of Nintendo’s cheapest launches of all time? When taking inflation into account, of course. No, seriously! Come with me now as I take a short step back, through the winds of time and be moved by sheer empathy and pride for our parents’ wallets. Because without them, most of our adventures through games worlds would never have happened.

Nintendo’s Priciest Games Consoles (By Inflation)

Over the years, Nintendo has picked up the reputation of launching consoles at very attractive and reasonable prices. But it wasn’t until the Wii and Wii U that the big N decided to bump their RRPs up a tad – which makes sense with the motion control tech of both consoles and the Wii U’s GamePad.

So as ranked by year of release (with inflation marked in bold) and console generation, let’s have a look at how Nintendo’s launches have been priced from the third to the ninth generation of video game consoles.

 

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

(1985 – 3^rd Gen)

$200 ($458.56)

 

 

 

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

(1991 – 4^th Gen)

$200 ($360.88)

 

 

Nintendo 64 (N64)

(1996 – 5^th Gen)

$200 ($314.57)

 

 

 

GameCube (GC)

(2001 – 6^th Gen)

$200 ($277.51)

 

 

 

Wii

(2006 – 7^th Gen)

$250 ($306.70)

 

 

 

Wii U

(2012 – 8^th Gen)

Basic Set – $300 ($320.95)

Deluxe Set – $350 ($374.44)

 

Switch

(2017 – 9^th Gen)

$300

 

 

 

For a console as technologically advanced as the Switch (let’s not get into a conversation about its internal workings here), releasing at the fairly-competitive price of $300 was quite the coup for what the Switch has to offer. And, what’s even better is the Nintendo Switch also holds the noble accolade of being cheaper than any console Sony or Microsoft has ever launched, when taking inflation into account. Don’t believe me? Have a look for yourself…

 

Sony’s Priciest Games Consoles (By Inflation)

 

PlayStation

(1995 – 5^th Gen)

$300 ($483.83)

 

 

 

 

 

 

PlayStation 2

(2000 – 6^th Gen)

$300 ($430.36)

 

 

 

 

PlayStation 3

(2006 – 7^th Gen)

20 GB HDD – $500 ($613.39)

60 GB HDD – $600 ($736.07)

 

 

 

PlayStation 4

(2013 – 8^th Gen)

$400 ($420.61)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These initial high prices should come as no surprise due to Sony’s expertise with high-end technology, but with the PlayStation 3’s outrageous RRP it’s understandable why the console flopped rather damply upon release.

 

Microsoft’s Priciest Games Consoles (By Inflation)

 

Xbox

(2001 – 6^th Gen)

$300 ($416.26)

 

 

Xbox 360

(2005 – 7^th Gen)

Core – $300 ($380.61)

Premium – $400 ($507.48)

 

 

 

 

 

Xbox One

(2013 – 8^th Gen)

$500 ($525.76)

 

 

 

 

The Xbox 360 was a generational behemoth, rated as the best console of its day and highly regarded as one of the best consoles of all time (with many an iteration to its name). But even it couldn’t halt the success of the Nintendo Wii which made a whopping 101.63 million units to the 360’s 84 million, rendering it the third highest selling console of all time (behind the PS1 (102m) and PS2 (155m)).

So, there we have it. Though Switch can still be considered quite the outlay at current, history will dictate it to be quite the financial hat-tip over the years to come. So why haven’t you gotten one yet?!

(All inflated prices were correct at time of publication.)

[Image Sources – Nintendo, Sony & Microsoft]