The New Nintendo Is Here. It's Missing Something Crucial That the Previous Ones Have All Had.

Of the many reasons Nintendo has flourished during its four-decade run in the video game industry--a Pixar-like dedication to quality, a memorable roster of mascots, an inherent creative brightness that cuts against the grimdark fantasies promulgated by other franchises--the company's prime advantage might be its commitment to affordability. The Nintendo Switch, a massively successful console that first made landfall in 2017, retailed for 299--a bargain compared with the 599 Xbox Series X and 699 PlayStation 5 Pro. The motion-controlled triumph that became all the rage in retirement homes during the mid-2000s? It was priced at 249, half as much as the lumbering PlayStation 3 which arrived one week prior. It's a strategy that has sent an enduring message to consumers.