It’s surprisingly easy to forget how much Nintendo dominated my childhood. While my brain first jumps to my Playstation 2 or Xbox 360 when thinking about my younger gaming habits, a more comprehensive reflection would reveal Nintendo likely took a bigger slice of the pie. Between my Gameboy, Wii, and Nintendo DS, the publisher formulated much of my early game experiences. While its clutch faded briefly during the Wii U era since I never owned that system, the Nintendo Switch more than made up for lost time. I took it everywhere: parties, trains, hangouts, airplanes, dates, car rides, even classes. One of my fondest high school memories is the day I brought my Nintendo Switch to AP Calculus. Since the AP exam had already taken place and my Zelda-loving math teacher was chill, us students just took turns playing Mario Kart on the projector. 

Of course, none of these nice consoles or experiences came for free. While my family was able to afford an expensive hobby like video games, at varying degrees over the years, the stakes were always made clear. I understood that if I was asking for a console on Christmas or my birthday, I understandably wasn’t going to be getting too much else from the folks. I also knew that if there were multiple $50-60 games coming out next to each other, I better do my research to figure out the one, and only one, I was going to get. The others could wait and compete again later when the time was right, or allowance saved up. 

I say all this to point out that Nintendo ventures have largely been financed for me. The Switch release predates anytime I’ve had a job, so the Switch 2 has the honor of being the first Nintendo console I’ll likely have to buy myself. This isn’t to say my parents wouldn’t consider getting it, but they shouldn’t and likely won’t since they helped me get a new PC recently after my last one crapped out hard. As someone who not only plays games but also edits and streams on their PC, I’m glad that’s what they helped with. So, now staring down the barrel of a $449.99 USD price tag — a price revealed after the Direct ended, and which goes up to $499.99 when bundled with I-really-want-that Mario Kart World —  I am weighing more seriously than ever how much of a Nintendo fan I can afford to be, at least on Day One. 

It’s not a question of whether I want a Switch 2. I do. I mostly liked the Direct when it wasn’t breaking down. It’s not even really a question of if I’ll get one either. I will, eventually. Instead, now that my latest work contract is over, it’s a question of how much money needs to be saved while I’m looking for a job. It’s a question of whether or not I’ll have a job that pays well enough to make a big purchase soon anyway. It’s a question of how much longer is a few months or longer, really, for a console that’s been anticipated for years. It’s a question of how expensive will everything else be by the time I could add a new Nintendo device to my life. It’s a question of how stable will things be after the already tumultuous start to Trump’s second term. Based off initial reactions to the price online and in my group chats, it seems more than a few other people are asking themselves similar questions.

It’d be nice for this to age badly and need an update on June 5th. Frankly, this wouldn’t have been much of a discussion six months ago, maybe even three. But, while a couple months are and have been long enough for finances to change before, today signals it’d be better if I wasn’t a Day One Switch 2 owner. Maybe tomorrow will be different, or maybe it will share more news that signals stability is a bit far off. I’m nothing if not adaptable. Overall, I will own a Switch 2 in the future, Donkey Kong Bananaza and free roaming in Mario Kart World assured that, but I will also survive without it, the $70+ game price tags, and the C button. They can wait until later in the year when a $450 buy-in is more feasible and Nintendo at home isn’t enough.