Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour price confirmed in Japan

Revealed during the Direct yesterday, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a tech demo tour of the incoming Nintendo Switch 2 console, but instead of being a free pack-in, Nintendo stated that this would be a paid experience. Now we know how much (or how little) that will cost.

The price for Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has not been confirmed for North America or Europe, but the Japanese Nintendo site has confirmed that this will at least be a very cheap app, priced at ¥990. That’s a little under $7 and a little over £5 with a direct currency conversion, so it will likely translate to $10 and £7.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is pitched as an interactive exhibit that lets you walk a miniature human avatar around a giant Switch 2 museum, walking up to the various parts of the console and then getting little experiences to explore all the technology that’s gone into it.

“Uncover lots of insights about the console,” Nintendo writes. “Explore basic features, like the magnetic connectors that keep the Joy-Con 2 controllers firmly attached, and more advanced tech details that you might not otherwise notice.

“Roam the exhibit halls, which resemble a giant Nintendo Switch 2. Discover hidden facts, take quizzes, and enjoy playful minigames and tech demos.”

The thing that’s difficult to accept is that this is a paid experience, as opposed to a free pack-in game, and there’s inevitable points of comparison to how Sony have treated their customers to comparatively much more lavish tech demo experiences over the past couple of generations. For the PS4, anyone that bought the PS4 camera could use it with Playroom and get a cutesy little tech demo based around the DualShock 4 controller and augmented reality, debuting Astro Bot for the first time. That was then continued with The Playroom VR that arrived alongside the original PlayStation VR headset, and most recently, the quite excellent Astro’s Playroom that toured the PS5 hardware with hundreds of cute easter eggs to find through a surprisingly well-rounded platformer experience. All of those were free from Sony, but Switch 2 Welcome Tour is not.

Nintendo has also drawn some flak for the way that they’re pricing titles for Nintendo Switch 2. While some games are getting free updates to support Switch 2, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are paid upgrades that are alternatively included with a Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.

The base price of games is also rising. Mario Kart World will be £67 / $80 / €80 digitally or £75 / €90 for a physical game card. Donkey Kong Bananza will then be £59 / €70 digitally or £67 / €80 physcally.

Source: Nintendo

Tags: Nintendo Switch 2