Howdy goons, we’re a few days into the launch of the Switch 2 and the best sellers list has had a little time to cook. Among the top sellers on the Switch 2 interestingly enough isn’t a game at all but instead a $10 digital upgrade to the Switch 2 version of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. This is interesting because not only are they not new games but the Switch 2 versions are of course, 80 bucks, but depending on how you got your copy of Breath or Tears it may end up being cheaper than buying either of these Switch 2 version brand new.
If you buy Breath used on Gamestop right now you only need to pay 50 bucks, then the 10 buck upgrade and bam, Switch 2 version for 10 bucks off. Then it’s 10 bucks off for Tears as well. Knowing that it’s cheaper to do this than to buy the Switch 2 version physical and knowing that most people are probably using their already owned copies it makes sense. But what if I told you that this update isn’t necessary for improved performance?
In a previous video I mentioned that Tears ran poorly on the original Switch. Lots of frame dropping whenever you use the Ultra Hand, the main gimmick tool of this entry. Well, I played it on the Switch 2 and not only did it not have any frame dips in the portions I played, the system also didn’t heat up. For reference, another Switch 1 game called No More Heroes 3 was worryingly hot on the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World can make the system pretty warm too. Makes sense for Mario Kart World at least since it’s a new title. But yes, it turns out you probably don’t even need the upgrade. But if you care about the graphics you might want it.
I also played the free updated version of Pokemon Scarlet and it ran significantly better. Full 60 FPS and beautiful graphics. But I wonder why this upgrade is free, when the Zelda ones cost money? Probably because they rereleased them physical. I guess it’s fine since the Switch 1 versions run perfectly fine without an update. I’m thinking Scarlet’s upgrade was so necessary for performance that it didn’t make sense to charge for it. I should probably just be happy that it’s free.
This paid upgrade system doesn’t make sense for Nintendo though. They’re actually losing money by offering this cheap upgrade. That’s because they must be assuming that the majority of Tears and Breath owners bought them brand new at launch. That or 10 bucks guaranteed on a used purchase is still a profit. You probably know this, but when you buy used, none of that money makes it back to Nintendo. This is why I bought Scarlet used, I knew it was in a bad state and didn’t want Nintendo to make money off my purchase. Then I bought a $550 game system from them 3 days ago. I’m so intelligent.
If they are selling these patches to make money off of used versions, it reminds me of EA’s Online Passes. Where EA would include a code in game cases that were used to access online services. So if you bought the game used the code would already be used. You’d have to pay 10 bucks to get access to the online features. They did this to make money off of used game purchases, it was wildly unpopular. It did not last long. If this is Nintendo’s reasoning then it also won’t last long as they only have so many Switch 1 games they could do this with.
My biggest concern for these paid patches is it encourages Nintendo to release games in a worse state. Since they just increased their game prices to $80 to ensure more quality development time, this paid update system might be counter to that goal. They can always fix it next generation and get a fat check if they do. I also worry that this will be the end of the free update patches for poorly performing games from last gen. After all, why release the updates for free when you can make 10 bucks a person?
That’s it for this one though, I for one, won’t be buying this upgrade patch unless later on I see a severe dip in performance. But the Switch 2 is a big upgrade over the Switch 1 so I don’t think that’ll happen. Besides, I don’t think I should be paying for something that’s free on their other games. We’ll have to wait and see how this effects their future games but considering this patch is a best seller? I don’t think it’s looking too good.
I’ll see you later, if you want to see more Switch 2 stuff then you’re already in the right place. But I also make a lot of videos on youtube.com/@nimzynova where I just posted an early Switch 2 review, and a video on how to unlock everything in Mario Kart. I’ll see you again next time, BYE!
