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Maintaining two product lines simply out of spite really is just such a Nintendo thing to do.
I have never and will never pay for a Nintendo product because of shit like this. Doesn't mean you can't play Nintendo games though 🏴☠️
Fuck Nintendo.
yep.
I've not given Nintendo money for a long ass time, because of their idiotic insistence on choosing the most selfish, customer hating path at every fork in the road they come to.
Seriously, just do the right thing. Goddamn
The right thing costs 1% more can't waste that
Probably costs .1% more.
It's probably cheaper to do the right thing. It'd allow them to have a single product line, rather than two. However, it'd mean they can't screw over customers and sell them replacements, so it'd cost them in additional sales.
It's the Apple approach: Implement consumer-friendly policies only in regions that require it by law. Apple mostly do it with software though, for example only allowing third-party app stores in EU and Japan.
Plenty of US companies do something similar with subscriptions too. California mandates that any subscription you create online must also be cancellable online, and so some companies (like New York Times, SiriusXM, gyms) only show their simple online cancelation flow to Californians. Everyone else must jump through hoops like use live chat, call them, cancel in person, etc.
The midlife revision will probably just have a user-replaceable battery for all regions to simplify things.
Then again, it’s Nintendo.
this is how stupid, self centered, petty, controlling, and anti-consumer, anti-fan Nintendo is.
They'd rather incur the costs of running two assemblies side by side, than simply give everyone access to a means of easily repair their switch.
They'd rather spend tons of extra money, than do anything beneficial for someone they arent forced by law to give it to.
This is far from a Nintendo exclusive problem.
It is the way entire industries are going (and have been going for decades).
It's only strong consumer protection laws that stand in their way.
They’d rather incur the costs of running two assemblies side by side, than simply give everyone access to a means of easily repair their switch.
I guarantee you they've made the calculation and found that the cost is well offset by the profits gained from the inability of other markets to repair their owned switches.
For everyone who thought eu legislation would force corporations make better stuff globally, that's how much they care about you.
And people still buying from nintendo is really disappointing
I thought EU legislation would make better stuff in the EU and it has.
It does it's just Nintendo going out of their way to be awkward even to their own detriment.
Look at Apple, everyone gets USB-C iPhones now they could have made a USB-C version for the European market and a mag-safe port for other markets but that would have meant two different power boards and different body designs but each market which wasn't worth it. Nintendo however have decided to actually put the cost into making two different body moulds and two different circuit boards one for non-replaceable batteries and one for replaceable batteries.
Nintendo have been anti-consumer for a long time but I'm surprised that they're willing to waste money on it.
Thats crazy to make it EU only.
In the EU bottle caps have to be attached to the bottle so they stay together when thrown away. Everyone working in recycling and especially people working in stuff like river cleanups praise how this is a gigantic improvement. It is universally a good thing.
Even Coca Cola used it in advertising to sell how environmentally friendly they are (by not breaking the law). However they are only doing it in countries where it is legally required and nowhere else.
Even apple went world wide when Europe forced them into C
Ah, man. All the US got was a price increase! But, to be fair... Art of the Deal... /s
You can't fucking replace the batteries on switches?!
Why do you assholes buy these consoles? Seriously.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you can’t replace batteries on most modern portable computing devices these days.
Nintendo people would buy literal shit if it had Nintendo™ on it
Turns out companies would rather reverse planned obsolescence than lose access to an entire geographic market. I wonder what else we could get these capitalist fascists to do if we united and forced them into a corner?
But what if it goes wrong, and the parasites vacate our area, leaving room for vibrant innovative new companies to thrive?!
😱 oh no!
Nintendo really dropping the ball at every opportunity. Life long Nintendo fan here and I'll never buy anything from them ever again.
I love that the overwhelming response to this is getting mad at Nintendo for complying with EU law instead of getting mad at the US Government for lagging severely behind on consumer rights. Small wonder things aren't getting better.
How long do you think it'll take before Nintendo adds a software check so you can't have the European version outside of Europe beyond short term travel?
Apple did this exact thing on iPhone and 3rd party stores so I would be surprised if this wasn't already baked into the firmware on the Switch.
Such a dick move keeping it EU only, and also not surprising... Nintendo is hostile towards its fanbase and always has been.
I used to be loyal to Nintendo
No idea why anyone still supports them after the joycons were never really fixed on switch 1
The joycons are egregiously priced. Doing any sort of fix on them is a massive pain in the arse. I hadn't used my Switch in a while, it was packed away in its (official) carrying case, inside a box that's kept in a decent environment. The joysticks had melted.
I bought replacement joysticks, with hall effect sensors, for €15. Two batteries for €10. Pain in the arse to replace, but it's possible. The new joysticks even have exchangeable caps so if they melt again for some reason, you can just pop them off.
Nintendo intentionally designs things to be shit, so you can buy new joycons at insane prices. It's why they also offer them in limited collections and whatnot.
I was considering buying a switch 2 for a couple of the exclusives, despite my prior beliefs, but this confirms that I shouldn't have even considered it
fuck you Nintendo, stop disrespecting me as a customer
Good, if only they could ever drop prices I would maybe even buy one
The incentive to buy one comes from the expectation it‘ll be even more expensive this time next year. Not sure it‘s working, though.
And something tells me when prices fall again, Nintendo would just carry on and pocket the difference
If I ever do buy one, you can bet I'll be specifically searching for one of those Euro-spec ones with replaceable batteries.
Nintendo can just eat a dick, seriously. I’m gonna pirate their games to my heart’s content, they can throw as many little hissy fits as they want about it.
How to motivate right to repair advocacy in other regions in one easy step....
Why only EU though?
Because only the EU is legally requiring it
They're not willing to give a pinky to other countries. They'd rather have two assembly lines. I hope the law spreads, followed by the same happeningto Nintendo's butthole.
Because they only are doing the minimum needed changes to align with the law. Other countries don't have the law, so they don't do it there. Same game as with Apple.
On the one hand, yes, this is the minimum. On the other hand, they’re making their supply chain more complicated by carrying 2 different versions with different parts etc.
So in that sense they’re going out of their way to be assholes.
Thats been Nintendo's modus operandi for at least the past 15 years.
We need a right to repair...
