The Nintendo Switch 2’s interactive-manual bloatware is a paid app, and it’s the last straw following a disappointing launch

The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct has been a rollercoaster of emotions with highs like the GameCube game announcements for Switch Online and the Mario Kart World showcase, and then lows like the eye-wateringly high prices.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will cost $449.99 in the US or £395.99 in the UK (AU pricing is TBC), games like Mario Kart will set you back $79.99 / £74.99, and that cute Welcome Tour title that will explain the console’s features to you? You'll have to pay for that as well.

Cue the Michael Scott reaction:

That can’t be true, you must be thinking. I thought the same, but the official Nintendo of Europe account on Twitter – complete with Gold verification checkmark – described it as a “a paid downloadable launch title for Nintendo Switch 2.” There’s no more solid confirmation than hearing it from Nintendo itself.

When the Direct’s Welcome Tour trailer showed us a handful of minigames and digital information desks detailing overly in-depth information on the magnets in the new Joy-Cons my initial reaction was that it looks like a harmless interactive manual and eventual bloatware – the sort of software we’ll hop into for a few minutes while we wait for our actual games to finish installing and eventually delete when we run out of Switch 2 storage.

It didn’t once cross my mind that Nintendo would charge anyone to 'play' Welcome Tour. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but frankly even $1 / £1 feels too high.

I know this title would have taken time to develop and to fill with demos and info, but surely its cost could have been eaten up by the high Switch 2 price? Right?

I was cautiously excited for the Nintendo Switch 2, and the Direct mostly morphed that into true anticipation. June 5, 2025 was marked on my calendar, and as hype grows I could see myself putting in a preorder despite my promise to myself that a new Mario Kart wouldn’t be enough of a draw.

Now, with this Welcome Tour announcement, and several other missteps, I’m just feeling deflated by the whole launch. Hopefully my frustrations will mellow out in the coming days, but in the Switch 2 vs Steam Deck battle, in my mind the Nintendo console is in a losing position for now.

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