Nintendo explains why it's charging $10 for the virtual Switch 2 manual

We have finally gotten to take a close-up look at the Nintendo Switch 2, and during the presentation the company showcased a launch title called Welcome Tour, which was confirmed to have a price tag.

However, Nintendo didn't reveal during its Direct presentation how much Welcome Tour would be at launch, just that it was launching alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. For those who don't know, Welcome Tour is a "game" dedicated to explaining the different features and parts of the Nintendo Switch 2 within a virtual world.

Nintendo showed throughout its presentation that users will be able to touch the different buttons and features on the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware within the virtual world to get an explanation of what they do and how to use them. These explanations will come in the form of text boxes with animations showing how to use the feature or in mini-games that enable a user to practise using them. In an interview with The Verge, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser confirmed the price tag for the digital-only Welcome Tour will be $9.99, and the reason for that is as follows:

"As this game was being developed, what's been packed into it is a depth of minigame experiences," Bowser said. "They're very deep, they're very repeatable. And so, as we looked at that depth of play experience and opportunity, we felt that $9.99 was a fair price to ask for that."

It should be noted that in the past, Nintendo has typically thrown in the game that "teaches" users how to use the console's features as a free title with the base console. Examples of this include Wii Sports with the Wii, and Nintendo Land with the Wii U. There are also other examples, such as Astro's Playroom with Sony's PlayStation 5.