Former Sony head responds to Nintendo charging $10 for Switch 2 virtual manual

One of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch titles is called Welcome Tour, a game designed to inform owners of Switch 2 how to utilize all of its features. While the game, or more accurately speaking, virtual manual was somewhat well-received during the presentation, the joy quickly turned to ash when Nintendo revealed it would cost $10.

Nintendo fans' uproar about the pricing of Welcome Tour has been anything but quiet. Many fans compare the launch title to Astro's Playroom from Sony, a free built-in game designed to essentially do the same thing - familiarize new system owners with all of the controls and its capabilities. Nintendo's decision to charge $10 for Welcome Tour has become a real point of contention for Nintendo fans, with many accusing the company of simply being greedy.

However, Nintendo has justified its decision to charge $10 for the title, with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser saying Welcome Tour's mini-games have a lot of replayability. Below is the full quote from Bowser.

"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."

Now, former Sony Interactive Entertainment President Shuhei Yoshida has commented on Nintendo's $10 decision, saying, "I just don't understand. You would want everyone to experience that, right? You would have a better understanding of the Switch 2 and become a fan of the system."

Adding, "People, pay or not pay $10 for the Welcome Tour, and people who decide not to pay $10, they don't know what they missed, right? So I don't think that will become a backlash. I think it's just an opportunity loss for Nintendo."