The Nintendo Switch is a massive hit, there's no doubt about that, and with that one would think that Nintendo would want to offer customers new ways to purchase this console. What is surprising, though, is the fact that new bundles usually tend to add things instead of taking them away like Nintendo has with the Switch.
Nintendo Japan has announced that a new bundle for the Nintendo Switch is coming, and this new bundle does away with the dock, Joy Con Grip, HDMI and charging cable. The news comes from the
Nintendo Japan website, as reported by
IGN, and shows that this new bundle will not be replacing the original that comes with the dock, Joy Con Grip, charging, and HDMI cable. The new package will also be a bit cheaper at ¥24,980, which equates roughly to $230 USD, as opposed to the current bundle that costs ¥29,980 or $270USD.
Nintendo has done similar stuff in the past with the Nintendo DS and 3DS, which used to come with an AC adapter at launch, but did away with it in later versions of the consoles. That said, the DS and 3DS not coming with an AC adapter was in case that users already had one and decided to upgrade to one of the newer versions, which kind of makes sense.
Another reason for this may be that they want to offer users the possibility to choose which kind of dock they want now that Nintendo has announced that a
new charging stand is on its way. This new charging stand allows players to charge their Switch and keep playing without needing to be close to a TV.
The problem is that doing away with the dock and HDMI cable completely takes away the possibility to connect the Switch to a TV, making it almost exclusively a handheld. While this may be a good move in Japan due to the kind of lifestyle they lead, it may not bode well in Western countries, even when it is a slightly cheaper version of the Switch. It's worth mentioning that the Joy Con Grip, Dock, HDMI cable and charging cables are all available for purchase on the Nintendo website.