Nintendo starts selling cheaper Switch bundle without dock in Japan

Nintendo is now selling a cheaper Switch package in Japan that doesn't include the TV dock. The “Switch 2nd Unit Set” is ostensibly aimed at households that already have a Switch hooked up to the family TV and therefore don't need a second dock, but it could also be an option for players who only plan to use the system as a handheld device.

The 24,980-yen ($226) bundle comes with the Switch tablet, two Joy-Con controllers, and two Joy-Con strap attachments, meaning you're saving 5,000 yen (~$45) on the regular Switch package. It's not just the dock that's excluded, though — the Joy-Con Grip and HDMI cable are obvious omissions, but the lack of an AC adapter will be a bigger problem for anyone who doesn't already have one. The dock and adapter set costs 9,698 yen when sold separately, though you can also charge the system with a generic USB-C solution.

This doesn't quite amount to a price cut, then, and there's no word on whether this package will make it elsewhere; Nintendo may decide it makes more sense for Japanese households, which tend not to have more than one TV. But it does lower the entry price to the Switch's software library — and pushing the idea that the Switch is a personal device, rather than one to be shared by the whole family, is probably a good idea for the company's bottom line.

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