The Amazon listing for The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller has dropped in price, leading some to believe that this is the first sight of the rumored permanent discount. The Switch Pro Controller is advertised as the best controller players can buy for their Switch, and includes rumble functionality, build-in motion controls, and support for Nintendo's line of Amiibo figures and cards. Nintendo hardware generally only goes on sale for the holiday season, when most other console makers also discount their products to try to sell as many as possible. Also like most other console makers, Nintendo rarely discounts controllers or accessories more than 25%, most likely to keep up an image of hardware quality.
The company is not above making a few new discounts, though, especially several years into the Switch's life cycle. Late last year, Nintendo announced that it's permanently decreasing the price of the Switch's individual Joy-Con controllers to $39.99 each, down $10 from the original price. This decrease came after widespread outcry over drift issues with Joy-Cons' control sticks. Many criticized Nintendo for simply lowering the price of new Joy-Cons, which effectively encourages people to buy replacements rather than attempt to have them fixed by Nintendo or a third party.
Following in the footsteps of the Joy-Con discount, it now appears as if Nintendo is giving a similar permanent discount to its Switch Pro Controller. According to Nintendo Link, the official Amazon listing for the Switch Pro Controller lists its current price as $59.99. Like the Joy-Con discount, this price is $10 less than the original Pro Controller price of $69.99. The Amazon price doesn't show a discount marker or the original price, which is fueling speculation that this is the Switch Pro Controller's new permanent price. If the permanent price has been lowered, other retailers haven't caught on yet: stores like Target and Gamestop still have the controller listed at $69.99. Even Nintendo's official retail site lists the Switch Pro Controller's price as $69.99.
This isn't the first time that Amazon prices and product pages have been the first sign of a product's launch or discount: last year, a page and pre-order listing for the game Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit appeared before the game was even announced. It's possible that Nintendo has signaled its intent to lower the Switch Pro Controller's price to retailers and that Amazon mistakenly put up the discount early. It's equally likely that other retailers haven't had the chance to update product listings on their websites and shelves yet. Either way, if this discount is indeed permanent, it's likely that it will begin to appear in other stores and retailers soon.
A permanent Switch Pro discount may also be the first signal of the much-rumored Switch Pro console. If Nintendo wants to encourage players to upgrade, relegating its existing hardware to websites' sale sections would be a good way to prepare consumers to purchase new hardware. Rumors about an upcoming Nintendo Switch Pro console are mixed: while the company recently assured investors that any new consoles are a long way off, some developers are saying that they have already access to a Switch Pro development kit. Regardless, fans will have to keep a close eye out for any other hints and clues toward an upgrade of the beloved Nintendo Switch - and maybe pick up a discounted Pro Controller while they're at it.
Source: Nintendo Link