Ok, chill, when it comes to system bundles, some of them are actually pretty decent. Part of the reason most system bundles are relatively inoffensive is that typically, there’s plenty of stock of non-bundled systems available for those who don’t want or need all the bells and whistles.  For instance, when I bought my Xbox One, at the time I was single, I play with most of my friends online, and I don’t have a kid, so I didn’t need an extra controller.  I also didn’t really care about the games available in the bundles that were out at the time, so I just bought my system, whatever headset I wanted (Turtle Beach Steatlh 420x) and the game or games I was looking forward to.  I wasn’t locked into, or forced to spend money on accessories I just wasn’t going to use. However, lately Nintendo to an extent and Gamestop to a larger extent,  have been doubling down on system bundles that are sort of strong arming people into purchasing a bunch of stuff they don’t need, due to lack of not bundled stock.  

Now this isn’t 100% Nintendo’s fault and it’s not 100% Gamestop’s fault.  Some of these bundles are first party bundles put forward by Nintendo themselves.  However, Gamestop has created a number of bundles on their own.  Given that the stock of Nintendo Switch that is currently available at any given time is volatile at best,  there are going to be situations where someone can’t get a hold of a Nintendo switch…unless they are willing to go all in on a bundle like the one pictured in the header to this article.  I’m not opposed to the option of a bundle, but when you make it a potential customers ONLY option to get the one product they want, that’s pretty shitty, and it’s no secret that it’s a cash grab.  I understand that Nintendo and Gamestop are businesses that are trying to make that dollar, but for a company like Gamestop that people LOVE to talk shit about, and has traditionally struggled over the last several years, you’d think they would want to build goodwill with customers.  Although, it’s interesting to note that over the last two quarters, Nintendo Switch sales have caused “Hardware” and “Add-on” sales to spike massively for Gamestop, which has added up to some decent money.   Now, Gamestop isn’t the “only” company doing bundles, but they are the foremost retailer finding new and interesting ways to bundle stuff with their systems, that most of us don’t “really” need. 

While the traditional game system bundles are annoying enough, there’s a much more obnoxious bundling situation going on with yet ANOTHER Nintendo product, with Gamestop, yet again.   When Gamestop bought Think Geek a few years ago,  Gamestop suddenly had access to all sorts of nerdy collectibles and trinkets.  Unfortunately, in Gamestop’s infinite wisdom they felt that bundling a bunch of these trinkets that nobody needs, with the VERY sought after SNES Classic, was “convenient” for the customers.   Being that demand for the original NES Classic was obscene, Gamestop, and anyone with any sort of intelligence,  knew very well that the SNES Classic would be a sought after product.   So, once the “system only” reserves were all taken up, a lot of people found that the only way they could get their hands on a reserve for an SNES Classic was to buy one of various bundles.  The SNES Classic by itself is $80.  Thinkgeek.com (owned by Gamestop)  is selling a bundle for $249.99 for instance, that includes a realistic Megaman Helmet and Protoman Buster.  Yeah, that’s what I came for when I wanted the SNES Classic, exactly that.   But hey, it wasn’t all bad, you could just spend $154.99 instead and get a plush “1-up” mushroom from Super Mario Bros, a cup shaped like a question mark block from Super Mario Bros, and Super Mario Calendar.  Wowwwweeeee!  Gamestop and Nintendo, cut the shit.  Sincerely, everyone.