The uncertainty surrounding $90 Switch 2 games highlights just how flawed the internet has become.

      If you’re a gamer who has visited Facebook or YouTube in the past week, you’ve likely seen various disputes regarding the pricing of the Nintendo Switch 2. My Facebook algorithm has identified my interest in the system as an indication that I want a steady flow of irate memes concerning its cost. While concerns about the hardware seem to be waning, one persistent complaint is the price of its games. My feeds are inundated with engagement memes challenging commenters to defend the $90 price tag of Mario Kart World.

      There’s just one issue: Mario Kart World doesn’t actually cost $90, at least based on our current knowledge. No officially announced Nintendo Switch 2 game appears to have that price either, but that hasn’t prevented this misinformation from proliferating on the fundamentally flawed internet.

      If you’re puzzled by this assertion because you’ve heard the price repeated as fact countless times, I can’t fault you. In the immediate aftermath of the Switch 2’s announcement, players had to seek out information themselves. Last week’s Switch 2 Direct didn’t specify the console’s price; I only learned it through an email after the stream ended. This was already confusing, but Nintendo's lack of clarity further complicated things regarding game pricing. It didn’t take long for players to find out that Mario Kart World and some Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of original Switch games would be priced at $80. The inconsistency in game pricing only deepened the confusion, as popular titles like Donkey Kong Bananza are slated to cost $70 instead.

      During this rapid information gathering phase, it was reported that the physical editions of some Switch 2 games would cost 90 Euros. This fact quickly morphed into a completely different assertion: that physical Switch 2 games would cost $90. It’s difficult to trace exactly where this misinterpretation started, but it’s clear how someone might have misconstrued it. They might have misread the Euro symbol as a dollar sign or erroneously thought that those two currencies were equivalent. Whatever the case may be, this should have been clarified within a day.

      Instead, it spread like wildfire and shows no signs of stopping.

      How does this sort of misinformation spread on the internet, which is supposed to be a source of easily accessible information? After all, it’s simple to find the official price of Mario Kart World. Its website has advertised an $80 MSRP since the beginning. This leads to an unfortunate conclusion: The internet is becoming increasingly detrimental rather than beneficial each day. Social media platforms designed to foster engagement through outrage, coupled with a growing dependence on inaccurate AI tools for news, are making us less informed, and the Switch 2 pricing rumor is a prime example of this trend.

      Let’s dissect the misinformation pipeline. A quick Google search for “Switch 2 games $90” will invariably lead you to a Reddit thread from /Games titled “Nintendo Switch 2 Games Will Cost $80 For Digital, $90 For Physical.” This post links to an article from Insider Gaming, a site recognized for video game leaks. Insider Gaming was among a few sources that originally reported that physical Switch 2 games would cost $90. Other sites like Forbes echoed this information in an April 2 article lacking any source for the claim and even referencing the 90 Euro detail. This article has not been corrected since its publication a week ago.

      In contrast, Insider Gaming did revise its article. If you navigate to that Reddit thread and click the linked story, you’ll find “Nintendo Switch 2 Games Will Cost Up To $98 For Physical Games When Converted From Euros.” There’s now a correction midway through the article, but this update isn’t reflected in the dominating Reddit thread on the topic.

      This game of telephone only becomes more complicated. Adding to the confusion is Google’s own AI overview, which often appears at the top of search results. If you were to Google “how much are Switch 2 games?” right now, there’s a strong chance you’ll encounter an AI overview stating that physical games could either be priced at $90 or already are. In my search results, Google claims, “Nintendo Switch 2 games are expected to be priced higher than previous Nintendo Switch titles, with many games potentially costing $79.99 or even $89.99.” Other results I’ve seen eliminate the “potentially” and assert that they “will” cost that much.

      This information includes several links to sources where the news originated. A link talking about the $90 price point leads to an article from Indy100, which states outright that Mario Kart World is priced at $90 without any supporting source. Other linked articles are from Mashable and CNET. The latter effectively refutes the $90 claim, but that hasn't stopped Google's AI from using it as a source for its erroneous information.

      In my search for other misreported prices, I looked for “Digital Trends Switch 2 $90” to see if we had mistakenly published it.