Yeah, I really don't get what Nintendo's thinking here. It's literally Astro's Playroom but you have to pay extra for it. Maaaybe if it was like a couple dollars people wouldn't mind, but unless it has a story mode or something big like that, I can't see anyone buying it for $10 (let's be real; $9.99 is just 10 bucks made to look nicer) except for Nintendo collectors/completionists and people/establishments that intend to share a Switch 2 with a lot of people (libraries or college rec centers, for example) and want to use it to "demo" the console at open-house events or the like.

I almost agree with you, except I think they did make one mistake: as others have said, Welcome Tour should have been a pack-in title.

Welcome Tour is basically a console "help" guide and tech demo all-in-one; that's something that pretty much no one would pay extra for, as it's just a fun way to provide info about the console and show off what it can do. Information about how the console works is the type of important information that should be provided to every owner for free so they can understand how the console works and how to use it. Obviously there will be some sort of " guide" that is free, but the fact remains that the cute and creative way they're implementing it in Welcome Tour (which also combines it with a tech demo) would have added to the positive r ception of the console had it been a free pack-in.

What's especially baffling about Nintenti's decision here is the fact that there was already something quite similar that *was* a free pack-in: Asteo's Playroom on the PS5. One of Nintenti's direct competitors has pretty much the same thing, except included free on their console. So why in the world did Nintendo think it would work to charge for it?

It's not even like 1-2 Switch where the argument could be made that although, at its heart, it was a tech demo, it was still a collection of mini games that could be enjoyed separately from that aspect. No, Welcome Tour is literally just an interactive Guide with tech demo aspects. Literally the only reasons anyone would want to use it are to learn about the console or to experience its features. As a result, literally the only purchases of Welcome Tour will be by Nintendo completionists and/or collectors who want to buy every game Nintendo makes, and institutions like college student rec centers that buy a Switch 2 to have as a "communal" console and want to make sure people who use it can find out about the system's features and/or want to demonstrate it at open-house events or the like.