The US would rather try to pin mass shootings on social media platforms than address the core issues that might destabilize their status quo sociopolitical puppet show, which could set an incredibly dangerous precedent. I wouldn’t be surprised if some money happened to find its way into the right pockets to try the same thing on behalf of the poor poor megacorps’ “lost sales” in the near future.

Posting US tax code like it’s the only country in the world and using it as a basis to say something about a Japanese company could be construed as ludicrous, could it not?

And you choose drugs or guns for your example? Again, JAPAN.

Japanese bonuses are heavily taxed and highest salary periods can have big implications on how much one has to pay into the national pension system. The way taxes are paid in arrears can also very easily put people in difficult positions if they aren’t financially responsible and happen to suddenly lose their jobs.

The low quality parts thing can’t be overstated. The original DS was really the last “Nintendium” quality hardware in my book. The DS Lite had a ton of issues people tend to forget about. Extremely flaky shoulder buttons, yellowed screens, and cracked hinges were not a question of if, but when. Mine lasted about 6 months before the R button stopped working reliably. The first generation 3DS was a step back in the right direction, and mine is still going strong, but the circle pad longevity is dubious and the bottom screen plastic scratches if you look at it wrong. Then came the New 3DS, which looked good on paper but the New 3DS LL was a huge disappointment. The backplate cracks around the screws, the hinge has tons of flop in it, and within a year the paint and coating was flaking off of the top shell leaving a ~2cm patch of bare metal. Then came the Switch, with the lowest quality sticks I’ve ever seen. Even my Switch Pro Controller drifts like crazy.

Knowing Nintendo the Switch 2 will already be obsolete at launch and power users will get better performance emulating the damn thing on modern hardware instead. Fool me twice, I, uh, won’t get fooled again, or something.