Calculator is a software calculator application for the Nintendo Switch developed and published by Sabec Limited. It contains the functions of a standard scientific calculator. Released on May 12, 2021, it was widely criticized for having equivalent functionality to alternative free or pre-installed software while being a paid application.
Calculator was developed and published by Sabec Limited.[4][5] It released for the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop on May 12, 2021, at a price of US$10, GB£8.09, or A$12.75.[6][1]
Reception
Calculator was widely criticized for having equivalent functionality to free applications, particularly those pre-installed on smartphones,[lower-alpha 1] and Eurogamer and GameSpot noted the application's visual resemblance to the Calculator software by Apple Inc.[3][7]TechRadar said that Nintendo's decision to allow Calculator to release on their platform "shows that, ultimately, Nintendo is happy to take its cut from anyone daft enough to pay for it" rather than enforce strict quality control.[8]Kotaku said that, while the Nintendo Switch is "technically capable" of being a calculator, they feel that "a Nintendo Switch is better suited to being a Bayonetta 3 machine than a homework helper".[9]
The application became an internet meme, and was jokingly considered as the best game of all time by fans.[5] A speedrun of the application was also created, in which one attempts to manually count to 1,000 as fast as possible.[10]