Online Service Detailed for Switch: Paid Starting Fall 2017, Free Monthly NES/SNES Game, App Explained
Nintendo is entering the paid online service that the PS4 and Xbox One offer but before I comment on how it works, I must say that I’m baffled they are pulling this off on Switch. The only online titles they showed off during the event are Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and ARMS; everything else is single player. This doesn’t even include the fact they could not be getting games the push paid online like Call of Duty or Battlefront 2. So hopefully they announce more online-supported games to justify the paid service.
Lets get into the details now! They will be offering party chat and voice support through a paid app (free with people having a My Nintendo account) but it’s not clear if you can do both of those features WITHOUT the app like on PS4 and Xbox One.
The next offer is that similar to PlayStation Plus, you will be getting discounts on games through Nintendo’s E-Shop and a free monthly game that rotates out every month. Unlike PS+ though, you cannot ‘keep’ the game; it gets removed off your account and placed with another NES/SNES game. The ‘free game’ is a NES or SNES (with online support) and while I wanted them to use the VC service like PS+ for a long time, this isn’t really what I expected.
Like the other online store fronts though, if you do not have a subscription, you can visit the E-Shop and share screenshots/video on social media. This will be free from launch until Fall 2017, so people can test it out before they have to pay for online. I hope Nintendo makes the service worthwhile, as many (including myself) aren’t convinced it’s worth shelling out 50-60$ a month for online for a company that is infamous for it’s spotty online support.