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This is Furukawa (not really). Nintendo already has come out on record and said the next Nintendo console will be revealed soon, according to their post on Twitter (not calling it the other name…). With the new consoles, maybe Nintendo will be revealing the design, some new features that they are lacking (cough, themes/chats/etc, cough), and maybe some new titles. One thing that I am cautious of is how are they going to change their Switch Online program, or if they chose to keep it the exact same as they currently have it. So, is Switch online worth it currently, or should you just wait for the new systems?
Nintendo has a vastly different membership program from the other two console platform holders, and in a lot of ways I think it is better, but it definitely is lacking in some regards. The basic Switch Online is only a measly $20 per year, which is an absolute steal for what they provide to you with online play, free game trials, cloud saves, exclusive offers, and more. The cloud saves and online play are a staple for console game subscriptions. The exclusive offers that involve physical goods, like retro controllers, available only to members is something similar to what PS+/Xbox Gamepass does with digital exclusive discounts or perks, just Nintendo wants to do something unique by offering things not available to the general public which is a nice plus.
They also offer exclusive discounts with their voucher program where you can get 2 vouchers for $100, and if used to purchase first party titles at $60 or the one $70 title, you can get a discount of up to $30; which if you know them is not extremely common and I have bought a couple of digital games like this from them. Nintendo doesn’t do monthly “free” games like PS+ or the now closed Xbox Live programs did, but they do offer game trials for select games to play the whole game. While they aren’t that great picks for my personal preference of gaming, they aren’t shovel ware titles either. They also go on sale while they are on trial if you wish to pick up the game at a discount, which is a nice touch.
On top of the game trials involving Nintendo Switch specific titles, the $20 per year cost also adds a selective line up of NES, SNES, and Gameboy classic games for you to play. Some of them even allow for online play with others, which is a cool feature. Sure, Nintendo use to offer virtual console and while it was a cool idea, servers would eventually die off for the Wii, 3ds, and even Wii U, where you can still download games you bought, but can’t buy them anymore. Instead, offering a place where you can get a select catalogue of titles with the cost of online play anyway, it works. Classic Mario and Zelda titles, all 3 classic Donkey Kong Country titles, Earthbound, Metroid, Kirby and Yoshi games, and loads of others are available to play on the service that might not otherwise have been available on the Switch. They also have other games exclusive to the service like Tetris 99 and F-Zero 99 which are battle royal type of games putting a spin on classics, which I think is an awesome idea.
If you wish to add to the value, you can also pick up the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack instead which will add to the value of the service. This one will cost an additional $30, for a total of $50 per year. This is still extremely cheaper than the other platform subscriptions, but it also doesn’t offer new switch games that release. This one adds in Gameboy Advanced titles, Nintendo 64, and Sega Genesis games; on top of everything else that I have mentioned previously. I grew up on the N64, and there are a bunch of titles that are not on the service that I wish they could get… but ya know licensing and money.
A lot of first party stuff is on there like Pokémon Puzzle League, Snap, and Stadium 1/2, Mario Party 1-3, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64, Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, and more. There are also some classic Rare games on there like Jet Force Gemini, Banjo Kazooie, and Blast Corps, but I wish things like Diddy Kong Racing or Conker’s Bad Fur Day was available for the N64. There are only 15 games on the Gameboy Advance collection, but Fire Emblem, Golden Sun (make a new golden sun or remake for crying out loud Nintendo!), and other first party titles has value still. I said Genesis was on the service, but to be quite honest I never grew up on Sega games so I haven’t even bothered to touch them. However, it is more value for more games. Over 100 classic games, but there is something else that is added to increase the value further.
Nintendo might not give away free games to players for Switch online, but they do provide three “free” DLC for select games while you are a member. These DLCs are the Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass, the Splatoon 2 DLC: Octo Expansion, and the Animal Crossing DLC Happy Home Paradise. I have played the Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion and it is absolutely terrific for a single player DLC and I highly recommend it if you want a bit of a tougher mode than the standard story mode that felt too easy. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been out since April 2017, and they added courses, in my personal opinion, too late but it is a nice feature for those people still playing the game. I loved Animal Crossing New Horizons back in 2020 when the world was going through a pandemic, but I fell out of the game after playing it for more than 100 hours, but more content for a game like that for those who still play is not a bad thing at all.
If you wanted to save even more money, you can always do the family plan for Switch online which turns the 1 person subscription to an 8 person subscription at an incredibly reduced rate. Standard Family online is only $35, while expansion pack family online is $80 for the year. So, even if you had one more person join you, and you split the bill, it is still cheaper. Then if you could get even more individuals to be part of it, it becomes close to nothing for a cost (10 dollars max per person for expansion pack if you have 8 people in your family).
Now, considering all of this, there are downsides that I really hope Nintendo fixes when it comes to changing it in the future (assuming they will that is). One of these is the stupid cellphone app to talk with friends. You cannot voice chat with other people on switch, unless you download the Nintendo Switch Online app on your smartphone and I think that is so stupid. I thought it was stupid when the Switch online started but since Nintendo has always been free before the Switch, I guess it was a step in the right direction to talk with friends. If they cant figure out a standard party chat (which I am sure they could) they could always partner up with a company like Discord for the new system since that is what I have done when playing with friends anyways… that or using another consoles party chat while playing on the Switch.
Another thing that I wish they improved upon is, while the Nintendo vouchers are great for first party game, there are no Switch Online exclusive discounts for games that aren’t first party. PS+ and Gamepass offer discounts, albeit they are sometimes very small, but if Nintendo also did small discounts for players that already have the online service, it might be good in the long run. I am not saying it should be a lot, but maybe an additional 5-10% to make it worth while? Not sure if it is possible, but it would be a nice way to draw in more people for digital sales.
Personally, I have the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Family Membership with 1 other person in my family and I think it is worth the price of admission of $80 for the year. Even the few games I play on the service save me a bunch of time and effort hooking up my old systems and getting my old games out for my retro systems. I could always emulate games, but I personally don’t like to do it for games that are still available and pretty easily accessible overall. If you don’t really play online with other people, then you may not need to worry about getting into the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service unless you really want to play older games. If you want to play with friends for games like Smash Bros, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, or any other game that involves multiplayer, than getting the $20 version is cheap enough of a pill to swallow where it wont break your bank; unlike other console holders. If you want the Gameboy Advance, N64, or Genesis games, than the $50 is reasonable of a price for the year when games come out at $60+ nowadays. Even if the new system is around the corner, definitely pick up the online play even if it is at the basic version for a good selection of older games and some online features.
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