Nintendo Switch Online Service Detailed

By Sonic_13 13.01.2017 20

Nintendo Switch Online Service Detailed on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

In the fall of 2017 Nintendo is launching a new paid online service for the Nintendo Switch.

Using a dedicated new smart phone app that connects to Switch gamers will be able to voice chat and communicate with friends, schedule play sessions, and invite friends to play with them online. A free, limited version of this app will be available for trial over the summer.

Once a month a classic NES or SNES game will be released for free download with new added online play features.

Subscribers will gain access to a number of benefits including:

  • Online multiplayer gaming
  • Online lobby and voice chat
  • Monthly game downloads
  • Exclusive deals
Subscribers will also get access to exclusive deals including discounts on games, and more.

All Switch owners, regardless of subscription status, will still have access to the Nintendo eShop, parental controls, social networking connectivity, and friend management.

Parents can also set parental controls for the younger gamers out there using a new and easy to use smart phone app. Restrictions can be set in regards to what games can be played, what content can be shared on social networks, eShop limitations, and play time restrictions.

Online services will be free to try until the new service launches in fall 2017.

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Sonic_13 is offline. Sonic_13 13.01.2017#1

I really like the idea of being able to do this stuff through the smart phone app.

 
jb is offline. jb 13.01.2017#2

Sonic_13 said:
I really like the idea of being able to do this stuff through the smart phone app.

Think it's a good idea, but will that mean no console-level friends, notifications, Miiverse etc?

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Sonic_13 is offline. Sonic_13 13.01.2017#3

jb said:

Sonic_13 said:
I really like the idea of being able to do this stuff through the smart phone app.

Think it's a good idea, but will that mean no console-level friends, notifications, Miiverse etc?

Obviously I don't know for sure, but I suspect those will still exist. According to the online services page, non-subscribers will still have access to, among other things, "sharing screen shots to social media" and "register and manage friends". The app is described as being part of the paid service, so those things would have to be done on the system itself.

 
Darkflame is offline. Darkflame 13.01.2017#4

You have to pay monthly just to, say, play Mario Kart with friends then?
urg.
PCs can directly connect without needing a 3rd party server there is ZERO reason why consoles cant too. I hate how console online has developed - both into a paid system AND into one that can be shutdown whenever the publisher wishs.

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Last update; Mice,Plumbers,Animatronics and Airbenders. We also have the socials; Facebook & G+. 
 
devidise is offline. devidise 13.01.2017#5

So paid online sounds terrible, and I'm sure the one free NES or SNES game a month will come under scrutiny (I personally think it's ok, gives you a chance to try out some older stuff you may not normally buy). Beyond those it sounds pretty par for the course.  I'm excited to see early impressions on this, definately on the fence about buying one.

 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 13.01.2017#6

Do you get the NES/SNES game for the entirety of your sub - i.e. does it stay on your account like PS+? From how I read it, you can only play the actual game for that month, not after. That needs clarifying to me.

Beyond a joke if you can only party chat through a phone. I mean, seriously? So if I am wearing my headphones through my TV as I always do, how am I going to hear my party chat on the phone? This is crazy if you cannot do such a simple feature through the system's OS.

I'm not sure I am surprised Nintendo went paid online, but the service needs to be fucking great in order to ask for my money. I already pay for PS+, so this is a big ask for me. I may only pay a month here and there for a certain game instead of subbing for a year. Shame they did go down this route, but please don't make a joke out of basic features like party chat...

 
devidise is offline. devidise 13.01.2017#7

Azuardo said:
Do you get the NES/SNES game for the entirety of your sub - i.e. does it stay on your account like PS+? From how I read it, you can only play the actual game for that month, not after. That needs clarifying to me.

I didn't even think of that. That would be nonsense.  It already annoys me a bit that if your sub runs out on PS+ you lose the games, but not on GWG (I haven't checked that info in a while so correct me if I'm wrong), though I do understand it. But if this limits you to the month it's featured, that's ridiculous.

 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 13.01.2017#8

devidise said:

Azuardo said:
Do you get the NES/SNES game for the entirety of your sub - i.e. does it stay on your account like PS+? From how I read it, you can only play the actual game for that month, not after. That needs clarifying to me.

I didn't even think of that. That would be nonsense.  It already annoys me a bit that if your sub runs out on PS+ you lose the games, but not on GWG (I haven't checked that info in a while so correct me if I'm wrong), though I do understand it. But if this limits you to the month it's featured, that's ridiculous.

Going off a screengrab of info my mate sent me:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2Bs8mMUsAQnHeZ.jpg:large

"Download and play a NES/SNES game for free for a month."

So, you can only download it during that month period, or you can also only play it for free for a month?

I think it would have been made clear if you had the game for the entirety of your sub, or like GWG you keep it forever. It's not clear though.

If they gave you a bunch of VC games each month, the sub would be worth it a lot more. They still handle VC releases so poorly. I mean they've only just been bringing games like Pokemon Snap and MK64 to the VC on Wii U - what is the point for a dead system? The VC games should be a strong and steady stream, and giving out about 3-5 each month as part of the sub would go a long way.

That said, new online multi for these VC games is very welcome.

 
devidise is offline. devidise 13.01.2017#9

The other concern is that, while I could understand the smartapp taking a bit longer, I don't understand how the deals and free monthly downloads aren't happening till Fall.  Must be waiting on feedback.

I'm also reading around and it looks like the online gaming goes to paid AFTER the sub starts this fall, which seems rather off putting. Why give it to people for free for 6 monthes and then make them pay later for the same experience with other things tacked on. I'm excited for this system but a lot of this online stuff seems a bit tacky. Hopefully it's not too much money.

 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 13.01.2017#10

It really needs to be a cheap sub for what this is sounding like.

 
Phoenom is offline. Phoenom 13.01.2017#11

I'd be fine with this if they take the Pokemon Bank approach. Otherwise, nope.

 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 13.01.2017#12

Phoenom said:
I'd be fine with this if they take the Pokemon Bank approach. Otherwise, nope.

Which is? I'm not familiar with Pokemon Bank.

 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 13.01.2017#13

lol and there it is.

https://twitter.com/kobunheat/status/819956802741747712

Confirmed by NOA: Monthly free classic game on Switch is indeed only available for that month. More deets on Virtual Console before launch.

Sheesh, even my explanation was unclear. Sorry. After a month, you can no longer PLAY the monthly Switch online classic unless you buy it.

 
devidise is offline. devidise 13.01.2017#14

Well that's weird. It's like a really exhaustive time trial.

 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 13.01.2017#15

This whole service sounds worse than I could have imagined it being. The price will be killer.

Ah well, I'm only basically getting it for Zelda, but still, this is so poor from Nintendo.

Was talking to a mate earlier, and what they really should be offering is a Netflix style sub service for Virtual Console games. Pay a sub and let us pick from playing all VC games for an unlimited time until the sub ends. I honestly think this would sell well and would greatly appeal to the more casual customers of the system, or the older ones that have gone away from Nintendo. Still of course have the option to buy the games permanently, but offer a sub service too.

We can't be going through another slow trickling of 10 games a year (exaggeration) on this thing. The way VC has been handled across the last three systems has been poor, and we can't have a repeat of that.

 
Phoenom is offline. Phoenom 13.01.2017#16

Azuardo said:

Phoenom said:
I'd be fine with this if they take the Pokemon Bank approach. Otherwise, nope.

Which is? I'm not familiar with Pokemon Bank.

A fiver paid once a year. Something in that price range and only once every 365 days I'd be completely fine with. Anything higher and Nintendo had best give some real incentive.

 
Supa_hyped is offline. Supa_hyped 14.01.2017#17

being realistic... no matter what their offering in addition to what they have annonouced it wont cost less than £9.99/month. they are selling snes games for around £6 now on wiiu. add in online multiplayer and they will see that alone as worth £9.99.

im not impressed with this app thing for voice chat, makes no sense. i dnt want my phn active just for voice chat. what if it rings? it would make sense if the app was somehow routed through blutooth and it overlayed the switch UI. that way the app could display txt msgs, call answer and social media functions on the switch display

 
Ofisil is offline. Ofisil 14.01.2017#18

Oh, Nintendo... you almost made me buy a console this year... but paid online? Goodbye my dear Japanese friend..........................

...then again... Zelda
FUCK!!!

( Edited 14.01.2017 10:18 by Ofisil )

Can't a fella drink in peace?
                                -Farnham
 
Azuardo is offline. Azuardo 14.01.2017#19

As long as they still bring the good stuff like Zelda, Mario and a Metroid (lol), I will be okay and survive without online. I'm looking at my Wii U collection and thinking what I even played online. It was literally only Mario Kart. So I'd probably be content to just pay for a month's sub if I ever bought into an online game like MK, instead of going full online like I do on PS4.

The sad thing is that because I already smashed everything there is to do in MK8 on Wii U, I have no reason to pick it up on Switch, so that leaves me with no interesting online games on the system in the foreseeable future.

As has been the case for so many years, I only buy Nintendo systems for the core franchises like Zelda and Metroid, so nothing is really changing for me, in most respects. If they started to bring some appealing online multi games to it, I may reconsider the online approach, but there is nothing on the horizon worth paying for a sub right now.

Perhaps one or two things announced at E3...

 
Trepe is offline. Trepe 14.01.2017#20

I'm so disappointed that they're charging to go online. I don't play online much; the only game I liked playing online on WiiU was Splatoon, other than that I generally hate the online components of games and wish they'd put the energy into the offline modes. I also have slow internet. It's what put me off buying a PS4.

 

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