Let's be honest, the Nintendo Switch Online is going to be a disappointment. How many people are actually excited about it?
As of when this article was written, we barely knew anything about the game's online system and we're supposed to start paying for it in less than a week from now. Apparently, the only benefits that gamers' get out of this are that they're supposed to get 20 NES games at launch they can stream rather than buy. The thing is, when the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console had hundreds of memorable games across different platforms, that's hardly an all-encompassing offer.
Starting September 19th, gamers will be expected to pay $20 a year for online play.
Granted, that is cheaper than PlayStation Network and Xbox Live at $60 a year, but they have much better offerings, including things like offering free games for subscriptions. Where's the meat for the Nintendo Switch online that we're supposed to be excited for? It also doesn't help that PC has free online play for most of their titles, and infinity better deals at it.
Furthermore, Nintendo has confirmed that there are multiple games, including big first and third-party titles like "Splatoon 2" and "Dark Souls: Remastered" that will not feature cloud saving.
Cloud save backup saves the data so that if for whatever reason the Switch should break, the person can always recover their saved files. Keep in mind that "Dark Souls: Remastered" has cloud saving in its PlayStation 4 and Xbox One counter partner, making it especially disappointing.
Nintendo has a history of being behind online, especially in comparison to Sony's and Microsoft's online. In the past, Nintendo had offered free online games, which was a selling point, even if the online always fell flat in comparison.
It's as if the company must be dragged by a mob into the 21st century.
When they do online features right, they hit it out of the ballpark like with "Mario Kart 8's DLC" and "New Super Luigi Bros." Unfortunately, those occasions are rare and instead, fans will be lamenting the loss of one of the only selling point of its online presence in comparison to its rivals.
Nintendo is probably banking on "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's" inevitable success to carry the online into the future, and with likely years of DLC ahead, it's not hard to see why Nintendo would anticipate such a thing. The thing is, what happens when the casual audience leaves and decides to cancel their subscriptions if they even play online in the first place?
Will the online even be worth the $20 a year?
It bodes poorly for obtaining third-party relationships, which Nintendo desperately needs for the Switch to continue to succeed.
