Switch Online 6 Years Later: Finally Worth It?

[@IceBlueLugia]

I think Nintendo should’ve really promoted the online play aspect a lot more. That’s honestly a huge addition to these retro games. Playing Mario Party 1-3 online without needing to set up netplay on an emulator is pretty big, for example. Yet it barely seems to be mentioned in the marketing

[@rorz999]

Yeah it's really strange. I had a blast playing Donkey Kong Country co-op online with a friend during covid

[@lemonscentedgames3641]

Unfortunately for nintendo setting up an emulator is incredibly easy and then you have access to the entire n64/gamecube/wii library for free with netplay that doesnt drop constantly

[@AxionSurge]

Wait, you can play them online together? I didn't even realise this lol!

[@Equalizer2922]

What sucks is that Nintendo somewhat cares for the connection issues. And they avoid this pretty good by giving us rewards and dlc, kind of like a coverup for there bad connection issues.

[@yellowblanka6058]

Probably because based on my limited experience with the NES online with somebody in the same state and region of the state, like most of their online play, it's very hit-or-miss.

[@Xirbtt]

I hate it when people say certain features or items from a paid subscription is “free”. Nothing is free. You paid for it.

[@niko.p_original]

Yea they already get money from games that cost 60€ or more

[@CoryJJ]

Xbox users do this all the time, "It's free with gamepass!" no its not you bought gamepass

[@chundouble9]

@@CoryJJ you are right but to be fair, gamepass is worth its price, I now spend way less money buying games and more time playing games on gamepass. Paid online service on the otherhand, sucks ass big time.

[@jed4276]

Exactly, it's like when a KZbinr tells you to subscribe because it's free but it's not because to make an account it COST TIME

[@tigerplayz_vr6229]

@@jed4276 💀

[@Cachimz]

Bro, let's all together MAKE INTERNET FREE AGAIN🙌🏼🤝👏🏼

[@David-ki2xt]

​@@LeonSKennedy7777Dunno, maybe they could ask Valve

[@venrossx]

@@LeonSKennedy7777games? In app purchases, merch, movies, toys… ???

[@gorillaballsack3849]

@@LeonSKennedy7777 implying nintendo has servers

[@losisansgaming2628]

Never going to happen.

[@theakiwar9118]

@@LeonSKennedy7777what servers? It’s peer2peer. You are paying Nintendo for your own internet

[@Smexbi]

The Problem is that they add nice stuff, but never Basic stuff, like messaging friends or voice Chat. Even inviting friends is so Limited, not even first party games use that feature 90% of the time. I mean, I don't mind the quirky things they try to add, but they should focus on adding the most basic things. Also, bring Back Miiverse.

[@SuperFlashDriver]

The issue I think has to deal with the parents, as for them, unlike the xbox, playstation, and pc systems, Nintendo allows a service where children who play online wouldn't be talking to people who are 10/20/30+ years older than the children under 12 or even teenagers under 18, and thus exposing them to racial slurs, profanity, and controversial subject matters that the parents wouldn't like. So Nintendo pretty much abandoned it to appease the parents that want the children to play video games but in a family-friendly safe for work matter that doesn't involve children under 12 to be speaking slang or profanity terms that would cause flamewars and drama in Nintendo's side of gaming (even thought that's not the case these days, but the parents and Nintendo decide to skip all of that voice chat altogether because of it). And not to mention Nintendo has a blacklist of certain words and phrases, even in talking, that would get you banned. Which, if they did allow voice chat, and let children swear and spew slang and slurs simply because of being competitive and wanting to win first place, but instead go into a fist of rage, I can see many of the children crying over getting banned from online servers. As for me, I don't really care about that stuff because for me, while online gaming does help for people outside of your area, they're not really the ones who live say next door to you to play the video games in person and have a fun time in person (like it used to two decades back). And second, you don't know the person very well and its easy to be pretty anonymous online, especially for children at a young age who wouldn't take or understand sarcasm very well. Suffice to say, Nintendo, while the company will put in a ton of money into the online servers, I doubt they may bring features that have been present on other platforms for decades at this point (20 years almost since the Xbox 360 refined them to where it is today). But again, this is why I go for PC because, thanks to tutorials I can find online, and doing some research on netplay and such, it's pretty easy to set it up if you know what you're doing and also like to experiment and tinker with the settings and such. But unless if you are a person who likes to tinker or play around with the settings, or unless you know a lot of how to set things up and such, most people just prefer convenience with the console, but are limited to what they can access. Also, for digital games and virtual console, unlike in the past with virtual console games where you can buy them right off the store and keep them forever, you're pretty much renting them for a fee akin to renting them at a blockbuster but through a digital service. It's this reason why I went to PC because it can do more than gaming, but also video editing, music production, typing documents, photo editing, software and video game programming, install any computer operating system and distro you like to try out, and even be able to play retro games on the PC so long as your specs are good enough to play them on the service. For me nowadays, it's not worth buying consoles anymore as the PC is good to go for me, especially with steam and emulators of 7th gen consoles and before.

[@lasercraft32]

Charging extra for basic online play is scummy. Game companies should be ashamed of themselves for locking what used to be free features behind a paywall.

[@HYDRA64605]

Bro these classic games were never free to begin with

[@BalboaBaggins]

It's basically the fault of people buying DLC for years. They've enabled them.

[@BalboaBaggins]

@@HYDRA64605Sure they are. Ever heard of emulation?

[@HYDRA64605]

@BalboaBaggins yeah I have and it's a waste of time

[@joshuamaenner2471]

This is why over the years lost the urge for online unless its apex which is free online or I just play my switch single player and if I need my retro bug tickled I have a modded wii. Why pay a switch service when my modded wii smacks on all literally 8 consoles in one sure 6 are emulators with in the wii but I careless. It all function at the end of the day and doesn't require a monthly fee to play my titles.

[@jinjowatts]

The "nope" at the start is all you need to know.

[@jaxsterminator8634]

But it's not true. NSO is MORE than worth it.

[@rl3d2008]

​@@jaxsterminator8634back for another round of defending Nintendo, are ya?

[@grandmasteryoda6717]

I don't know how the Pokémon games still aren't available in the Gameboy and GBA emulators. They were like, the system sellers for those consoles. Being able to transfer pokémon caught there to Pokémon Home would also be huge for most pokémon fans and make it the superior way to play those games, instead of using a third party PC emulator.

[@JD-xz1mx]

If they do that, they cannibalize the market for remakes of those games in the future.

[@brunomantovaneli6076]

​@JD-xz1mx and also kill any interest for the terrible and lazy newer Pokémon titles

[@facespkz_osu]

Don't ask questions. Just consume product, and then get excited for next product.

[@njnjco]

As a PC gamer who can play games online for free, paying a subscription for online play feels like robbery, but if you want to play smash with your buddies, what can you do?? The *free retro games might seem like a nice bonus, but it's not worth dropping the virtual console, especially if you already own a lot of the games worth playing and/or are comfortable with emulation.

[@skycloud4802]

Not only free multiplayer. Steam also offers free cloud storage synchronisation for saves, free voice text/chat, allows custom profiles and icons, free custom clan groups, free Steam Link remote play + remote multiplayer. As Steam a launcher, I can also sideload any game to it from other stores. PC has it lucky.

[@paulakroy2635]

Not gonna cap comparing emulation to regular realese is such a weird thing.

[@oo--7714]

​@@skycloud4802xbox has free cloud saves and custom profiles. I don't know what custom clan groups are.

[@SuperFlashDriver]

Personally, after the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, I pretty much jumpsed ship from consoles to PC in 2010, long after I started to see games just not catching my attention as they used to. Nowadays, I see myself as a PC gamer, and only buy consoles more for collecting purposes/furniture decorations, not really to use them to play games and such.

[@gamer3ed484]

I think one of the biggest missed opportunities is not having other SEGA consoles. Genesis games are rereleased so frequently, that most of the ones included with Switch Online are available elsewhere. Dreamcast and Saturn games almost NEVER get reissued in the same way. Dreamcast especially has lots of really amazing games that could benefit from being on an online service. Leaderboards for games like Crazy Taxi, online support for Phantasy Star etc. It’s a really big missed opportunity, and given the lack of those more modern SEGA platforms anywhere besides Steam, it would give Nintendo something truly unique. Otherwise, my only other big gripes are the lack of basic features. Why can’t I message my friends or have parties like I can on other platforms? Why can’t I gift my friends eshop games like I could on the Wii? Why is online still pretty hit or miss? The extras are nice, but I feel they come across a little hollow without the basic framework being solid. If Nintendo actually fixed that and had party chat capabilities and online function that rivals the other platforms, I dare say that they would be the best since the extras they give you are genuinely solid.

[@frizzyrascal1493]

Crazy Taxi is one of my favorite games, I still play it on my phone from time to time.

[@gross_grl]

it really is SO strange that the switch doesn't have themes, to me the expansion plan would be worth it if they just add themes bc I almost spent real money on buying a 3d printed jailbreaking thingy, especially w smartphones becoming even more customizable it feels like several steps back to just have light + dark. no chat features is also insane, I have so many memories of playing around in pictochat w my friends, it seems like maybe they realized w miiverse they needed more/better mods and they didn't feel like paying for it so they just got rid of chat altogether

[@xxargonautxx9790]

I agree, plus how we can use the coins to make profile pics, add themes and maybe make them a few hundred to get. Would give me something to spend with my coins since i have a decent amount for the profile pics.

[@damlatorun6756]

The fact they make online play a paid service pisses me off so much

[@aldo6532]

I'm so sad about Miiverse being discontinued because "Nintendo is for kids and some of the content uploaded there was not cool". If they had built on it, tried to work on some AI to get rid of sexual content and kept that arty way of communicating, it would've been one of my favourite social media sites ever. Now they've replaced that with Twitter and Facebook.. are kids any less subject to that stuff on those????

[@QnjtGWonQNqVsbYyzjx4]

I think they can blend Miiverse with a virtual world with the next system, kinda like the meta verse.(I think meta claiming it have other use than social media is dumb, they are not good at productive work programs)

[@QnjtGWonQNqVsbYyzjx4]

If they have the team to shut down fan games and rom hacks, they can make that team to shut down these message too because they are kinda related.

[@m8rs558]

The illegal stuff that was going on was a terrible look for a company like Nintendo at the time. Think about how hard they try to maintain their family friendly image. No matter how many resources they could've had for moderation, after a certain point, it just became a liability

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

Nintendo is for everyone as the Switch has proven, i didn’t have a Wii U i have no nostalgia towards MiiVerse.

[@aortaplatinum]

Iwata's Nintendo was the company that shut down Miiverse. That Nintendo died with him. Notice how immediately after his death, Nintendo stopped giving a shit about anything but cash, and began screwing over consumers and taking the lazy way out.

[@Mimiyan_or_Pikapikafan]

If they added the first 3 gens of Pokemon to the online service, even if they made them exclusive to the Expansion Tier, I'd say it'd be worth it

[@OwenDW]

Why they haven’t done this yet is one of those strange things only a company like Nintendo would do.

[@Mimiyan_or_Pikapikafan]

@@OwenDW I mean it's not completely Nintendo's fault, as TPCi from what I understand is Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creature Inc's combined company, and that'd take a lot of work. Also they could easily charge $10 on the switch EShop, even more for just 1 gen 1 game and people would buy it. Especially since the 3Ds EShop shut down

[@skycloud4802]

Gamefreak will probably remake red and blue (again) someday.

[@Mimiyan_or_Pikapikafan]

@@skycloud4802 someday, but definitely not on the same system as Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. And even then a Remake doesn't replace the original version, some people would definitely prefer the original RBY over Firered Leaf Green. And I can agree on that for 1 intentional reason: Pokemon Stadium, and 1 unintentional reason: Glitches in RBY are awesome

[@lpfan4491]

@@Mimiyan_or_Pikapikafan If the original Yushi's island and Yoshi's island GBA can coexist, then so can GB Pokemon and FRLG. But yeah, the reason why is probably just that Pokemon is in an internal deathgrip. Like, it is the only IP that consistently bans savestates and cloud backups just so Players have no power to clone stuff without glitches. They are probably quadruple-checking that these games are locked down with special cases before they can launch.

[@jimmyjohnsubs]

They should add a switch essentials library, games like BOTW, splatoon 2, and Mario Odyssey.

[@RetroCheats]

they have no reason to, unless if people stop buying full priced games.

[@DanielZeal]

​@@RetroCheats Absolutely correct. It's insane how people will clown on Nintendo all day because they don't put their games on sale 2 months after launch like every other publisher. Funny thing is, I've never seen anyone clowning their software sales figures...

[@RetroCheats]

@@DanielZeal Sony fans keep saying, Sony games aren't worth $60, yet Nintendo games are.

[@ryanr27]

99% of players moved on to Splatoon 3, you’re likely not going to find a match in Splatoon 2

[@losisansgaming2628]

That's not how you run a business. Think about it. If they have all those games available at all times then nso would need to be 300$ a month to even make money. People would stop buying the games or stop paying the subscription

[@lotsobear123]

They need to add their own version of achievements-trophies, maybe call them stamps or something? Would be a great reason to replay some games like Mario odyssey etc

[@prime7213]

I do really enjoy switch online but that has a big asterisk next to it. When the expansion pack launched it did not have nearly enough content to justify its price. It wasn’t until the N64 games had doubled and the GBA was added that it started to feel like it had a decent amount of value. Thankfully by that time I was able to split the cost of the service with 5 other friends which made the cost significantly better. That’s the only way I think I could justify paying for it.

[@Tudsworth]

The Mega Drive app is actually one of my most used classic game apps on the Switch because the selection of titles is just That Good. Things like MUSHA and Mega Man : The Wily Wars are otherwise only available on the SEGA Mega Drive Mini console, and the convenience of having a majority of the system's best titles in one place cannot be overstated as a big fan of SEGA.

[@Fionnlaagh]

I'm really annoyed that they removed the sonic games from it so that you have to buy origins to play those games

[@honkhonkler7732]

The Mega Drive/Genesis is so easy to emulate that it doesn't make much sense to deal with a locked down app when a zip file with a ROM copy of every title ever released only takes a small amount of storage.

[@Tudsworth]

@@honkhonkler7732 I mean, sure, I have the means to play every Mega Drive game I'd ever want to on my PC or on a dedicated thing like my Retroid Pocket, but I can still appreciate the option being there for people who don't know that or just don't want to do that.

[@platinum-or3y]

@@honkhonkler7732people enjoy playing games officially

[@plows2940]

I wish they would just make the subscription no longer required for online play and gave you the option to buy games outright like on PSPlus and Xbox Game Pass - give the option to pay once to be able to have access to Super Mario Bros without a subscription. As it is currently NSO is everything I hate about the Switch and subscriptions in general.

[@MichaelPineda-fx3kj]

but sony psplus is not good either, sony is not even a good company. I have the PS4 and I used the psplus, and you need to pay to play online even if you own the game. sony can also ban your account and you cant even access your games offline, they take everything you have ever payed for. I dont like sony at all now, my account was temporarily suspened for 10 days, and I couldnt even access my offline games. Now Im gonna just move on to nintendo, Im never buying another playstation in the future ever again. I now pirate and steal all games on my PC, I dont even need to buy games on playstation because they come out for pc and on PC you can then pirate them. just fight the system, Laws and regulations and policies are a bunch of nonsense and they are Legal theives and legal thugs anyways

[@grape_soduh]

I feel like the subscription would be 5 times better if they just added actual chat features with vc that’s not app locked, playing and making friends on switch is almost impossible naturally. I have so many friends on my switch I never play or talk to cause it’s so difficult to get them in a game again

[@jesusarmandocontreras2742]

What this guy fails to point out is that while Microsoft started the trend, at the time it was way better than the Wii's anemic online capabilities.

[@jeremygarcia4268]

Still is better,and what they had then is better than what Nintendo offers now.

[@IceBlueLugia]

Sure, but we all eventually found out they weren’t using servers and were essentially taking money for doing literally nothing. They had a better online service than the PS3 did, sure, but it wasn’t $60/year better. To this day, we’re paying Microsoft and Sony $60 a year for the same level of online play quality as we have on Steam, which is free

[@lemau8458]

And your point is? Sony's was just as good on the PS3. Considering that Nintendo and Sony were extremely similar in terms of real value (not stocks or net worth) in 2006, proves that the paywall doesn't mean shit. They all just want more money.

[@lpfan4491]

Is it worth it from a conceptual standpoint? Yes. Is it great? No. The biggest draw is that it made certain experiences officially available worldwide, meaning you can finally play stuff like the japanese version of Metroid Fusion or exclusives without import-shenanagans or piracy. The emulation for Gameboy and Gameboy Advance is pretty good and they offer other perks as a bonus. However, this is just looking at it isolated. if I had the choice between just reverting to how it was on the Wiiu or keeping it this way, I would honestly take virtual console and free online. It is not like they particularly do anything special from a pure game-perspective here(Like patching in translations for the games) to warrant this even being a service charging us 40 bucks a year for temporary access, they simply should have started giving us multilingual options in the eShop like I have seen them do with Pokemon Gen 1 on 3DS. I would be singing a diffrent tune if the previously mentioned bonus-perks weren't the *only* thing needing the service to function. If your main offering has no business being an offering, you built the menu wrong.

[@MochiiMochaPop]

Considering you don’t really pay to play online when using a pc, I think the fact that companies like Sony, Nintendo and such is just downright stingy.

[@Revster]

It’s important to remember Game Pass lets you play a ton of modern and last gen games NSO doesn’t even include the most popular games on its older consoles

[@pasalasaga]

This is what we need on each retro console: *Nintendo Entertainment System (64):* Games we need on NES online: Adventure Island II Adventure Island III Batman: The Video Game Battletoads Battletoads & Double Dragon Bionic Commando Blades of Steel Bubble Bobble Castlevania Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers Contra Super C / Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces Duck Hunt DuckTales Dragon Warrior IV / Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Faxanadu Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness Mighty Final Fight Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom Life Force Little Nemo: The Dream Master Pac-Man Tecmo Super Bowl Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II Total: 90 *Super Nintendo Entertainment System (56):* Games we need on SNES online: Mario is Missing! Mario Paint Yoshi's Cookie Yoshi's Safari Super Castlevania IV ActRaiser Batman Returns Chrono Trigger Contra III: The Alien Wars Harvest Moon Illusion of Gaia Killer Instinct Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals NBA Jam Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen Rock n' Roll Racing Secret of Evermore Shadowrun SimCity Soul Blazer Sunset Riders Super Bomberman Terranigma Tetris Attack The Adventures of Batman & Robin The Legend of the Mystical Ninja The Lost Vikings U.N. Squadron Zombies Ate My Neighbors Total: 86 *Game Boy / Game Boy Color (15):* Games we need on Game Boy / Game Boy Color online: Super Mario Land Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Mario’s Picross Donkey Kong (GB) Donkey Kong Land Donkey Kong Land 2 Donkey Kong Land III Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 Wario Land II Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! Kirby's Pinball Land Pokémon Red & Blue Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition Kid Icarus: Of Myths & Monsters Game & Watch Gallery Game & Watch Gallery 2 Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge Mega Man II (GB) Mega Man III (GB) Mega Man IV (GB) Mega Man V (GB) Mega Man Xtreme Mega Man Xtreme 2 Castlevania The Adventure Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge Balloon Kid Catrap DuckTales 2 Harvest Moon GB James Bond 007 Kid Dracula Kwirk Mole Mania Motocross Maniacs Operator C Parodius Pinball: Revenge of the 'Gator R-Type Solar Striker Super R.C. Pro-Am Tetris 2 / Tetris Flash Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break Qix Quarth Total: 59 *Nintendo 64 (22):* Games we need on Nintendo 64 online: Super Smash Bros. Donkey Kong 64 Diddy Kong Racing Mega Man 64 Castlevania 64 Banjo-Tooie Bomberman 64 + Bomberman 64: The Second Attack! Blast Corps Conker's Bad Fur Day ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut Harvest Moon 64 (not only Jp exclusive) Jet Force Gemini Perfect Dark Rayman 2: The Great Escape StarCraft 64 Total: 42 *Game Boy Advance (14):* Games we need on Game Boy Advance online: Mario vs. Donkey Kong Mario Party Advance Mario Tennis: Power Tour Mario Golf: Advance Tour Dr. Mario & Puzzle League Mario Pinball Land Donkey Kong: King of Swing Yoshi Topsy-Turvy Wario Land 4 WarioWare Twisted! The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords Metroid: Zero Mission Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire Pokémon Emerald Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire F-Zero: GP Legend F-Zero Climax Mother 3 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones Sonic Advance Sonic Advance 2 Sonic Advance 3 Game & Watch Gallery Advance Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Astro Boy: The Omega Factor Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure / Crash Bandicoot XS Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced Crash Bandicoot: Fusion / Crash Bandicoot - Purple: Ripto's Rampage Drill Dozer Golden Sun: The Lost Age Gunstar Super Heroes Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town Rayman: Advance DX (in reality is a port from PS1) Shin-chan: Contra los Muñecos de Shock Gahn Spyro: Season of Ice Spyro 2: Season of Flame Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs Spyro: Fusion / Spyro - Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy *Sega Genesis / Mega Drive (40):* Games we need on Sega Genesis online: Sonic The Hedgehog Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Sonic & Knuckles Sonic The Hedgehog CD Knuckles Chaotix Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle Beyond Oasis Combat Cars Dune: The Battle For Arrakis Earthworm Jim 2 Flashback: The Quest For Identity James Pond II: Codename: Robocod King Of Monsters II Landstalker Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament Monster World IV NBA Jam T.E NHL ’94 Quackshot starring Donald Duck Rocket Knight Adventures Samurai Shodown Taz In Escape From Mars ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron VectorMan WWF Raw

[@rdclips3647]

Imagine we got Rayman 2

[@Cyko..]

Nintendo is going to give us what they give us. They're not going to read your comment. If something gets added that's on your list then it is just a coincidence since you listed the more popular and fan favorite titles. It's just common sense they would add it eventually, not because of you.

[@pasalasaga]

@@Cyko.. It's a list of games. That if, for some extreme weird reason happens. I would not need to buy Games for the GBA.

[@Cyko..]

@@pasalasaga GBA has a great library of games. I am surprised you didn't put Gunstar Super Heroes. It's one of the best titles. Also Alien Hominid is a near perfect port of the GC version. Golden Sun and F-Zero is already on their page as coming soon for GBA.

[@airbusa380airplane]

there is already sonic 2

[@currentdeadbydaylightplayer]

I think online access should just be free man

[@HYDRA64605]

Nintendo lost so much money when it wad free

[@lemau8458]

@@HYDRA64605 Proof?

[@HYDRA64605]

@@lemau8458 how the fuck can I show you proof in a comment section?

[@losdenox]

​@@HYDRA64605 ohh ofc Nintendo is such a tiny company that need our money for online that they're not even going to invest back into their servers since the service that we're paying is only for match making and syncing player to a host player aka mother qwaking P2P. Thank Nintendo

[@KNG_Justin]

@@lemau8458they didn’t actually lose money, but they would lose money due to most of the games being 3rd party and Nintendo wouldn’t get much of a profit except from the console and some selection of Nintendo games

[@mouldycheesebutlikeinabadw3011]

Ultimately, corporations will do what they think will get them the most profit. This is why the planet is being killed, and incidentally is also why switch online exists and sucks. We need systemic reform that places people over profit if we want a non-hellscape planet and a user-friendly Nintendo experience.

[@paulakroy2635]

This argument works for things like climate change but I’m sick of pretending like entertainment is something that isn’t superfluous

[@Talon97]

Honestly the fact that you have to pay for it to access online multiplayer in general in 2023 is embarrassing. Coupled with the ass infrastructure of Switch it's a solid NO. Saw the bullshit with payed multiplayer back in 2013 with the PS4 and XB1 and switched to PC and haven't looked back since.

[@SamLu98]

They need a Better online interface like party chats , game invites , messages , being able to add players you just played with then it will be worth it they need a community like Xbox and ps does

[@Taylorperchasemccarthy]

Honestly, since last summer, the biggest seller for me has been the profile icons. Due to their hesitance to add icons for anything more niche than Star Fox, or not seen as first party Nintendo, I never had a profile picture I really resonated with on the console, and used stuff like an Inkling, Samus, and Mechanica as my icons. With NSO finally adding Xenoblade icons, I finally have something to make my profile feel like my profile. I use a Xenoblade pfp on all four of my accounts now, and it’s great. Fire Emblem and Pokemon getting batches is nice too, though I missed one of my favorite FE characters because I slacked for a week. The pfps, ability to play Smash however scuffed it may be, and Mario Kart DLC alone I feel make it worth for me.

[@Fonz128]

My NS pfp is Pikachu. My friends list are a bunch of Links and Mario’s. NSO is only good for online Smash Bros and the 99 games. I have a modded SNES classic so the games on the NSO service is ignored.

[@splashmanej3]

me and my friends use our mains in mario wonder for our icon pfps

[@DonovanDud]

I find it HILARIOUS that originally there were going to offer a SINGLE NES game for a month and it being delayed a whole year. Great video! I also made a retrospective of Switch Online a few weeks back, if you checked that out I’d appreciate it.

[@tylerrhodes1935]

Go full time where ever you work buddy

[@tumultuousv]

​@@tylerrhodes1935bruv

[@TCakes]

I feel like to charge for online service you have to actually provide a service. There’s not even something as simple as a messaging system. It’s embarrassing lol

[@timothylewis2527]

Accidentally forgot to cancel after the second year. Cancelled after that auto renewal and never looked back. Good to see this is still not worth it.

[@LIES1988GNR]

I think you forgot to mention the 7-day game trials. I wish Nintendo just gave them for free or at least, 7 day game trial way more often. The last game was cult of the Lamb and I quite enjoyed it.

[@jayjayhooksch1]

Damn, I missed cult of the lamb? I would have loved to try that; it looks cool but lots of negative reviews so I don't really want to pull the trigger on buying it without trying it.

[@peashooterplayz3136]

I just stopped paying for it and modded my Wii to play all of the retro games from the subscription on emulators

[@fandragon3]

i feel like something that could make switch online actually worth it is if they added a collection of switch games as a feature like xbox game pass or the ps plus game catalouge

[@aortaplatinum]

There ARE occasionally *trials* of games, the most recent was one of those fucking farming games. But these are random and sporadic, sometimes it's Splatoon 2, sometimes it's... not. But yeah absolutely put at least games like Arms and 1 2 Switch on there permanently, the weird stuff that didn't sell well

[@paulakroy2635]

Xbox game pass is unironically killing Xbox though

[@Tokmurok]

@@paulakroy2635 I think it was a terrible idea

[@bam4417_]

i didnt even know pacman 99 was shut down while it had less of a play incentive as compared to tetris 99 or mario 35 its still somewhat disappointing to see the game didnt perform well enough for nintendo to want to keep supporting it

[@tomer4566]

Who is going to play the next 99 game, knowing that it's going to be taken away in a couple of months, even if they are still paying the subscription

[@eramos8916]

​@@tomer4566f-zero 99 is the most successful and its here to stay.

[@OrbitalFrog_]

Man, what about a punch out 99? How cool would that be

[@mellomoose_]

hear me out, duck hunt 99

[@Gashie_VII]

I subscribe to NSO primarily for the peace of mind of having cloud saves for my games, but paying a little extra for all the NSO consoles and ever growing titles is a nice touch, as it lets me revisit part of my childhood when they release titles I used to play. It was such a joy when they released Crusader of Centy on NSO!

[@mitchelldorcas9687]

The fact that every first party game still isn't available on what's essentially an emulator is insane. They could make it a fantastic deal, but they're choosing not to

[@lckfan3696]

May be a hot take, but i dont think adding any amount of old games will justify the poor online play many games have.

[@JerichoTheCity]

I think the gaming industry is better when nintendo has a sizable user base. But I just have a gut feeling that the drop off from the switch to whatever is next is going to be absolutely massive. Their online is just one indicator on how they're still stuck in the past.

[@Placeholder501]

I think Sonic 1, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles might not be available due to music licensing. Surprised you didn’t mention Game Trials much. I got a surprising amount of value out of it. I’ve played Slay the Spire and Cult of the Lamb recently because of it. Now I like them and will buy them eventually on the right platform. I also like rougelikes now and am more interested in Splatoon 3: Side Order being a rougelike as well as other roguelikes. I probably would have never played them without Game Trials.

[@Gestersmek]

Why would Sonic 1 be stuck in licensing limbo when Sonic 2 is on the service?

[@VagrantValmar]

I played through the whole Daemon X Machina and Cadence of Hyrule thanks to game trials so I saved money by not buying those games

[@Punkqurupeco]

Oh true I forgot about that My brother and I had a blast one weekend playing Poken Tournament "for free" it was amazing, we don't plan to buy Poken cuz there's just too many games to buy but that weekend was great I also Speedran Monster Hunter Rise on a game's trial and when Sunbreak was announced I finally decided to buy the game

[@Placeholder501]

Oh yeah your right. Guess I just things mixed up wrong in my head. They have the same composer and surely the same music legal rights.@@Gestersmek

[@life09m]

@@Gestersmekbro it’s sonic 1 , you can play this game on anything but the switch , you’ll be fine

[@RyneMcKinney]

I actually bought expansion pass recently just for the entire Mario Party trilogy alone

[@randychristensen1028]

Totally worth it

[@HYDRA64605]

It's worth it ngl

[@Name-lj9ku]

npc

[@HYDRA64605]

@@Name-lj9ku look who's fucking talking

[@beybrain7896]

@@HYDRA64605 @Name-Ij9ku "npc" *Has a default profile picture*

[@Savescreen]

I swear if anyone here is interested in just playing the retro games, get an emulator console. Better peformance, cheaper and you are not locked to whatever the heck Nintendo decides to put up. Your so called setup is also easy peasy as most of these come with everything preinstalled. So all you have to know is know how to drag a file on your pc.

[@RandomizationShow]

It's insane that the switch is at the end of its life and Nintendo's still refuses to sell or make the GB/GBA pokemon games available. They have been developing Home/Battle Tower online connectivity for R/S/E since 2018 (confirmed in leak of the Sloop/experimental gba emulator way back when), where the heck is it lol? Bruce, it's been 5 years! If they're ever added to NSO, i'll consider it worth it for pokemon home connectivity and online battles. Until then, emulations still free. The NSO library should be double or triple the size to be considered worth it.

[@joelou]

good video! i think you dismissed the ever growing handheld emulator scene a bit too easily. you mentioned how emulaton on pc does not having the convince of the switch, but most of the new powkitty, abernic and retroid products are more portable than the switch and some are even pre-loaded with the roms. its hard to defend the tiny switch onlinecollection againt the massive catalogs packed in dozens of emulator options out there for so cheap.

[@DaysOfOId]

Considering the Game Boy and GBA emulators have been available for so long and we still haven't seen original classics such as the first Super Mario Land, it's really quite unfortunate. Nintendo recently added two Golden Sun games to NSO, so I do have hope that they will add many other classics still missing from the online service. Personally, I didn't purchase the expansion pack until there was more of a reason to do so. Having access to Online Play, NES, SNES, N64, GB, GBA, and Sega Genesis emulators, Animal Crossing DLC, Splatoon 2 DLC, Mario Kart DLC, and more with the "premium" tier is honestly not horrible. However, Nintendo really should give us more exclusive features and dlc to make the price a little more worth it. In regards to Gamecube and Wii coming to NSO, I think we'll DEFINITELY have to wait for Switch 2. Speaking of which, Nintendo should automatically launch the console with all of the retro games already available on Switch 1. It may sound far-fetched simply because they didn't do this when launching the Switch, however, I would argue that's because the Virtual Console feature on Wii U and 3ds was completely different from the NSO feature on Switch. Nintendo started with a clean slate and I think it's only fair for us consumers to expect them to keep going from here:)

[@jamezday]

Finally a long form KZbin video that has the answer in 5 seconds, now I can go back to shorts and forget what I'm doing

[@Thundervolt888]

I wish they’d make the online better and even then I’d pay more for more features, better online etc.

[@protoretro1290]

The thing I think most people really don't understand with NSO is that it is paid. Sure Nintendo Network was in many respects terrible when compared to XBL or PSN. But it achieved what it set out to do, and it was free. A lot of the things that NN didn't have that XBL and PSN did, could be excused by the fact that NN is Free. The Fact that NSO is paid, and yet isn't in a much better spot than NN is, is really jarring.

[@yeetkunedo]

I’d still rather have free online with user names and individual virtual console purchases than NSO. I’ve been paying for it for years and I’ve yet to feel like I’ve gotten significant value out of it.

[@Malxer]

We'd get the best of both worlds if they keep adding older console games yet to be added like Wii or DS AND they had the guts to release them available for purchase. I'd happily buy a physical Switch cartridge that has all the SNES games for instance. Imagine if they did that with every console. Easy money, and everyone happy.

[@EyeofKoruption]

It kinda sucked having to pay for internet after being free for so long. People spent like $100 on Splatoon 2

[@ale7xtreme1001]

I also was let down by the price increase for the Expansion Pass tier. However, I got around it with a Family Membership along with some friends, which all slots are full. That means I only spend $10.00 a year.

[@att2075]

This is a great idea

[@travelguy8431]

I saw it coming that it was going to become a paid for service, because when they announced the service, they said it would be free for a while and then, paid for. So yeah. That was the deal.

[@debonaire_nerd]

All I ask is one thing: give us the option to make individual purchases. I totally understand why some Nintendo users may be sick to death of paying for the same retro titles again for the umpteenth time, but at least allow an option for those who would prefer a one-off transaction for games that they actually want.

[@ployth9000]

only paying for the cloud saves if it was not for that I would not be paying for any of nintendo online

[@BansheeNT-D]

Yeah Nintendo is still stuck in the early 2000 with there online service.

[@yoshineitor]

I mean emulation is pretty easy for the games offered on the expansion pack. And Nintendo themselves are emulating those games on the switch. Anything from the gamecube/wii and below takes like 2 mins to setup, even less for the handheld games. And from the N64 and below even 2002 PCs can run games smoothly with 1gb of RAM and a 2GHz CPU. As you said the games are a nice bonus but getting the pass for them is up to argument.

[@lqtch]

I’m just hoping we get a Nintendoland 2 😭

[@Monkchelle_Kongbama]

it's absolutely wild that the xbox 360's features, latency, and functionality was superior to a service that was released a decade later...

[@wc1937]

This outrageous price for such a limited choice of games was the final straw for me. 100% anti-consumerist. I very quickly went back to emulation since smartphones can run all of these games without a problem nowadays. You can back up your saves and move files quickly through the cloud between devices now. And history + research has proven, objectively, that the Internet has done a better job at video game preservation than the damned capitalists who are willing to trash anything that won't make them a fast buck so that they can push some new game with some half-assed DLC more expensive than the base game. There's literally no reason for Nint*ndo to not have some exclusive PC/smartphone-based marketplace with most of their titles for sale. It's like they're being run by fools who don't understand how to make real money, and then they'll probably go cry about falling stock prices in a few years, as always, with some "surprised Pikachu face" or something. Moreover, the rise of Retro Achievements has really changed the game here, too, by adding features that Nint*ndo is literally just too lazy or incompetent to implement. Dudes in their basements can literally make better games and features these days compared to lackluster staff who are probably working 80 hours a week just to afford some instant ramen and pocket cash to walk around Akihabara or something. I guess this is what happens when you let huge corporations milk our favorite IPs dry for 30 years, holding even characters like poor Toad in their death grip until the end.

[@ryzshyt]

Great video! Subscribed. Love the use of the Zelda music in the background ❤

[@Cachimz]

bro wtf is wrong with KZbin recomendations, i have been following your channel, for a bit you try to try something new, and people dont get to watch it, this is an awesome video, it's very annoying is not so apreciated in numbers as the others... Thanks for the great work

[@sonicthesaiyanhog3566]

Imagine being a member and not subscribing to the person

[@xiao_shou6737]

Considering its pay online. They better not shut down servers in a few years

[@BmanXY]

A GameCube mini would be awsome. Also just hope it tanks the prices of GameCube games

[@fuzzyquils]

As of the time I wrote this comment, F-ZERO X on N64 Switch Online still has frameskipping issues and a ridiculously high control stick sensitivity rendering it near unplayable vs playing on the original hardware. (Even the NSO N64 controller has too high a sensitivity, but is more bearable due to the button layout being more familiar)

[@eduardogomez4275]

I haven't played it on NSO (and probably never will), but I'm sure even its release on the Wii U VC was better; it's playable at least.

[@Bandagamer1]

Nintendo needs to bring down the price a bit.

[@greenkoopa]

I was happy to buy roms off the eshop i could play when I wanted. And the free online for wii u.

[@pwnomega4562]

I don't understand why they dont just put everything under one subscription... but no if i wanna play majora's mask or ocarina of time or golden eye, I gotta buy the *premium* version of the subscription that only comes in a yearly subscription. I just wanted to pay for like one month to just enjoy these games again. And i cave and decided to pay as much as full priced game to enjoy some of these older games again and when i boot up majora's mask its not even fulll screen!!! I feel scammed.

[@zz-jj9sc]

Donkey kong County series aged perfectly, was do happy to replay those games.

[@shaun8062]

Yea, I'm not paying anyone more than once for a game and then I better own it for ever. I'm not letting them ruin gaming for me. More reasons why I still love to play my original N64.

[@TBrizzle01]

Maybe in ten years they'll finally have a decent N64 lineup.

[@Leonkennedy19992]

I really hate that playing online has a fee now. Im glad companys like Epic made some games free to play like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Fall guys. With customizations seperately. But greedy companies like EA have to come in and make you buy a full $70 game. Pay for Online. And wants you to pay for battle passes etz?

[@BetterThanDoomWithAZ]

Nice video, though hearing Kakariko Village music while seeing Tetris on the screen gave me an unsettiling feeling.

[@Sci-Mon1]

They should at least have made some of their games free to play online. Like imagine my surprise buying Mario kart and super smash bros then not being able to play online cause I gotta pay extra. Yes I realize it’s not that much money but still. The games are already $60 a piece after being out for almost 7 years now.

[@YakkoWarnerTower]

It's kinda strange that you need to pay a expensive membership just to play with your friends or folks online but I already have one.

[@Ty-yy7zr]

I rather just buy the VC games and own them rather than a subscription service

[@Jahames2010]

Personally I think Nintendo made you have to pay to play online because of the failure of the Wii U

[@KojennyRizo]

+ Expansion is like $50 and we aren't given lower cost options.

[@KojennyRizo]

That's $50 towards scrap switch 2 and give us switch 3.5

[@KojennyRizo]

I mutually blame Sony and Microsoft for this . . .

[@platinum-or3y]

It's 50 a year

[@ranchman693]

I would LOVE to be able to send messages and screenshots to my friends. I feel Nintendo prioritized having a fast, small system UI because of the lack of storage and ram on the console. I feel like it's going to be alot better on the next system. Also I have 8 people on my family plan so I pay like $10 for over 200 games with online play! It's awesome. I feel like if I was a kid with easy access to such great games would have been awesome. All of the games on the genesis app are BANGERS and super fun online!

[@adrianelias2365]

$20 a year is chump change. I make more than that in 1 hour of work. Most people's phone bills are closer to $100 a month.

[@jmueller1111]

The nope .1 seconds in was peak 😂

[@GreenArt4]

For me the issue isn't even the fact that classic games are only by subscription, it's the fact that the catalog is still so small. No GBA Pokemon. No famous series like Megaman which are seperate buys. No original Mario RPG, etc.

[@TakisEnjoyer]

I think it has a nice price if you intend to play Retro games, especially compared to how much Virtual Console titles and Collections used to cost. If you're absolutely not interested in this stuff then yeah value is pretty low

[@Mojo1356]

It’s much better than before if nothing else.

[@jonathanrendon8579]

The 6 classic consoles on the NSO are my most played. Cumulative hours are around 650 hours

[@HYDRA64605]

Same

[@superjumpbros64]

I paid 3 yrs in a row but since I dont play as often, I stopped paying. It shouldve been free

[@losisansgaming2628]

18:13 that isn't that weird. Sonic 2 is generally considered better than sonic 1 in every way. With sonic 3&k being in limbo at the time it makes complete sense

[@PokeBurnPlease]

All i want is an option to write people directly from your switch. Something even the PS3 could handle and to some extend even the PS2. Id be happy to pay them thoose 15€ a Year but for that i cant make any new friends online on the switch its like i play against Bots with Human skill since there is no Personality behind a Gamertag on Switch since i cant interact with them.

[@WerewolfKweef]

God bless corporate price-fixing! Its only going to get worse.

[@zomfragger]

What most don't realize is that reason for nintendo's lack luster launch of games for the online service is two reasons. Reason number one Nintendo screwed up on future distribution rights of titles sold under a current system. Since the ps2 and xbox 360 era sony and Microsoft saw that with an online store people are going to buy older titles on newer hardware thus made sure that older games are still available on newer hardware via the online store. Nintendo didn't do this instead focused on sales for that specific system. This came to bite them with point number 2 Reason 2 The majority of games people liked aren't nintendo property. Games like golden eye, banjo kaszui, and pokemon aren't owned by nintendo and nintendo only has rights to distribute those games on the original hardware they were designed for. Meaning for nintendo to re-release games like pokemon or banjo they have to get permission from rare (now part of Microsoft) and game freak for systems like the switch.

[@f0ry0u81]

I wish i could just straight up buy the games I want so I can "own" them and not have to check in online.

[@kaecampbell8642]

I don't pay for Nintendo online, and if I feel like I need to pay for Nintendo online to enjoy a game, I do not buy the game. So for example, I bought TotK but not Pokemon. Nintendo has lost maybe $300-$500 of my wallet because of this.

[@Greenglower2012]

Here's the problem, once they discontinue the service we are SOL

[@momoz283]

Are we ever going to own the emulators for good? Rather than paying for them every time...

[@eightcoins4401]

The wii shop actually had genesis games in virtualconsole back in the day

[@Missyisalive11]

Cool video, again well done 😃😃

[@Sutchii_]

Japan’s NSO has a bigger collection. They even have SMT games on it.