Details Regarding Nintendo Switch Online Services Will Be Shared In May

PLEASE VIRTUAL CONSOLE!

If $20 per year =

free games per month like PSN
better online
access to netflix/youtube (free for all, launches with the service)
Voice chat
an eShop app for easier purchasing

I'll gladly pay. That's also extremely cheap if free games are indeed thrown in.

I hope itll be good. I would buy the year pass just to have a TOAD profile icon to use!

Why I have a bad feeling about this?

The discount on digital titles is all I'm interested in from what's been announced.
What I really want to see is a decent voice chat system implemented.
Hopefully there'll be a nice surprise thrown in, I've no interest in NES and SNES games.

It’s so cheap that it seems the service we get is also cheap

@AcridSkull Same here, I’ve played all of the new and SNES games I want to and the ones I want to play more of I own on my 3DS so the retro games pass doesn’t really excite me.

Ah, so May is the month we will hear more about this inevitable disappointment. Not gonna be optimistic here, Nintendo themselves have taught me not to be...

Can we pay with Nintendo Bitcoin?

HA i new Nintendo was going to have something before e3. With the fact of smash being playable the day before and pokemon is almost always at its own direct. Plus dark souls delay. that tennis game coming in may. Sypro and wolfienstien release thoughts of a direct before e3 are more and more likely. But if they do have a smash and pokemon before e3 then whats e3 going to be about though lol. Oh and everyone has forgot about the Mario tennis pre launch thing but they could wait to e3 for that or just say about it without doing a direct or something,

@1UP_MARIO Ah, the illusion that online play requires pay. Remember PC? It's free because the costs of the servers are negligible. They're only getting away with it because other platform holders are doing the same thing.

I'm hoping that one subscription covers anyone using a switch. I really don't want to have to pay for it twice so I can play online and my son, using the same switch, can play online too.

I fully expect to pay for the current level of service. I'm not expecting a leap in functionality.

I want to have cloud saving, the more I progress in games, the more nervous I get. I would take an online subscription just for that, if they would add it at all, although I believe this functionality should be FOC.

Just hope the free game aren't all NES and they add N64 or GameCube Wow wouldn't that me a deal breaker?

@Octane well the other platforms get away with it because they give away quality games

What i want for my 20 pounds.
1 free games you get to keep forever
2 only a price hike if said games improve or are newer
3 Voice chat! done good.
4 go big or go home

I specifically avoid games with an online component until the details of online subscription are made clear. I really much dislike the idea of playing just to access multiplayer...

Wow people are complaining and expecting so much, crazy!

They've anyway said it's gonna be amazing! They've delayed it to get it right!

Bet they give a small amount of information on the 31st of May, which is a Thursday.

All I want is cloud backup saves. The thought of losing my XC2 or Breath of the Wild data terrifies me to no end.

I expect the features to be fairly barebones for the price range, which is fine as I would rather pay for any additional content separately. VC for the last quarter of 2018 would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. Right now I want some kind of confirmation that save game files can either be backed up to to a micro SD or to the cloud.

Well it's about time.

Oh... wow !
I wonder what will Nintendo bring for Online service...

@1UP_MARIO
I get free quality games on my PC too. Still don't need to pay to play online.

@Shiryu that's all I want too. Take it from someone who lost 250+ hours in Zelda and hundreds in other games 😭

@1UP_MARIO That's the issue. Turn something everyone uses into a paid service, then try to justify the price by giving away free games. I mean, PS+ saw several price hikes to justify ''better PS+ games''. I just want to play online. I don't want any of the ''free games'' (let's be honest, they're hardly free when your access to them is limited), but that's what you're paying for. So if Nintendo follows suit, remember, you're not paying for the online play at all, you're paying for the extra fluff that is added to justify the price.

How does the "Sonic Mania" image relate to this "Nintendo Switch Online" announcement? I don't recall online multiplayer for it?

@SmaggTheSmug I can understand the hesitation with regards to having to pay for the online service, but it's a fairly small price point compared to Xbox Live & PSN. Right now you're missing out on the free online period, which is a shame as Splatoon 2 & Mario Kart 8 are fantastic.

I'll hope the news will be good. Surprises maybe in store but I can wait until more info will be announced.

@Octane it's $4-5 a month for ps plus, $1 a week just about. is it really that big of a deal? It boggles my mind that people get upset about paying for online when it's such an insignificant price for what you get. Cloud storage, extreme discounts, etc are all worth a dollar a week to me. I mean just this year alone being a ps plus subscriber I've probably saved me over $60 by way of discounts and "free" ps plus games I was planning on buying anyways but hadnt.

I too hope the fee is per switch, not per player. I’ve got 3 players in my family....and I suspect $20/yr will prove to be a special introductory rate....

@shaneoh exactly

@redd214 Price isn't the issue, it's the principle. What if they charged you $60 a year to play any games at all? Unrelated to online play. I'm certain there will be people defending it by saying that it's only a few pence a day, so it shouldn't be an issue.

I buy my games physical (when possible) and day one, so the other ''benefits'' are hardly a bonus to me. All that's left is cloud saves, but I'm not going to pay $60 a year for cloud saves.

Can't wait to not care.

@Octane that’s what I want too. I just wanna play online. None of the free nes and snes games I have in multiple platforms but that’s not gonna happen and that will lead me to more single player experiences.

Which also means soon if I don’t pay I can’t play rocket league or splatoon 2

Ugh... that up there is the problem, people are actually happy to pay for that. Well good for them but I'm not. Been playing my Ps4 games offline with no intentions of paying for psplus.
''It's not that expensive!'' Yeah, so? I'm already paying for my internet and it's enough for me, thank you very much...

@Octane meh, just me personally I'm not gonna get upset over something so small, I mean I can find a dollars worth of change in my car or walking in a parking lot so it's literally not worth Mental energy to get upset at imo. I do think they should have a tiered service for folks like you though. $30 just for online play and $60 for full benefits as an example.

What do you get for the money? Stability, of course.

But aside from MK8, there's nothing else I would play online. (cue Nintendo introducing some really cool online feature that will make everyone want an online account....)

@redd214 I've always said that they should split the cloud saves, ''free'' games/discounts, and online (even though I think it should be free), but I've had people respond to me that it would become too complicated for people to understand...

@sikthvash I'm intentionally missing the online free period because if it turns out that the paid service is awful I don't want to end up with an online-focused game that I can't play. What good is Splatoon 2 if I can't access multiplayer? Especially as the service is slated to launch in only a few countries at first, mine excluded.

My other platform is PC, I'm not too keen on XBL or PS+ either. I've been playing online for like 15 years on this without having to pay anything extra on top of what I'm already paying to access the internet in the first place. And it was often free games too, as the one I really got into for the first time was Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. Not to mention things like Steam make the experience a breeze to get into with friends, which is also something people criticize Nintendo about and this paid service should fix.

I would be happy if access to online multiplayer was part of the basic, free functionality, with everything else (discounts, virtual console etc.) being the subscription extra. But I wouldn't count on it. Regardless of how cheap it is I may refuse to pay out of principle, because I'm stubborn like that.

I'd hapilly pay more per month for a free GC title every month... pls nntnd

@SmaggTheSmug hehe no worries! You could have always sold Splatoon 2 afterwards =0p I couldn't recommend it solely on the single player campaign alone, even though there is new DLC on its way (again, extra expense). Where abouts are you based? Hopefully a global rollout won't be far behind after the initial trial period in some countries. I guess they have to measure / test the infrastructure.
Yeh, Steam sets a benchmark for how it should be done.
Thankfully Nintendo will reward your stubborness with plenty of singleplayer content ^_^

I'm happy to see them getting this kind of stuff out of the way before E3. Let's spend that precious time on the games.

They better get it right, the first time!

I'll wait and see what Nintendo offers...

My Nintendo incentivizes digital purchasing, but it's still cheaper to buy physical, even considering gold points. As a consumer, I don't like to feel swayed into practices that are actually detrimental cost-wise over the long-term.

If we ever do get cloud saves, I expect them to be tied to paid online. If it's the only way, then I'll pay, but I'll be aware that it's an extra payment I have to make and not exactly welcome it.

They might still surprise me...

Hope there's gonna be paradise stuff to beat the competition. Let's go Nintendo make us dream.

I really don't care about S/NES games. If the Switch still doesn't have basic online functionality, I won't be giving them money. Though I'd consider it for N64, GBA, or GC games

@Octane
I agree about the "benefits" offering little to no value for me as well. And I agree paid online isn't really justified, for any platform.

But at the end of the day, what are ya gonna do... Complaining about it isn't going to change anything. It's the industry norm whether we like it or not, whether it's justified or not. So you reach a crossroads where you have to decide, are you going to perpetually protest and complain about something that will never change, or just accept it and get on with your life.

For $20 and a few games I'll actually end up playing online, unlike other platforms, I choose the latter. Especially if there's cloud saves.

Quick question: is the subscription linked to the Switch as a device, or the user profile? I don't want to have to pay twice just so my kids and I can both play Splatoon 2 and SMB3!

They have to announce VC, they must!!

There's a lot of negative nellies in this comments section. I bet most of you drop more than 20 bucks a month on games and you're whining about at least 12 games a year for 20 bucks? SMH.

I prefer it if they avoid the PSN route, in which we end up paying a premium price for «free» games that I’ve already bought or are not interested in buying, and that I don’t even get to keep if I stop paying.

Keep the cost low, some additional discounts for members, and I’m all set.

@Krull that’s a good question I’d like to know

@sikthvash I'm in a place that's rather low on Nintendo's priority list: Poland. I bet the install base is still pretty low, most people playing either on PCs or PS4s here, with an odd Xbox.
It took quite a while for the DS eShop to be launched here.

Unified Virtual Console, like the unified account system now in place you should be able to have access to all vc games right from the get go across all previous iterations and games you already purchased will be free to redownload !

@JaxonH I won't complain about it to no end, but the least I can do is voice my opinion when someone asks about it.

If it wasn't for people ''complaining'' about loot boxes, they wouldn't be removed from quite a few games, they wouldn't have caused the controversy that lead to the current situation in Belgium and a few other countries, where they're actually very close to classifying them as gambling.

@MadCow74 on one hand I can totally understand that someone wants cloud saves or save backups and it is standard on all other plattforms
On the other hand, how could we ever play a big RPG on an NES or SNES. The battery in the module could die at any moment!!!

@Octane
But again, paid online is a long accepted industry standard. Loot boxes are not.

We all know good and well this is not some loot box scandal that protesting will have any affect upon.

Since it's almost May, then we will hear more details fairly soon. That's good since it means it likely won't take up any of the E3 conference.

@Octane @JaxonH I don't get why people are okay with Sony and Microsoft having paid online but aren't okay with Nintendo doing the same when they're charging noticeably less than both. Once upon a time, you didn't have to pay for PlayStation or Xbox online. Now you do. Things change all the time and Nintendo is a games company - it was going to happen eventually. They want the money and they know people will pay for it - whether they like the concept or not.

I personally don't mind - if they can put that money to improving our online, then I can't see any reason to complain personally. My PS4 was never able to mainstain a constant, permanent connection - and I was paying for that. So I cut it off - knowing I'd be spending way more time on my Switch anyway. At least with this, I know my internet connection will be stable, and there will be multiple games I'll be interested in playing online. Not to mention by cutting off my PS+Plus, I'm saving 40 pounds per year by comparison.

@Octane Not only is the cost negligible, the platform holders doesn't host the servers in most (if not all) cases. There is a good reason rocket league can say it is a press of a button to enable cross-play, it is because they use the same servers.

@ThatNyteDaez But the problem is that the money doesn't go to improving online at all, it goes to other stuff. If it really went to improve online, it could have been worth it.

@ThatNyteDaez
I was livid when Sony went from free online for PS3 to $50/yr with PS4. They used the Microsoft DRM outrage to sneak it in like a Trojan Horse, and people accepted it with open arms.

If there was ever a critical juncture at which people could have, maybe, taken a stand... it was then. But people cheered and clapped, so now this is the bed we have to lie in. At that point, it became the industry's new normal.

So now, when Nintendo finally hops on that norm, there's nothing we can do about it. That window of opportunity was lost 5 years ago.

@ThatNyteDaez I don't think I ever said I was okay with Sony or Microsoft charging for their online! It has gotten to the point where you're paying for the monthly games, and online is just a bonus. But you can't get it separately, and that's the biggest issue IMO.

@Shiryu Had my original switch stolen. It is terrifying. Have yet to rebuy BotW because I really dont want to redo those 85hrs, despite loving the game and really wanting to finish it.

It’s nintendo, the online service will have some weird caveat.

@SmaggTheSmug bummer that is unfortunate. I know it's often difficult to get everything released at the same time what with different rules & regulations across borders, but I hope going forward they will try and address this issue and make the process a little more streamlined.

Hopefully these would be discuss or answer in the announcement:

Will we able to keep classic games forever with the service?
Will we finally get cloud saving and transfer of save data via the service?
Any multimedia functionality with the service?
Any social game sharing with the service?
How will online play improve?
Any exclusive perks available for subscription members to receive?
Will we finally get an account system that is no longer tie to our console within the service?
Online tips and counseling for help with the latest hot games similar to Nintendo Power?
Be the first to try demo of upcoming games?
If we cancel our subscription will we still able to keep all the stuff we got from the service?
Will the service be tie to our account or our console?
Are we required to have the service in able to continue playing some of our games online?
Will there be trophy, leaderboards, forums, and voice chat with the service?

@dunnyone The "free" games on the other platforms are the very reason they charge way more than $20. They're the reason PSN went from $40 to $50 to $60 (and beyond?....) I think if there's anything we can say for certain is that free games are not included. At least not free games newer than SNES.

@NEStalgia okay at LEAST a discount on games like PSN does. I firmly believe that Ninty will give us some free classics like SMB3, Ducktales, Pokemon red/blue etc.

All the good stuff when I'll be doing my exams. Goddamit Nintendo

Finally. More online Info.

If you have more accounts e.g your kids have their own account then you have to pay for each account on the switch. Is this correct

The thing that interests me most is the Classic Game Selection. If this selection is decent enough, I'll likely subscribe, but other than that the rest of the currently announced features don't interest me that much, especially since I currently don't own any online play oriented games.

One thing that gets me is that, while the other consoles have gotten classic games in bundles (Disney Afternoon Collection, Sega Genesis Classics, maybe some others I forgot?), the Switch hasn't gotten any of those. It does make me wonder if Nintendo struck a deal with some of them to release those as part of the Classic Games Collection. Of course, we do have various classic games being released individually on the Switch. Maybe that was done so it could end up being part of the CGC?

I keep my Switch in Airplane mode constantly (and now she won't stop calling me Shirley!)

But seriously, would be great if my Switch could connect to Wifi other than at my work place.

An announcement of an announcement.

@dunnyone free games per month like PSN

They are rentals and they aren't free if you pay a subscription fee.

better online

I have heard how PSN didn't actually improve with a paywall. I would expect even less care in this area with Nintendo.

access to netflix/youtube

Putting multimedia behind a paywall? That's not a good thing at all.

Voice chat

A basic function that shouldn't even need to be mentioned. It's like mentioning internet connectivity as a feature.

an eShop app for easier purchasing

You think you should have to pay for access to a store where you will spend more money? That's crazy.

@Crono1973

no man:

Paying money toward an online service does help, Ninty can invest in more servers.

I would hope that netflix/youtube LAUNCHES with the service as an app for all. Not that it's paygated.

There is no voice chat for Switch yet? So this basic service, does not exist for us.

Yes an app like the App Store or Google Play. Buying games online on Nintendo UK is a pain in the rear.

I’m a big fan of PS+.

If Nintendo comes up with a an online service just as good- if not better, I’ll have no problem to subscribe.

@dunnyone Paying money toward an online service does help, Ninty can invest in more servers.

CAN does not mean WILL.

I would hope that netflix/youtube LAUNCHES with the service as an app for all. Not that it's paygated.

Then why did you mention it in the list of subscription benefits?

Yes an app like the App Store or Google Play. Buying games online on Nintendo UK is a pain in the rear.
Shouldn't be part of a paid subscription to access the eShop from an app.

<insert tired Urban Champion joke>

@dunnyone A common mistake regarding paying for online is 'it pays for the servers' - it doesn't. When you play GTA5, Fortnite, Overwatch, COD etc. you are paying on servers provided by the developer at there own cost.

What you are paying for is the service that connects you together so you can easily join your friends in these games and communicate with them.

i just can't believe how people are being greedy and butt hurt.
it will add a lot of stability to the online gaming, splatoon and payday are currently full of errors and lag, it's crazy. honestly it can't get worst

vc, n64 and gc will come in due time, don't expect to get all the big titles for free on launch of the service. REMEBER, they are modding the nes and snes games to add online multiplayer and that feature might even come to n64 and even gc. it means that at launch that smb and baloon fight you will be able to play with your friends.

nintendo SHOULD have added external save already and i totally understand people getting impatient over the cloud save. update 5.0 should have already added the export save feature instead of going up a number for no actual reasons.

voice chat is crap and i really dont think that even if everybody cries, that it will make them change their mind about it. it will be a phone app and that's it. the major complain i have now it that the app is only for splatoon 2, many games with online features were addded to the library and we have to get around it with discord. also the app sucks even for splatoon since you get disconnected everytime you leave to use tickets or because you get disconnected..

TL;dr if you want to play online pay otherwise dont and crying wont do anything

I only want to be able to share one subscription among all the users on the same Switch. If Nintendo forces us to pay separately for each user even when using just one shared Switch I just won’t subscribe.
And even with multiple Switch I expect a family subscription that gives access to three or four user for a single discounted fee. Something very similar to Apple’s family subscription for Apple Music.
Family sharing it’s also necessary. If Nintendo expects families to buy several Switches, then it needs to make easier to purchase and share digital contents amongst the members of a family. It’s not going to happen though, so I don’t see myself ever buying a Switch for each of my kids, we’ll just share our single Switch.

@BigCoqSurprise Your splatoon experience will not improve. Splatoon 2 (and all other online Nintendo games) uses peer to peer networking. Meaning one of the players becomes the server and everyone else connects to them.

See my previous comment about what you actually pay for (for MS and Sony anyway - we still don't know what Nintendo have in store.)

I think there is only ONE THING we all care about, haha!!

I'm equally excited and wary of the online service, but as per usual I'll reserve my final judgment for the actual announcement.

@dunnyone Yeah I can see some kind of discount or members-only sales going on like PSN does. Maybe some bones thrown in terms of classic games.

OTOH, heck, Amazon is raising the price of Prime 20%....announced simultaneously with their record winfall profits. It's harder and harder to fault any profiteering company when even EA is starting to look benevolent next to the companies that operate effectively as Company Stores for everyone!

@BumpkinRich i knew splatoon 2 was p2p but i tought that the online service was nintendo hosting their big games on it.

@OnBeingHuman
What’s that one thing?

Cloud saves!

Prepare for disappointment and your game saves being held hostage for money.

Cya
Raziel-chan

"Minority Opinion Matters" Don't just listen to majority opinion.

I don't like to be force feed. I don't use iCloud ( don't even use those free gb storage I get from my computer/ tablet/phone). Give an option that we can save on external hard drive.

I don't care for VC or free games that I don't get to keep if I unsubscribe. Don't need Netflix/ FB/ Browser/ and whatever others want cramping on 1 device.

Play online? I put on airplane mode all the time unless for update or check eshop. Already payed for internet don't see a reason to pay extra just so I can "play with strangers and/or others". I don't have PS+ ( never care to subscribe even when there was a sale for half the price during Christmas/ Year End sale, don't have xbox 1 so no xbox live sub.

If you support paying, good for you! Things I pay for need to be justify.

Not whining. And not willing to follow trend/ or the herd.

@Don Virtual Console, haha! Of course!

I'm just cautiously optimistic about the whole thing. It will be interesting to see what they say in May.

@Razzy You do realize that having cloud saves doesn't mean you can store them locally as well? It's just convenient.

Better be good right away. No waiting or being patient. Immediately get it right when it's launched. It is insane we excuse Nintendo for this kind of crap. You are not a small start up company. No more excuses. No more connection errors in Splatoon2. No more disconnections in Mario Kart. No more 4 steps to connect to someone to chat. No more, "if why Switch bricks or gets stolen I lose all my save data." Nintendo has my favorite stuff, but let's not enable them with the, "they'll get it right in time," if this is mess when it launches. Pester them on every social channel, every convention forum, wherever you can.

@UnknownReader I've run hot and cold with prices...sometimes value is added. I disliked the subs, and I LOATHE paying PSN more and more because of all the "free" games......so I dropped my sub for years. Then I re-added, when I realized the PSN+-members discount on one of the January sales was decent enough that the SAVINGS of buying the sub was greater than the cost of the sub for a few titles I was going to buy (it was something like $40% off, + 20% off for PSN+ members, so the net difference, I'd actually lose money by NOT subscribing just on that one transaction.

If they work it right it can be a savings. But they're always out to extract money so I'm still not a fan of the model.

It's about time, I have been waiting for details on it for a long time, I really do hope they give us discounts through the sevice because although the games you receive via services like Plus and Games with Gold are ok, I feel like the real value of these services is getting discounts on games you actually want to play. I rarely play the games I receive for them.

I'm not going to get my hopes up. But if miiverse returns...

@OnBeingHuman
I have doubts VC will be part of the online paid service. There’s no way they will charge only $20 a year to give us unlimited access to retro games when that same $20 only pays for 4 VC NES games.

@NEStalgia In your case it's the heavy discount on digital game which justify you subscribing.

I am not a digital fan ( maybe music cos I can opt out buying the whole Album and just pick those I like (justify reason for me)). I may buy some digital game if the price range is max less than $20. But I support Physical, so Prime 20% off (preorder games) + 2 days shipping (for everything they sell on Amazon) and GCU 20% off new release games (don't have it yet, still thinking if I want to join) ( justify paying ).

I know it's hard to make everyone happy. That is why Option is preferable choice. Like some who travels a lot, would prefer cloud save for convenient. I don't travel, so I like my stuff save on a hard drive. ( I still save photos and files on CDR )

I know this doesn't exactly relate, but I'm hoping they allow us to transfer our digital vurtual console purchases from the 3DS and Wii U over to the Switch. Having that, and access to other classic games with the Switch Online service would be nice. Also, by classic games I hope they don't just mean NES. I'd lobe to see SNES, N64, and Gamecube games on the Switch.

@UnknownReader I'm actually not a digital fan either! I just bargain hunt digital these days because there's been some good sales on games I otherwise wouldn't buy but at the right price can be lured.....gennerally for games I actually know I want I'd never touch digital. It's all about getting older stuff at bargain basement prices (without messing with GameStop's Dorito-laden used section )

I'm mostly the same otherwise. I ended up getting GCU when BB was turning up way cheaper than even the used prices on Amazon for some older games (mostly closeout PSVR stuff.) It's come in handy. Amazon has started playing games with game prices. Like Wolfenstein right now for Switch. It's on sale for $54 or so for Prime members: I.E. you don't get your 20% discount because they've decided so. But GCU has it. Same happened with DQ: Builders (plus a $5 coupon from all those PSVR closeouts.)

And, yeah, I want cloud save because I have 2 Switches, but honestly I'd much rather have USB saves....like even lowly 3DS has!

@Don I agree. But I think that it is something that people are hoping will at least be addressed.

Voice and party chat in all games via Bluetooth headsets!

Rumour has it. Voice chat and online won't be any different to the current splatoon system!
😁

@redd214

Fun with numbers. Ps plus was $50 a year and launch in 2010. It became $60 a year in 2017. If you paid each year you've now spent $410 on it or more than the cost of a ps4 pro.

Xbox live started in 2002 for $50. It changed to $60 in 2010. If you bought every year you've spent $880, which is enough to buy an xbox x, a switch, and smash bros when it launches in December.

It all adds up to real money.

@Octane What I'm understanding is that you're equating PS+ and XBOX LIVE Gold to Amazon Prime, where you pay a certain yearly fee (the cost of one retail game in the case of PS+, $99 in the case of Prime) to access a multitude of services when all you want is (online play in the case of PS+, "free" 2-day shipping in the case of Prime).

More Info given out weeks before E3 could provide interesting results.
Just look back at the hate towards the splatoon voice chat system and all the bad press it got.
If this new announcement gets the same amount of bad press just before E3 it will certainly take the shine off.

@redd214 yeah my ladt year with a PS3 as my main console was made great thanks to PS Plus and its string of quality Plus games. Got to play Hotline Miami, Saints Row 3, Sleeping Dogs amongst many others.

@Dj64Mk7 I think it's reasonable to assume that 90-95% of the money spent on PS+ goes towards the free games and discounts. I don't really care about those, so it feels silly paying for all the fluff when all I want is online play, which could even be free. The costs are almost negligible in Sony's case, because they don't even use dedicated servers.

@cleveland124 yeah a dollar a week over time adds up, not exactly earth shattering news. But as someone who has been a plus subscriber for years I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt the discounts I've gotten and the cost of the "free" games I've gotten has vastly ecplised the amount just spent on plus. I calculated it this morning the amount I've saved in discounts in just the 4 months of this year alone has been over $120, just last month I saved $50 in discounts so has essentially paid for itself already. Add to that I've gotten 9 "free" games that I've wanted which total over $160 if bought separately and I think ps plus has worked out well for me in 2018 and it's only April 😊

Edit: and all of that isn't even factoring in the fact that a year of plus goes on sale for 40-45 pretty regularly, I don't think I've ever payed full price for it. In addition if I ever do end up getting a vita I will instantly have maybe 40 or 50 games just from banking them all this time I've been a subscriber.

@Shpritsz You do realise that your saves are trapped in your system and gone if anything happens to it? Even if you turn your switch in for repair, they may decide to replace it and your saves are gone.

Basically, the only way to backup your saves will be behind a paywall.

Cya
Raziel-chan

@NEStalgia Yeah, the discount for LE and new release + used game on GCU is enticing. But their ordering system is not : P

Why can't they do plans and pricing choice?
Like:
$20 Bundle package
'X' amount for individual pick

hypothetically:
I don't mind say.... paying for $5 ( out of the $20 bundle ) for cloud saving ( if I am no longer able to save my game on the system ) And maybe another $5 for language translation ( so we don't need to wait for localization )? Basically, I save $10 for what I don't need/want.

@redd214

It is worth it for some based on their gaming habits for sure. But your initial comment to just buy it because it's cheap was garbage.

@cleveland124 I didn't say buy it cuz it was cheap, I was saying it's so cheap that it's not worth getting upset about really if you weigh it out. If cloud saves, $100s a week in potential discounts, early access, multiplayer etc isn't worth 5 bucks to you then so be it I just feel it's a great value. Sorry if you misunderstood

@redd214

Well I'm surprised that you haven't come to the conclusion that people get upset when they feel like they are paying for something and not getting the value they expect regardless of what the total price is.

@cleveland124 like I said: "If cloud saves, $100s a week in potential discounts, early access, multiplayer etc isn't worth 5 bucks to you then so be it I just feel it's a great value."

Great chat, love your user name btw. Cleveland is a great place and 1/24 is my wife's birthday. Take care 😊

@redd214

I get your value comment. For lots of people (probably most gamers) the value is there. I guess I just disagree that because $60 is in general not alot of money, that we shouldn't have a negative opinion on the service. Almost anything purchased in gaming is less than $60 and there are lots of negative opinions (some valid, some not) around here. Either way, it's the weekend so go out, have some fun, and spend more than $60 on your wife .

@cleveland124 lol she just texted me she's at the salon, trust me I will indirectly be spending much more than 60 on here haha😂

@mailman

right?! lol

@Bengals76

In accordance with his song "Get It Right the First Time", Billy Joel agrees with you.

it should be 499.99 monthly

@NinjaSyao

yep. this IS Nintendo.

Really hoping the free games at least including Game Boy Advance titles like Fire Emblem and Metroid: Zero Mission. Also the Castlevania games of that era.

I'll be glad if all if the 3DS/Wii U Virtual Console games I paid for can be transferred over to the Switch. I doubt it... but one can dream.

Their recent foray into "improving" the My Nintendo program has me thinking this has a high probability of crashing and burning right out the gate.

@ThatNyteDaez @Prizm @dunnyone Please do not spread the notion that paying for a service will make it "more stable" or "better".

I'm sure that Nintendo will surprise us (for better or worse). Personally I'm hoping that with E3 comes the announcement of the N64 Classic Mini. But as for Switch Online Services I would love to see some classic games made available, even as late as Gamecube titles made available in some form. Aside from that I agree with others that we likely will not see the VC as we once remembered it. I'm really just trying not to get my hopes up at this point for anything much, though I do plan on paying for the service for each of the Switch consoles we have at home.

@TromboneGamer Better for me would be features like cloud saves in case my console crashes. As far as better online performance, that's unlikely at least for quite a while. Xbox LIVE wasn't built in a year or even five, it will take Nintendo a while to invest the money it makes from the service in better equipment.

Digital purchases discount. That's all that matters to me.

This cloud save thing is garbage. It's a thing you never knew you needed until they started telling you that you need it. One issue that information experts, computer scientists and entrepreneurs debate is the concept of data ownership. Who owns the data stored in a cloud system? Does it belong to the client who originally saved the data to the hardware? Does it belong to the company that owns the physical equipment storing the data? What happens if a client goes out of business? Can a cloud storage host delete the former client's data?

They're making the classic games sound like rental only. I don't like this. I don't want to unlock everything in Super Mario RPG or Chrono Trigger, then give it all back one day.

$20 a year sounds like too little to expect that we’ll get much value from it. I don’t expect free games except cheap-o vc titles from NES or SNES. I think we can only expect discounts and online service, and that’s it. I’d rather pay more like for PS+ if that guaranteed newer or indie games every month and stuff. I may not play all of them, but when I get one I like, it’s worth the two or three months worth of payments in between.

I'm dreading this.

I just want to buy Virtual Console games and give Nintendo more money.

Money, if you're reading this Nintendo, are those society credits which businesses such as yours attempt to accumulate.

15 to 20% permanent discount on any digital game.

Access to classic games all the time you're subscribed, and not rotating. A game that can only be played one month is useless.

Not asking more. And that's reasonable.

@Bunkerneath YES PLEASE!
Although, it would be nicer if there were newer consoles on it, like maybe GBA or Gamecube. I'm not that interested in NES games.

I will never pay for online gaming: I already pay my console, my games & other stuffs. Due to that, in fact I will pay less games, I will boycot multiplayer games ....

What a wonderfull world, thanks crosoft & sony, PC is the last multiplayer area.

@ninja_tom because if they would've put Doomguy's ugly mug up there then @Anti-Matter ugly mug wouldn't be in here lol

I'm gonna be a bit skeptical, because Nintendo isn't the best with online incentives. With PS Plus, you get full, somewhat recent games as well as better, but Nintendo's promising VC games I bought 3-4 times already. At the end of the day, I'll pay to keep playing Splatoon 2 online, but I wish Nintendo rewards weren't so underwhelming. Looking at you, My Nintendo!

@Desrever
Yeah that would be awesome but there’s no way they would do that. The reason would be justified under some explanation that starts with “Please understand...”.

@SanderEvers just wait and see what they'll announce.
Ok

I am sure they will make it worth the € 20 / year.

I thought we were waiting to see what they announce.

Let's be honest it's Nintendo, they treat their fans poorly in terms of online gaming and for this price the old addage is true: you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

C#85 @1UP_MARIO:The multiple accounts issue has not been answered yet.

C#88 @Crono1973: Easy enough article (to make.)

C#146 @lifepsychedelic: "Problem with stuff like this is you stop paying for the service and all is gone, you're tied to an online service forever."

• That is why, like you, & NEStalgia said, it would be nice if users, were able to copy to, or move to, an sd card, all their saves.

@1UP_MARIO They still hold the online access hostage to do so. Even if you like the PS plus deal you can't play online without dropping that seventy a year (CAD).

@SanderEvers The people that you asked to asked to wait for an announcement were only giving their opinion too.

@JamesR same. I highly doubt a whole overhaul is coming

@Moroboshi876 no way 20 percent off games is coming

Im not as excited as others seem to be to pay for another subscription service just to use online. But it will be good to hear more about what’s included and hopefully a release date so all the speculation can stop

@Shiryu The thought of losing my Steredenn Binary Stars progress terrifies me. Especially if I could actually unlock the last two ships...

I'm hoping for cloud based saving instead of tying your save file to the console (so where if your system dies, your saves aren't gone).

proper communication functionality is essential. xbox 360 did it over a decade ago and anything less in unacceptable.

How about a real voice chat? That would be good.

achievement(gamepoints), twitch, youtube.
A better layout of the nintendoshop.
special deals like in the psn store, 2 games for 1, great discounts.

dont care about old nintendo games, i played those games too much, and you can play them already on every system anywhere.

Well, if MyNintendo is any indication..... I am afraid we going to be deeply disappointed.

@Anti-Matter Disappointment.

@Giygas_95 I need to unlock that last one. Its amazing how silly hard it becomes when you know you can't take any damage on that boss fight. z_z

@Shiryu Is it the boss fight itself or can you not take any damage at ANY point before beating the destroyer? That's the impression I got.

@Giygas_95 I believe it is in the boss itself. However, damage done to your drones counts as 'taking damage'.

@Shiryu I personally don't like drones. My favorite build I've come across yet is Fortress + next gen special ability (rocket circus with more rockets) + laser + ultralaser. You can do a ton of continuous damage that way.

@Giygas_95 I am only able to complete the loop with Fortress, so we are definitely onto something here.

@UnknownReader LOL, yeah, the Best Buy ordering system feels like it's 2003. Though part of me things....that's not a bad thing. It's just surprising it's from a huge electronics retailer. (Their INVENTORY system, though.....only ever buy major appliances from Best Buy if you hate yourself. ) I swore I'd never buy another thing at Best Buy...but then GCU happened....and Amazon started playing games with prices...

A la carte programs..... yeah that kind of makes sense for consumers, but I can see why a business may not do that. It makes pricing REALLY complicated. You can build out your cost/revenue/margins based on "of this collection of features, we expect most people will buy in, and it can all run for x price." But if you ahve to start predicting which feature will draw the most attention and what the cost of each feature will be....it gets a lot harder to get right. Then you might set a price for feature x that seems too high (but it costs the most to deliver), but that was going to be the most popular otherwise, so then you lose sales and have to raise prices across the board, etc. etc.... it can work....it can be good for both ends of the sale...but it's also really hard to get right. Maybe most people buy the $5 cloud saving, so then not enough buy translation customers...do they kill the feature? Charge more? Charge more on cloud saving to cover it (so then you're paying more but getting less?) I do wish Sony/MS did that...$60/yr is just a bit much. (though the "free" games this year on PS are quite a cut above normal....wonder why...)

@Shiryu When the developers added Fortess to the original Steredenn in the Binary Stars update, they said Fortress was an easy mode of sorts. Well, if they wanted to include an easy mode they could have just added in an option to crank enemy damage down because the Fortress is just straight up better than the other ships in my opinion. You'd almost be silly NOT to use it.

Also, I honestly wish there would actually be an easy mode so I could unlock these last two ships. Then I'd crank it back up to hard when I'm just playing for fun.

@Shiryu Well, I just beat the destroyer without taking damage, and I didn't get taken to the fifth ship. It would seem you do have to take no damage at any point.

@Giygas_95 Well that explains why I still don't have it then. z_z

@Shiryu Do you have the specialist? This guy used that ship and made it look easy. https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=568s&v=YTKAVDFVTAc

@Giygas_95 Yes I do for months now. It's funny you mentioned you don't like drone weapons because the specialist 'fights' with an army of them and thanks to the bubble ability, you can stay behind a wall of 5 of them.

@Shiryu It's true I don't especially like drones for other ships. They look much more powerful when used by the specialist though.

@SmaggTheSmug

I believe that locking online play and cloud saves behind a paywall is morally wrong, but then this is business and they care not for such things. If people buy this for cloud saves others will likely follow in this anti consumer practice.

I would understand the hesitation to let users save to SD had the not released the hardware with the tegra bug intact. For shame Nintendo is all I am saying. What I would like to see is the ability to save to cloud for free, leveraging existing cloud storage, and then paid if you wish to use Nintendo's own storage. But alas we have not the IT know-how to secure assets apparently. Sad times.

@Shiryu Holy cow, I just unlocked the Red Baron! And guess what one of my weapons was! Ninjabots!

@Giygas_95 How did you do it? Not take damage on the whole stage? (Ninjabot is the best bot IMO)

@Shiryu No, I'm pretty sure you have to take no damage in the first three stages. I did it with the Fury since it's so evasive. Once I got to the Red Baron, I got behind him and started firing ninjabots. There was absolutely nothing he could do.

@Giygas_95 Good, Ill have a stab at it when time allows.

@Shiryu The hard part is just getting to him. It's a pretty good ship too. It always has a spread shot, a mega laser, and a mortar weapon.

Edit: Also, I seriously underestimated bots. I had initially used the stasis bot, which is kind of weak, and assumed that all the bots are weak. Ninja bot and laser bot are incredibly strong though.

Edit 2: So I had been trying to unlock the specialist by using the Fortress, but I kept getting destroyed by the battleship. I gave it a rest and then on a whim decided to try daily run. It was the Fury ship with the flame bot. I figured I'd just get a few points and see where I ended up on the scoreboard...until I got a fusion bot and a passive shield and tore through the entire game like it was nothing. I finally unlocked the specialist and even finished the loop for the first time. I died to the cruiser on my second loop but ended up in 2nd place with 111,000,000 points. Crazy how I got so far and unlocked the last ship just because I decided to play daily run for no reason at all.

@Giygas_95 Nice!