Topic: NSO DLC Is Worth It

I am not associated with Nintendo in any way (except i like their games) but yup you read it right, the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass (NSO DLC) is actually worth it. think about it like this: the whole thing is $50 and regular it $20 so its only $30 extra. the Mario Kart DLC is $25 as well as the Animal Crossing DLC. so you basically get them both along with N64 games and sega games for just 30 dollars. and on top of that you get online services and NES and SNES games for just $20. if you actually have Mario kart or animal crossing and play them, play online a lot and like to play old games then it is for you. but if all you want the DLC for is playing online and N64 games then just buy the regular for $20 and maybe use an emulator? also im pretty sure this is obvious by you can buy the Animal Crossing And Mario Kart DLCs for $25 for the dlc.

People think they get the most bang for there buck if its a family plan, But at the end of the day, if you have never played those games before, and think you will Enjoy it, sounds pretty worth to me, plus you get free mario kart dlc along with it.

To be clear: You don't get the DLC for $30 extra, you get it for $30 a year extra, unless you intend to play for 12 months and then forget about it. I want those Mario Kart tracks forever, so renting them doesn't offer value for me.

You only have access to the Animal Crossing/Mario Kart DLC for as long as you are subscribed to the NSO + the expansion pass.

Once your subscription lapses - poof! - bye-bye DLC.

But, yes, if I had seven other people to split a family plan with, then I would absolutely consider it, but not for the laughable sum of AU$60 per year.

Agreed. I think, when they get more games added, I’ll purchase one year of the expansion, play what I want, and then move on. I’ll be buying the MK DLC no matter what. So unless they add other reasons to go for the expansion, I’ll not be renewing for that extra $30 per year.

I do find the NSO cheap enough to warrant buying each year for cloud saves and the rare online play that I do. I consider the NES/SNES games a bonus that I play from time to time.

1. The dlc only ups the value for those who own the games. Even if every animal crossing and Mario kart owner got the expansion pack even if there are no duplicates ( like each animal crossing owner doesn’t own Mario kart and visa versa) that would still not make up the whole install base. In fact it would leave 30-40 mil people without those games. So that would mean 30-40 mil people are paying a drastically increased price for something they don’t benefit from. And that is assuming no one owns both games, which we all know is false.

2. 30 dollars extra for 2 25 dollar dlc sounds good at first. But that is only for the first year. Let’s say the dlc bumps up the price of switch online 20 dollars. Assuming Nintendo releases the successor in holiday 2024, that would be about 60 dollars for the dlc if you have a active subscription over the rest of the switches life. And then that dlc is gone for good after that. So that would be 60 dollars to have access to the dlc for 3 years.

If you bought the dlc without the expansion pack it would be 50 dollars and then you are done paying for it. And you have access to it for however long you own a switch. Does that really sound worse than renting it for three years at 60 dollars? Look at it for the long run not in the for how it is the moment you buy the expansion.

@Pirate1 I think the base service is reasonable and will continue to subscribe for the life of the Switch. I'll see how the tier service evolves, but for now, I'd prefer to buy the DLC I want. I don't have much interest in the Genesis games, and I have just about all the N64 games.

Honestly, the only enticing thing the expansion pack has for me are the Nintendo 64 games. I wasn't terribly excited for the Sega Genesis games since they've been all over the place at this point, I already bought the Animal Crossing DLC on its own, and I preordered the Mario Kart DLC as well. I love both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons anyway, so having the DLCs forever benefits me a lot more than a 1-year rental.

The additions of the DLC don't really make any sense to me, either. Not every Switch owner has MK8D and/or ACNH, and if you're not into Mario Kart and/or Animal Crossing, those addition(s) would mean absolutely nothing. It also doesn't help that NSO + expansion pack is very expensive to begin with. It's not possible to pick and choose what you want from the expansion pack, either - this thing could really benefit from a custom option that lets you pick what you'd like for a reduced price, rather than having to take it all for the price they're asking for.

Personally, I don't think it's worth it. Firstly, Sega Genesis games are playable in many other ways. I have Sega Genesis games on PC (officially too), on Switch via the Sega Genesis Classics (a Switch card with 50 Genesis games on it), various Sonic collections and ports, Sonic 1 and 2 are in the Sega Ages line of games. One of my favorite games is the original Sonic, and I have it on almost everything.

Secondly, I have the N64 games I like on my Wii U, I can just play them there. Between the Sega and N64 stuff, why am I going to pay $50/year to play games I already have? Not many new games have actually made me want to get the Expansion Pack either.

Also, I'll just buy the DLC as @Silly_G mentions, the Expansion Pack is pretty much renting it. Subscription ends, and it disappears. I rather have it on my system without relying on an NSO subscription. Also, $25 one time is still cheaper than $50/year, that adds up year after year just for Mario Kart DLC.

Sorry, I don't agree, I don't see it as a good value for these reasons alone. You got to remember $30 is more than double of the base NSO sub for online play, cloud saves, and NES/SNES games.

What’s the difference if I only ever play Mario Kart online? None?

@NinChocolate If you don't have the booster course pass, you'll still be able to play on the new courses online, as long as you're matched up with at least one player who has it.

The thing is, $30/year isn't that good for 2 DLCs, but if this is the new pattern - that Nintendo will make most/all first party DLC available on the expansion pass - then it becomes quite enticing.

I'll wait and see.

Did this need to be a thread? We have an NSO thread and an unpopular opinion thread.

Anyway, my point has always been that it will be worthwhile in the long run (especially with the family plan) but it started in a way to make it look nearly as unappealing as possible.

I'd just rather them make the cloud games part of the NSO/expansion instead of DLC.

@kkslider5552000
Probably would have been locked by now if that was the case.

How forever is forever but? How long are you actually going to keep playing this game? And what else will be added to the expansion pack over time?

Lets say I pay $60AU/year for NSO + Expansion Pack which is effectively $30AU/year for NSO and $30AU/year for the Expansion Pack. Just talking about the value of the Expansion Pack here so it's $30AU/year. With that you get the Animal Crossing DLC which is $37.50AU standalone and this Mario Kart DLC which is another $37.50AU. Then you also get the N64/Mega Drive games. Basically if you paid for the DLC separately it would cost you the equivalent of 2.5 years of the Expansion by which point there will surely have been even more DLC you would've wanted. Also, if you brought outright you don't get the N64 games

Now sure, maybe you're not into Animal Crossing and just want the Mario Kart DLC. Maybe you also have zero interest in playing N64 games on the Switch and have nobody to pair up with for a family plan. Then sure, if that's you then at this very moment buying the Mario Kart 8 DLC separately makes sense. $37.50AU for having it forever or $30AU for a year? Easy choice. But that equation shifts entirely with any variation. Basically, for buying this DLC outright to make sense you have to be buying less than on DLC per year

At this point I would've brought two DLCs. Both Animal Crossing and Mario Kart. Additionally I'm on the family plan and I know with a fair degree of confidence there are at least 4 other DLCs that would have been brought just with Mario Kart and Animal Crossing amongst the people on my plan. And this is before I even consider the fact that the N64 NSO app is now one of my top 5 played pieces of software on my Switch.......

This should go on the Unpopular Gaming Opinions thread

One reason I will never buy for that very reason. If I don't get the buy/download DLC and keep it - I will never subscribe to that kinda bondage.

I'm on a family plan with Eel, my brother and 5 others.

$10/yr gets me online, cloud saves, NES, SNES, Genesis, N64 and DLC (though tbh, I bought the DLC because I don't want it doing an online check to see if my subscription is valid every time I launch the game).

But ya, value is different based on the person. If you play ACNH and MK8D, and wanted the DLC, and play online, and like the VC catalog, etc etc, it can be worth it to you. Meanwhile for others, maybe not so much.

But if you just get on the family plan it's a no brainer. Everyone should be doing family plan, forming groups here in the forums. $10/yr for all that is highway robbery.

I’m also on a family subscription shared with others here. It’s practically free. I have two copies of animal crossing and Mario kart so it’s great that the dlc is available to us all. I’ll also pick up the Mario kart dlc after my subscription finishes end of 2/3 years or near the switch’s end or better still when it’s on sale by 2025