Nintendo Switch Online is finally, finally coming online – a full 18 months after the hybrid console first launched, and marking the very first time Nintendo has charged for an online membership service to get the most out of your games. We didn’t know how good we had it.
The service is expected to go live at 8pm PST / 11pm EST today in the US, or 4am BST on Wednesday morning in the UK. You can access the service for a full seven days before your free trial ends, when you’ll have to cough up the pennies to keep accessing member privileges like online play and the retro game library (more on this below).
There are a few payment packages, starting at $3.99 / £3.49 per month, or $19.99 / £17.99 for the year. Compared to competing services on Xbox Live ($40 / £40 per year) or Playstation Plus ($60 / £50) Nintendo Switch Online looks like a bargain. But not everyone with a Switch is going to sign up for the service, and you’ll want to make sure you’re still making the right decision for you.
We’ve run you through the main upsides and downsides to subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online, for you to mull over as the timer counts down to launch…
Weigh up the positives…
Why sign up for an online service? For online play. Nintendo Switch Online will let you take part in online matchmaking for games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, or however many other competitive games that just aren’t complete until you’ve battled it out with friends and strangers around the globe.
Signing up is also the only way to access HD remasters of old classic titles. Nintendo Switch Online members will get 20 NES titles at launch, with three additional games coming every month thereafter, with upgraded graphics and some limited online / two-player functionality. You’ll be able to use these games for seven days offline before your Switch requires you to ‘check in’ online and make sure you’re still a subscriber.
After the swag? There’ll be exclusive offers and the like down the line, though at launch that includes a members-only outfit for use in Splatoon 2, and the ability to buy (how kind) Nintendo’s wireless NES controllers for playing those retro games in style.
Cloud saves will prove a main attraction too, ensuring your save data is backed up in case you lose or break your console – though we’d advise against doing either of those things.
…and the negatives
Unlike the dedicated servers for Xbox Live or on Playstation, Nintendo is still using P2P (peer to peer) gaming, which relies on the less-than-reliable internet connections of individual players to host matches online.
Features like voice chat are still hugely limited, and run through a smartphone app rather than allowing you to plug in your headphones straight into the Switch console and use an in-line mic.
Cloud saves also aren’t guaranteed to be backed up if you lapse as a member – though it’ll still be on your Switch console’s internal memory as long as it’s functional.
Let’s not forget you won’t need the service for free-to-play games like Fortnite, Paladins, or Warframe: so if that’s what you’re spending most of your time on, maybe have a rethink over your purchase.
Pick a payment plan
After a seven day free trial, you’ll have to pay something or other to keep using Nintendo Switch Online. The shortest commitment is $3.99 / £3.49 per month, going up to $7.99 / £6.99 for three months, or $19.99 / £17.99 per year.
There’s also a ‘Family’ option for $34.99 / £31.49 that covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts for an entire year, and is a cost-effective option for even two users partnering up for the subscription. Users on Reddit are already looking to buddy up with anyone they can find on message boards.
You can stack these subscriptions for up to three years, if you want to commit for that long.
Count down the hours
Having announced a September 18 launch date, it looks like the Nintendo Switch Online service is going live this evening (18th) in the US, and therefore early tomorrow morning (19th) in most other territories. (We may have been spoiled by Netflix’s usual morning releases.)
The Switch eShop and online functionality will go dark for around 3 hours while the firmware update is being implemented, before coming back online in its full glory.
Source: techradar.com
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