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Although this is technically new, Nintendo Switch Online should not appear to anyone. Similar to Xbox Live Gold for Xbox One and PlayStation Plus on PlayStation 4, the new $ 20 subscription for the "Hybrid" console preferred by everyone offers two services that players from other platforms would consider standard : the ability to play online games for game backups – as well as some weird features, such as chat online via a phone application (do not ask), and offers to buy exclusive products such as the NES controller in the form of Joy-Cons.
Its really attractive offer is access to a small catalog of NES games. With 20 games at launch, the Nintendo Switch Online NES app is the closest to a Nintendo catalog available on the Switch. The games are as fun as ever, and potentially even better if you play them with a friend online. Making Nintendo's back catalog accessible through a subscription feels good. I will pay for the classics, but it is certain that you pay to connect with the Switch.
Since Microsoft introduced Xbox Live in 2002, online subscription services have generally become costs associated with games on PlayStation and Xbox. In the years that followed, most of the most popular games required access to the Internet for at least some of the experience. The probability that you want a console but you do not need it is low. Many of us pay without even thinking about it.
The Nintendo Switch is a strange console and the desire to play online games is not obvious. For a console that you can play on a TV or as a portable device, the final switching experience is something you can play, whether or not you have an internet connection. Although most of the best Switch games have at least some online features, there are very few, if any, that require it.
And there is evidence that many switch owners are perfectly happy to stay offline. In 2018, the developers discovered the success of the portage of indies reputed on the portable console. Fewer flashy GPU-intensive games that some players might have missed Stardew Valley and Hollow knight have found a new life on the Switch. Many, if not most, are made to be played alone. Their second winds suggest that, whether or not players lack the richness of online games available on other platforms, they find a new value in portability of the console without constant connection.
The switch promises the freedom to play games anywhere, anytime without compromise. Although we, the critics and the fans, tend to see this in terms of the ability to play with or without television, I think that freedom also applies to the freedom of the Internet. Although the switch can connect to the wifi and has games that use or even require a connection, it is not necessary to maintain a constant and stable connection to the Internet.
Or, more importantly, it does not feel necessary to maintain a constant and stable connection to the Internet.
I do not know about you, but I'm not just addicted to the internet. I have a compulsive need to be connected. When I use a device that is not, I am nervous and I feel a compelling need to solve the problem. When my phone has no service, I start going around in circles trying to get it back. I get nervous when I can not connect to the wifi on my laptop in a cafe or airport, whether I need it or not, to the point where I will get up and find a new place where I can come back online. Sometimes there is a reason why I need the internet, but even when there is no, I panic if I get disconnected.
But the Switch does not make me feel that way. I turn it on, and unless I'm looking to download a game or play an online game, I do not even check if I have an internet connection. I just turn it on and play.
If I load my Xbox One and the ads – which I hate – do not load into the dashboard, I immediately drop what I'm doing to check the network settings. You do not always need to be connected to use the Xbox One (or the PS4), but its systems work in such a way that you always know when you are not online. You know something is wrong.
In contrast, many switch elements are designed to prevent you from connecting to the Internet. By 2018, this seems almost unknown for a portable device. The Switch's Joy-Con controllers are designed to support local multiplayer, as are many of Nintendo's games. In most cases, playing online seems like a last resort.
This is part of Nintendo's long-standing game and console development approach. While the last decade has seen the gaming industry squeeze the world of technology, Nintendo has made every effort to stay focused on its role as a toy maker. His poorly constructed and impractical Internet interfacing approaches, such as Wii U Mii-Verse and Ami's complicated codes, appear to be unenthusiastic concessions. Nintendo provides its consoles with access to the Internet because we need it. he shows signs that he is still ill at ease with the idea.
The Switch's online feature set is the best in Nintendo, but there is still a lot to be done. While Nintendo has finally figured out how to make the purchase and management of digital games easy, the Switch is still based on the codes of his friends, so it is difficult to connect with new people. I spent a few hours with the service, including with games like Mario Tennis Aces, that I played before and after Nintendo Switch Online was launched, and I did not feel more happy about the connectivity. It was disappointing, as the loading times of games on Nintendo's games have been relatively slow since their launch, even when a lot of people are playing. After 18 months of service, Nintendo still has not justified the idea that we should pay them for the pleasure of using its services. (In addition to that, Fortnite, one of the largest multiplayer games in the world, does not need this service.
You might argue that it's an extremely low cost, so why not offer this opportunity? At $ 20 a year, Nintendo Switch Online is cheaper than Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus. It's a perfectly reasonable argument that I think a lot of people will embrace. Similarly, while the NES Game Library is now thin, we hope it will grow over time. Once he's tired of hits (and maybe some of my SNES and N64 favorites), I'll gladly pay the right price for Nintendo's previous catalog.
But for the moment, I'm opposed to this because Nintendo Switch Online harms the best functionality of the Switch by making the Internet more vital. If you have to choose between playing Nintendo games and having a device that does not hurt me every time I'm out of range of wifi, there is no doubt. I choose the latter The freedom it offers, even in its least significant forms, is much more valuable.
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