[ad_1]
Last night, Nintendo officially launched its online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch, and one of the big selling points is the inclusion of NES classic games. For $ 20 a year, you access a growing list of 8-bit titles; there are 20 available at launch, and others to be added on a monthly basis. All games are hosted in a single Switch application, and they have been updated with features such as online multiplayer.
But one of the largely unknown features of the Switch is that it has no lock zone. From a console, you can access Nintendo's digital store in several countries. For classic games, this means that you can access Famicom NES and Japanese applications with a single Switch Online subscription. And it does not take a lot of work. All you need is a Switch Online subscription and a Japanese eShop account.
Step 1: Creating an account
To access the Japanese online store, you must first have a specific account in Japan. To do this, go to accounts.nintendo.com and create a new account from scratch. There are really only two things to do: set your location on Japan and use a different email address from your main account. Once done, you will be prompted to create a new profile on your switch for the new account.
Step 2: The Japanese Online Shop
Once the account is set up, you will be able to access Nintendo's Japanese Store. all you have to do is select your new japanese profile when you head to the eShop. From there, things can get a bit tricky because, well, you will be browsing a store that is mainly Japanese. Fortunately, the application you are looking for is in the very first section of the shop under the new header. The application is easy to find: the icon is a bright red rectangle titled "Family Computer: Nintendo Switch Online" and an image of two gold Famicom controllers. (Normally I included a screenshot here to make it easier to find, but, unfortunately, Nintendo does not allow screen captures in its digital shop.) Download is free, and you should do it now.
Step 3: Access the Famicom App
Once the application is downloaded, open it, but pay attention to the account you use. To play the games, you must select a profile associated with a Switch Online subscription. Fortunately, that does not mean you have to sign up for a second subscription for your Japanese profile. Instead, you can still play the Famicom application using a subscription linked to your North American or European switching account. From here you are free to play.
Now, you may be wondering Why you want to go through all these problems. At launch, the NES and Famicom applications offer an almost identical range of 20 games. But there are some reasons to have both. For beginners, Japanese versions of these games may be significantly different from their American counterparts; Super Mario Bros. 3, for example, has been made much easier for audiences outside of Japan. It is interesting to have both versions of the game side by side on the same console and to be able to experience these differences.
But it is also a decision geared towards the future. If Nintendo's history with the virtual console is an indication, the Famicom app will probably house a number of games that are not available outside of Japan, except that you can now easily access them. One day, you might be able to play the likes of Doki Doki Panic (which Super Mario Bros. 2 was based on) or Famicom Wars (the forerunner of Advanced Wars) on your switch.
Of course, you can also install the Famicom app for purely aesthetic purposes. The Japanese box of Nintendo is so much better.
Source link
