We got a glimpse of some new information about Nintendo's Switch Online Service yesterday during the Direct, but most of what was shown there was already known. To help shed a little more light on just what a subscription entails, Nintendo put a FAQ up on their site. The details are as follows:

• As already stated before the Direct, all Switch users (used to be only launch users) can get a 7 day free trial. This gives you access to online, voice chat, cloud saves, and the NES games.
• Those two wireless NES controllers are only purchasable if you have a current paid Nintendo Switch Online sub.
• The full list of 20 playable NES games for subscribers was revealed: Soccer, Tennis, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 1 and 3, Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, Dr. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, River City Ransom, Ghost's N Goblins, Tecmo Bowl, Gradius, Pro Wrestling, Excitebike, Yoshi, Ice Hockey, and Baseball.
• Each month, a new set of games will be added to the group.
• October will add NES Open Golf, Solomon's Key, and Super Dodge Ball
• November additions are Mighty Bomb Jack, Twinbee, and Metroid.
• December brings Wario's Woods, Adventures of Lolo, and Ninja Gaiden.
• Additionally, if you ever lapse in your subscription, you will lose all cloud data. "Save data stored with Save Data Cloud cannot be kept outside of the duration of your Nintendo Switch Online membership." If you cancel or let it expire, you'll lose all data saved on the cloud.
• If you play the NES games, you need to check in every 7 days by going online to verify your account.

Source: Nintendo UK
Source: Nintendo of America

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I hope they will at least give you a grace period in case you forget to renew. Something like 14 days would be good.

 

[Clydefrosch]

A service that has been free for decades, a service which has only gotten easier to spin up and run in said decades (demands have remained fairly static for most things)... do you want to try that one again?

A service with servers this community specifically has abused for its easy access during the freeshop years.
A service that has not really become much cheaper for the companies setting them up and won't become cheaper considering projected switch sales numbers.
A service that's still cheaper than the other gaming giants. It's less than 2 bucks a month for Christ's sake

 

[AshuraZro]

While Online is a low cost, they've done a very bad job justifying that cost. I would need to see exactly how cloud saves work on their platform though before I decide how just how poor their policy on deleting them is.

 

[MiiJack]

Also, why couldn't they backup your saves like they did on the 3ds?

 

[comput3rus3r]

why are you all hating on Nintendo? Don't they make fully hackable systems generation after generation for all your haxor needs?
I say thank you Nintendo!

 

[FAST6191]

A service with servers this community specifically has abused for its easy access during the freeshop years.
A service that has not really become much cheaper for the companies setting them up and won't become cheaper considering projected switch sales numbers.
A service that's still cheaper than the other gaming giants. It's less than 2 bucks a month for Christ's sake

And?
The bandwidth, IO/db peformance, storage... costs of servers have plummeted. The demands of games they do have stayed the same. Switch sales numbers are high, games sold which is the bigger tell of server demand are not.
Still infinitely more than free which again has been demonstrably pulled off for decades now elsewhere. If they are going to be greedy cunts then I will call them on it.

why are you all hating on Nintendo? Don't they make fully hackable systems generation after generation for all your haxor needs?
I say thank you Nintendo!

Because that 3ds and Wii U homebrew was such a thing which could not have been obtained everywhere else?

 

[Eddypikachu]

Hmm yeah I'm still skipping out on this

 

[renes2]

You.... You... You were meant to defeat the dark side!
Not to join them!

Nah, But really, The switch could Do so mich more.
But Nintendo itself reduces it to a Port and Old School Machine.
Why? Oh god, Why Nintendo?
It is Like everybody who owned a wiiU/3ds and bought a switch, is just here to play all of the games again and again.
I dont know how many Times Nintendo will offer US their old games again and again.
I really really hope, Q4 and Q1/2019 are really bringing the old Nintendo Flair back, otherwise, I will well my Switch (Like it even matters, people will still buy all this Shit)

 

[Windaga]

I'm going to pay for it because realistically, it's pocket change per month if you do the yearly subscription. I'm waiting until I actually update and start playing online again, though

I really hope that "special offers" thing will be along the lines of a true Club Nintendo 2.0

Agreed. This is what it actually comes down to. Their policies are asinine at times, but the vast majority of Switch owners and players won't care in the end, because, realistically, it doesn't personally affect them, they don't know, or they simply don't care.

I'm going to pay for the service because I want to play Smash Bros and Mario Kart online. It's inexpensive, and the majority of the downsides don't actually affect me, or my many family members who I'll be playing with.

But the save data thing is a tad bothersome - especially for a handheld device. I'd understand it (slightly) more for a console that never leaves your living room, but handhelds are just more prone to breaking, dropping, getting forgotten, stolen, etc.

 

[Hozu]

Is my save data retained if I cancel my Nintendo Switch Online membership?

We are unable to guarantee that cloud save data will be retained after an extended period of time from when your membership is ended. However, you can continue to use the save data that is saved to your system memory.

Source: https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22521/p/897

Sounds like the same thing as Pokémon Bank. ie. the space your data is in becomes available some short time after your subscription expires, and it's just up to chance as to whether or not it ends up being overwritten. Considering that this is a source directly from NoA, it should be added to the main post, hm?

 

[DeslotlCL]

A service with servers this community specifically has abused for its easy access during the freeshop years.
A service that has not really become much cheaper for the companies setting them up and won't become cheaper considering projected switch sales numbers.
A service that's still cheaper than the other gaming giants. It's less than 2 bucks a month for Christ's sake

You are the reason why nintendo keep pulling shit out of their butts like this one and throwing it in their costumers faces.

 

[Arecaidian Fox]

Paid online is one of the main reasons consoles need to die

I'm actually okay with paid online, provided I have good incentives to pay for the service beyond just, "Give us money for multiplayer." Unfortunately, Nintendo's offerings here are paltry and borderline offensive.

 

[VinsCool]

I'm actually okay with paid online, provided I have good incentives to pay for the service beyond just, "Give us money for multiplayer." Unfortunately, Nintendo's offerings here are paltry and borderline offensive.

More like "our fans are so dedicated they will pay for garbage anyway!"

 

[DarkSeele]

Wait why is no one talking about this:


The controllers won't work on the Switch if you don't have a current subscription? Wtf?

I saw one or two complaints earlier, but yes, also bullshit.

I would imagine the controllers can still be used if you don't have a subscription, you'll just have to buy them from scalpers on ebay for 10x their normal price.

Do u guys even read?
Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/9fmglf/nintendoswitchonline_will_feel_even_more/

 

[OkazakiTheOtaku]

It's less than 2 bucks a month for Christ's sake

Just because something is cheap doesn't make it worth it.

 

[MarkDarkness]

Well... I was holding off until this announcement to mod my Switch. Now I will. What is best right now? Rei's? Will get to it.

Nintendo has very fun innovators with good ideas working for it, but its commercial department, which always sucked, has become abhorent this year with the new administration. I cannot in good conscience support it. I will vote with my money and stop buying their things.

MY SAVES ARE MY PERSONAL PROPERTY, if you are walling them in your stupid server, at least freaking keep them in a semi-permanent fashion, you greedy fucks.

 

[Arecaidian Fox]

Do u guys even read?
Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/9fmglf/nintendoswitchonline_will_feel_even_more/

Do you even care that it's 60 freakin' dollars for two NES-style controllers that you can only get with an active account? I don't care who you are, needing a subscription just to buy/use a "special" controller is pretty damned idiotic.

 

[Dubbicakes]

Honestly, the only thing that seems unreasonable is the controllers needing a subscription to purchase. I have an SN30 Pro so it's not the end of the world, those NES controllers are pretty neat though.

 

[KingVamp]

I'm actually okay with paid online, provided I have good incentives to pay for the service beyond just, "Give us money for multiplayer." Unfortunately, Nintendo's offerings here are paltry and borderline offensive.

Like I said, any and all "incentives" can be its own service. Instead of hijacking the online for absolutely no reason.

 

[kumikochan]

Do you even care that it's 60 freakin' dollars for two NES-style controllers that you can only get with an active account? I don't care who you are, needing a subscription just to buy/use a "special" controller is pretty damned idiotic.

Yeah that price is over the top. I always said after the gamecube days nintendo stopped caring for their fans but everybody always said i was wrong. Glad people their eyes are finally getting opened how greedy Nintendo actually became and anti consumer they are