Recently we have seen various Switches belonging to hackers, a device without many well developed public hacks at time of writing, be banned from Nintendo's online offerings. Such a thing then became the subject of much discussion, not only because all of Nintendo's previous efforts in the last decade or so have had next to no proper security and at the same time were often barely functional.
One thing that came up more than once was the notion that a banned Switch is if not worthless then worth a whole lot less. It is not a new concept as games go; see also the xbox 360 and its various banwaves last generation wherein banned ones could be seen at points to go for sometimes less than half that of a new charting game, at the same time equivalent setups that were unbanned would still go for more than a charting game and maybe even two.

Related to this is the notion some developers and publishers have that single player only games are at least untenable from a financial perspective. Such a thing has seen many a game have a multiplayer mode tacked on, almost invariably at a cost of development focus or budget for the single player.

For myself then local multiplayer and co-op were much enjoyed staples of my pre online days, single player was almost always where it was at though. Then they started wanting me to pay for online, something I have never done unless you count dial up costs on my dreamcast. I never once had an online 360 of my own or one readily accessible and would maintain it was probably one of the best periods of gaming ever for me. The idea that a banned device is worthless is then very odd, though I am of course more than happy to pay the pittance some consider them worth to get such a banned device if it still allows single player.

This is part of a series on GBAtemp where we consider game design, aspects of play and game industry concepts. Previously we discussed emulation vs hardware.

Spoiler: earlier editions

a favoured game style that might have become less common in recent times, skills one might have learned or honed because of a game, games on the PS4 and Xbone that will stand the test of time, games that got better after launch, cancelled games and shuttered devs, and story canon in games.

To that end you are invited once more to talk about the ideas raised in the text above and anything related to it you feel warrants mention.

 

[APartOfMe]

Honestly multiplayer is one of the most important aspects of gaming to me. I love the challenge of online. There's only so much you can do with cpu's in mk8, or rocket league. Splatoon 2 wouldn't be worth it at all without multiplayer, that's the main point of the game.

I don't think a banned switch is "useless", but In my opinion, it takes away a lot of the fun of an unvannun console.

 

[comput3rus3r]

Buy 2 Consoles. 1 for cfw 1 for online.

 

[haxan]

For me I've never really liked online multiplayer until smite got a ps4 port. Probably why I haven't even considered not updating it. As for my other devices (switch,3ds, Xbox 1) no game caught my attention yet.

 

[MasterControl90]

Buy 2 Consoles. 1 for cfw 1 for online.

If you are wealthy sure, yet not anyone can afford to buy two identical console. Personally the only hacked consoles I own are old ones which are way beyond their life cycle, since I don't really care about online capabilities of these oldies

 

[_v3]

I buy consoles for the single player exclusives that they offer, anything multiplayer I do on PC (better controls and free online play are the biggest reason).

 

[linuxares]

This is kind of hard for me. I'm a old fart now, I got responsibilities and not enough time. So Singleplayer games have really taken a swing back for me. Before I was all multiplayer, it was the best shit ever. Especially online! But now? Sure I play multiplayer games but a select few, and mostly it's coop games. I don't have the time and patient nor the reflexes as a 14-18year old kids.

 

[windhazard]

I buy consoles for the single player exclusives that they offer, anything multiplayer I do on PC (better controls and free online play are the biggest reason).

I will never get people who play fps games with controller instead of mouse + keyboard.

 

[eriol33]

I don't play online video games, I don't like having a requirement of other people's presence when playing my games.

 

[APartOfMe]

I buy consoles for the single player exclusives that they offer, anything multiplayer I do on PC (better controls and free online play are the biggest reason).

I do that too mostly. But there are games like mk8dx and splatoon 2 that you can't get on pc.

 

[DBlaze]

Depends on the game, but as time goes on my interest in say CoD / Battlefield / Team Fortress, etc. diminished to the point where I just don't bother anymore.
I'm not competitive enough to bother, but will play online matches for fun. Problem there is that nowadays it seems playing for fun isn't very much allowed anymore

I do still play some MMO's, generally because I have fun running instances and raiding, but even then there are people who take a game way too seriously to the point where it just becomes annoying

 

[guisadop]

I valued online play more (on consoles) when it wasn't paid. Now that it is (which I find outrageous) I really couldn't care less.

 

[geodeath]

I could not care less about online multiplayer at all. I would be happier if it did not exist at all to be honest as nowadays they spend part of the budget to make up online modes as it is 'the standard'. Local multplayer yes. So if my switch, ps4 or xbox one x is banned there is no difference to me at all sisnce i never buy digital either.

 

[Repl01d_rocsa]

I buy consoles for the single player exclusives that they offer, anything multiplayer I do on PC (better controls and free online play are the biggest reason).

i was going to say exactly that. Instead i prefer to quote

 

[PagaN]

The value of online play to me 0 eur.

 

[The Catboy]

I've never really been a big fan of online games. I can see the appeal to it and I do play games like Splatoon (2 now,) but I've just never been very interested in playing games online. I think it's partly because I enjoy playing with my friends in person and other part because I don't have very much time to dedicate to gaming consistently. Gaming online literally means I can't pause the game and that's something I need to do regularly. I need to make myself food, I need to clean up my apartment, I need to pay bills, I need to be able to walk away from my game at random points in time, something I can't do online. So online isn't appealing to me because I can't fit it into my life at the moment.

 

[geodeath]

I will never get people who play fps games with controller instead of mouse + keyboard.

Back in ps1 times fps games were bad because no consideration was done for console controls at all. For a long time now games are made to be used with a controller so it is no longer a problem. These days fps games have way more buttons than a typical wasd + mouse configuration so i would probably prefer to play with a controller on the pc as well.

 

[windhazard]

Back in ps1 times fps games were bad because no consideration was done for console controls at all. For a long time now games are made to be used with a controller so it is no longer a problem. These days fps games have way more buttons than a typical wasd + mouse configuration so i would probably prefer to play with a controller on the pc as well.

Good point, but gaming mouse also has a lot of button. Anyway mouse is a lot faster and more precise at aiming that mouse users destroy controller users easily to the point it is considered "pay to win":
https://www.pcgamer.com/mouse-and-k...ing-controller-users-in-overwatch-on-console/

 

[Dust2dust]

The best multiplayer experience one can have is local. Online with strangers is of no interest to me. I guess online with real life friends would be a middleground, but still not as good as local. A banned Switch would certainly not be worthless to me. Still plenty of stuff you can do with it.

 

[Deleted User]

I'll take CFW over Online play almost anytime. Sick of hearing how some twelvie has fucked my mom for the millionth time, I mostly play local/lan multiplayer.

If I get banned, I get banned, but that'll just instigate me to start pirating, since being banned puts EShop on lockdown. So IMO it's not really the user who needs to consider where the balance lies, but Nintendo/whatever company, as locking me out of purchases gives no choice BUT to pirate.