Not only is the Nintendo Switch incredibly successful, but Nintendo’s small hybrid console is one of the best and most versatile gaming platforms you can buy today.
It’s already worth every penny as a standalone device, but you can get even more out of Switch by paying for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
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Play Online
The main value proposition of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is, of course, the ability to play online games. Without a subscription, you will be limited to playing only in single-player mode, and games that are purely online in nature, you will not be able to play at all!
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Save cloud games
The Switch is a portable system, so you are much more likely to lose or break it while away from home. Digital games can always be downloaded again and your Switch cartridges are unlikely to break, but your game progress is irreplaceable.
If you are subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online service, you can create cloud backups of your saved games every time you connect to the Internet. Now there is a serious caveat! This game must support Cloud Save to use this feature, so make sure the games you are interested in have Cloud Save listed as a feature.
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Voice Chat Features
Voice chat is a pretty standard feature in online gaming these days. All you have to do is plug your headset into your computer or console, and you too can make rude kids scream profanity in your ear for minutes.
Not so for Nintendo Switch For some unknown reason, the console does not support headsets at all. You can use regular headphones, but USB-C, Bluetooth, and wired headsets won’t work.
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If you’re paying a subscription fee, Nintendo has a workaround for voice chat. This requires the Nintendo app and a smartphone that allows you to communicate with other players. To be honest, this is a pretty clunky way to get voice chat in games. Instead, you can use an alternative like Discord, which you can use for free.
Access to classic games
Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch does not have a virtual console, as it did with past Nintendo machines. On older Nintendo consoles, you could purchase classic NES, SNES, N64 and other classics to play on new hardware.
The only way to play classic Nintendo games other than through a re-release is to subscribe to the online service, as this gives you access to the Switch Online NES and SNES apps.
In these apps, you’ll find carefully curated collections of classic games for Nintendo’s first two home consoles. You can’t choose which games to include, but Nintendo periodically adds new games for free. Moreover, the titles that are included include some of the well-liked titles.
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As for the NES, you’ll find Mario Bros 1-3, The Legend of Zelda and other hits from the Nintendo catalog. For SNES picks, there are games like Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mario Kart, and Star Fox 2. The title, which is only available on the SNES Classic, has never been released on original hardware.
Considering how much Nintendo has charged for these games in the past, and the fact that you’ve had to re-purchase them with every new console, the subscription-based game libraries are incredibly good value for money. Over time, the deal will only get better as more games and (possibly) new systems are added.
Exclusive Controllers
A Nintendo Online subscription gives you access to special official retro controllers that only club members can order. These controllers are designed to give you a more authentic experience when playing classic games.
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In all fairness, the standard Switch Joy Cons and Pro controllers are great for these classic games. Alternatively, you can buy some very good third party classic controllers from companies like 8BitDo that are 100% switch compatible, cost less, and work great. This is not really a reason to sell the service unless you are an avid Nintendo fan.
Game Coupons
Nintendo Switch Online membership does not give you access to special discounts like Playstation Plus, but it does save you money. Nintendo has unveiled digital vouchers for a select list of games.
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You buy a voucher at a fixed price and then you can get any two games from the list. You can also request one game now and then redeem a different voucher when another supported game is released. Within one year from the date of purchase.
How much money this will save differs as not all of these games have the same retail price. However, you usually save about $ 20 on every pair of games you buy. Just pay attention to the regular price so you don’t waste vouchers on cheaper games.
What is the cost?
As with most online services, the longer you prepay, the less you end up with. If you want to pay monthly, you’ll have to shell out $ 3.99 at the time of writing. Three months will cost you $ 7.99 and a full year will cost you about $ 19.99. Upgrading to an annual plan will save you nearly twenty-eight dollars. This is clearly the best option.
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Don’t forget that there is a 7-day free trial you can sign up for before committing, and four dollars isn’t too much for the next four weeks if you just can’t decide if it’s right for you or not.
If you have multiple switches in a multi-player home, the family plan is an absolutely fantastic deal. For $ 34.99 a month, you can cover eight Nintendo Accounts throughout the year. You can figure out how to get the most out of this, but it yields a minimum of $ 4.30 per account for a full year.
What you don’t need to switch online
Not every game requires a Switch Online subscription to use online multiplayer services. Free hits such as Fortnite and Paladins can be downloaded and played on any Switch with an internet connection, with no need to pay Nintendo at all. For games that do not require a Nintendo Online subscription, this is usually clearly stated in the online store description or on its own official homepage.
Obviously, you also don’t need a subscription to log into Nintendo eShop and buy games digitally. This subscription is only needed for multiplayer games.
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You do NOT need a Nintendo Online subscription to play games that support local multiplayer. For example, a game like Torchlight II or Mario Party will let you play with friends who bring their own switches with them without a Nintendo Online subscription or even without an internet connection.
So there you have it all that you now get with a Nintendo Online subscription. Of course, whether that money is worth the money depends entirely on how much you value it. We do expect Nintendo to make the deal more attractive over time, but since this is Nintendo, we are talking about it and no one knows when or how.
Is the Nintendo Switch Online Service Worth It?
Ok, let’s summarize the value proposition and find out if this service is right for you. If you want to play online games that require a subscription, this is not a problem. You should go to the service and have some fun with friends who are too far away for local multiplayer.
If you are a fan of retro games and there are games in the NES and SNES collection that you want to play, then $ 20 a year for a portable collection of classic games is a steal. So this alone is definitely the reason for paying the fee.
If you intend to buy two or more games from the coupon list within a certain year, then the money you save is already paid for for the year of the individual membership, which effectively makes it free. So this is a good scenario too, and most of us are going to buy two AAA Nintendo games a year from this list. In this case, it’s free money.
Cloud saves are another killer feature, but not enough to make the service worth it, but if you value your saved games for more than $ 20 a year then be sure to pull the trigger.
Overall, it costs money to sign up for the Nintendo Switch Online service for the vast majority of users, and you should at least try a week’s trial before ditching it entirely.
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