One of the more head-scratching announcements from the Nintendo Switch presentation was Nintendo’s decision to move to a paid online service for the console, following in the footsteps of Sony and Microsoft with their PlayStation Network and Xbox Live services. Despite Nintendo having never proven itself to be particularly competent when it comes to delivering online multiplayer in its games, the company wants us to cough up money this time around, leading to many complaints from those who assumed the Switch would follow in the footsteps of the Wii U by offering free online multiplayer. Unfortunately, the limited amount of information Nintendo has offered pertaining to this online service already presents a few problems.
Firstly, the Switch will feature its own spin on Microsoft’s Games With Gold and Sony’s Instant Games Collection, with Nintendo offering one solitary NES or SNES game to its members. However, these games will only be available to play for one month, with players then being asked to buy them after this trial period has concluded. This essentially means that, rather than getting a free game every month, Nintendo is giving Switch owners a free rental. When you consider that most of these games are over two decades old, this comes across as a money-grubbing decision on Nintendo’s behalf.
Then you have the revelation that the Switch will force players to use an app to manage its online features, rather than allowing them to do so from the console itself. Nintendo seems pretty proud of this idea despite it being remarkably asinine, with the company’s statement reading: “Our new dedicated smart device app will connect to Nintendo Switch and let you invite friends to play online, set play appointments, and chat with friends during online matches in compatible games ─ all from your smart device.”
In a recent interview, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime went into greater detail regarding why he believes that an app should be a requirement for the Switch’s online service. “The reason for [the app] is, it continues to reinforce our commitment to online, and do so in a way that will enable the consumer to enjoy their Nintendo Switch and to still be able to play those connected experiences—like Splatoon, like Kart, like fill in the blank—while they’re on the go,” he said. “Instead of having some sort of bulky gamer headset, you’ll be able to do it right off your smartphone, put in your earbuds that you use for your standard mobile device. We think that’s a pretty sweet solution. That’s part of the overall opportunity that we see in a subscription service.”
However, it’s incredibly difficult to consider this a step in the right direction for Nintendo, with it instead seeming like a cumbersome way of navigating its online service and using voice chat. When players want to talk to their friends while playing, they’ll now have to not only ensure that their smartphone is charged in order to do so, but will also have to ensure that it is held close enough to them that those they are playing with can still hear them. While Fils-Aime bemoans the “bulky” headsets used with the PS4, Xbox One and PC, in reality these headsets are popular because they work better than any alternative. It’s difficult to imagine people preferring to use Nintendo’s smartphone method than simply hooking up a headset to a controller, and is further evidence of Nintendo’s routinely odd approach to online gaming.
Hopefully Nintendo has a few tricks up its sleeve that will make the Switch’s online service a more attractive proposition, but the snippets of information we’ve received since its announcement have been disappointing. With the company having a poor track record when it comes to online gaming, it was already fighting an uphill battle in providing a service people would pay for, and these criticisms aren’t going to help its fortunes. If the service is reasonably priced then it stands a fighting chance, but if it aims to mirror the relatively high subscription fees requested by Sony and Microsoft, then we don’t hold out much hope for its success.
