StarTopic Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack |ST| New 2024 Poll Up

[TurtleRock]

... why?? The games are already on the eshop and 9/10 people are more excited for 64 or Gameboy lol

If this is the case (and I trust Emily here) then at the very least the nes and snes should get some of the more iconic third party games from that era. I'd be ok with the pricing if SNES and NES got Square, Capcom and Konami games. If Nintendo starts putting Contra, Final Fantasy, Megaman and Castlevania into NSO now we're talking. Right now with no sense of what the future holds I'm hesitant to dive in. I really feel like they needed a third console here and GBA seemed like the obvious choice.

 

[Mandos]

Hm, would be cool if this is what ensured Mario Party Superstars gets dlc

 

[Mocata]

I will definitely wait until there are way more games on there I’m interested in as I don’t play Animal Crossing.

I just wish they would announce details like how often games are going to be added.

 

[Deleted member 1141]

I think what's frustrating to me is the fact that we can't have both the above-style of delivery and also the options to individual purchase the games. I've really just wanted to have both, especially as I've ended up in periods where I was locked out of the Nintendo Online stuff due to being outside the renewal window (there's a lot of reasons why I couldn't access the internet on the Switch consistently). That's really all I want. Just give us both options.

 

[Dark Cloud]

they really need more compelling software offerings for this service... not just old games that I frequently forget are there...
I do wonder if they'll start including more DLC as part of the membership.

But there’s Musha or something coming

 

[Heron]

I kinda think Nintendo's older back catalogue has never had less value as it does right now and that's part of the reason why this is underwhelming.

Why?
1. The Switch has an insane library. More quality games at reasonable prices than anyone could ever play. In the past, this wasn't the case and returning to previous favorites made a lot of sense for a couple bucks. But now for 5-10 dollars you can get all kinds of incredible indie games on the e-shop.

2. We've all played these games on modern hardware. For those with a nostalgic connection to these games, getting to play them on the Wii was magical. A glorious and unexpected return to childhood. But since then, they've been on the Wii. They've been on Wii U. They've been on 3ds. Most of the Nintendo audience that would be interested in these games has already played them again, and the novelty of having access to them is lost. They don't even really move the needle on hardcore forums any more like they did back in 2006-2008, where SNES Roms would get replay OTs.

3. N64 games, being early 3d games, just don't age as well as SNES games. There's only a handful worth playing, and most of us have played them half to death already. Not a huge value add.

4. Nostalgia tends to work in 15-20 year periods. When you're 25 you're nostalgic for stuff that came out when you were 5 to 10 years old. When SNES games launched on the Wii, that was exactly 15 years after the SNES. Well, 15-20 years ago was Gamecube and GBA territory, but Nintendo will absolutely not be adding GC to the service, and currently isn't adding GBA. So we're stuck outside of the prime nostalgia zone.

It's just not the killer feature it used to be, imo.

 

[Naru]

I am 40+ and I have never played a N64 or Mega Drive game. I should probably get this?!

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

Okay, i have decided.

I'm not renewing PS Plus

I have been thinking calmly and i have barely played any of my PS Plus games, nor do i play online on my PS4

Meanwhile, me and my niece and nephew use the NSO stuff constantly, i just need to make some adjustments to my family group so i don't eat the full 70 € of the family group

 

[The Captain]

Wonder what people are gonna do in 6 months when Ninty announces Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Expansion Pass (16 brand new tracks + story mode), added to and exclusively on Nintendo Switch Online — Expansion Pack

Thats a pretty tough to swallow pill, I’d hope they keep both options available (like with Animal Crossing) for a separate purchase of the dlc rather than locking it behind the NSO service. I’d like to keep the dlc I pay for.

 

[Phendrift]

Oof my eyes literally widened, this is SO much more than I was expecting!

If AC DLC is thrown in, can they throw AOC’s in too? I don’t care about the former but the latter may make me bite

 

[Alent]

Holy moly lol. Glad i'll be doing a family plan with friends because i wouldn't be paying for the as an individual. I'd need Gamecube games to make it feel worth it.

 

[Josh5890]

Okay, i have decided.

I'm not renewing PS Plus

I have been thinking calmly and i have barely played any of my PS Plus games, nor do i play online on my PS4

Meanwhile, me and my niece and nephew use the NSO stuff constantly, i just need to make some adjustments to my family group so i don't eat the full 70 € of the family group

The only reason I have PS Plus was because I found a couple codes for $22/year. Otherwise I would be sitting out.

 

[diakyu]

They should have mentioned if the dlc is only for AC or if this will be a new thing with first party titles going foreword

 

[Kingo]

I am 40+ and I have never played a N64 or Mega Drive game. I should probably get this?!

If it’s all a brand new experience for you then it would probably be worth it. I think the issue most people are having is that they’ve already played most of these games many times before. For example, I already own almost all the starting Genesis games through various collections on the Switch. I’m just duplicating the catalogue on my system at this point.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Yeah I'm going to echo the common sentiment and say this was much more than I was expecting.

If my current group I share a family plan with upgrades then I'll probably do it (I won't be suggesting it myself) but otherwise I'm out.

Edit:

They should have mentioned if the dlc is only for AC or if this will be a new thing with first party titles going foreword

This would be an interesting idea and might bring me back on board if there's some good DLCs on offer. I don't even own AC so I don't really care about that DLC

 

[Barely Able]

I am 40+ and I have never played a N64 or Mega Drive game. I should probably get this?!

Considering the N64 games were $10 a pop on VC, then yes. I think you will get value as many of these offer hours of gameplay (assuming you like Nintendo style 3D games).

 

[GJ]

I don't think the price is that bad tbh. I'm a a little surprised by the outcry. The AC DLC on its own is €25 on top of a €20 NSO sub, while this bundle costs €40 and you also get N64 games (which were like €8 a piece on Wii U VC iirc) and Sega games with it. The family pack is a total steal, coming in at €8,75 a year each for a group of 8 people.

Of course if you're not interested in the AC DLC it's a bit steep, but even then it's still much cheaper than having to buy all the games seperately. Personally I don't really care for the Sega games and I'm still getting my money's worth and then some with the rest of the deal.

 

[ITSMILNER]

My main concern is if they do another tier adding more systems, how much will that end up costing :dread:

I wonder if Wii and GameCube games will continue to get proper retail releases and HD remastered rather than getting added to this service?

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

The only reason I have PS Plus was because I found a couple codes for $22/year. Otherwise I would be sitting out.

I did it mostly because i'm a heavy Gran Turismo and FG player.

However, when i got my PS4 i already played online only on my Switch, despite having a more than capable PC

The double price hike HURTS, but since i'm doing some fixing in my family group i guess i can get one or two extra people to help pay, and both my sister and i are Animal Crossing players so i'm sure she'll like the DLC (I'm not interested but hey, it's new content)

 

[GJ]

They should have mentioned if the dlc is only for AC or if this will be a new thing with first party titles going foreword

I don't think it's reasonable to expect much more, seeing as the AC DLC on its own already costs €25, while this upgrade only costs €20. Especially DLC for single player games I wouldn't really expect here. Maybe they'll throw in a Mario Party board or some Splatoon cosmetics down the line, seeing as it's an online service, like they did before with the €20 tier (exclusive Splatoon and AC items), but outside of that I shouldn't count on it.

 

[Hocot8]

I don't think the price is that bad tbh. I'm a a little surprised by the outcry. The AC DLC on its own is €25 on top of a €20 NSO sub, while this bundle costs €40 and you also get N64 games (which were like €8 a piece on Wii U VC iirc) and Sega games with it. The family pack is a total steal, coming in at €8,75 a year each for a group of 8 people.

Of course if you're not interested in the AC DLC it's a bit steep, but even then it's still much cheaper than having to buy all the games seperately. Personally I don't really care for the Sega games and I'm still getting my money's worth and then some with the rest of the deal.

I really think if Nintendo's online wasn't so shite that this would be an easier pill to swallow.

 

[Linkstrikesback]

Would people still say this was a bad deal

Yes because this is a massive strawman as most people will not have the means to reliably split the price 8 ways.

 

[Ozeiyo]

I can't believe this would be a hot take, but if Nintendo had announced back in 2017 that their online service would cost $50 per year (or $80 for a family plan of up to 8 people), then for a potential price of $10 PER YEAR would get:

-Access to awful Online Gaming and Services, including Cloud Backup that doesn't cover all games

-58 NES Games rolled out over 3 years

-49 SNES Games rolled out over 2 years

-16 N64 Games

-14 Sega Genesis Games

-More games to the above services to come in the future

-Free promotional games (Tetris 99, Pac-Man 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, etc) 3 games in 3 years, one of them can no longer be accessed.

-A DLC campaign for Animal Crossing: New Horizons that you won't own

Would people still say this was a bad deal?

The service might get good some day, but Nintendo never seems to do things just right.

 

[Dark Cloud]

My main concern is if they do another tier adding more systems, how much will that end up costing :dread:

I wonder if Wii and GameCube games will continue to get proper retail releases and HD remastered rather than getting added to this service?

I’m pretty sure Nintendo knows there’s only so far in the pricing they can go.

 

[Apopheniac]

I kinda think Nintendo's older back catalogue has never had less value as it does right now and that's part of the reason why this is underwhelming.

Why?
1. The Switch has an insane library. More quality games at reasonable prices than anyone could ever play. In the past, this wasn't the case and returning to previous favorites made a lot of sense for a couple bucks. But now for 5-10 dollars you can get all kinds of incredible indie games on the e-shop.

2. We've all played these games on modern hardware. For those with a nostalgic connection to these games, getting to play them on the Wii was magical. A glorious and unexpected return to childhood. But since then, they've been on the Wii. They've been on Wii U. They've been on 3ds. Most of the Nintendo audience that would be interested in these games has already played them again, and the novelty of having access to them is lost. They don't even really move the needle on hardcore forums any more like they did back in 2006-2008, where SNES Roms would get replay OTs.

3. N64 games, being early 3d games, just don't age as well as SNES games. There's only a handful worth playing, and most of us have played them half to death already. Not a huge value add.

4. Nostalgia tends to work in 15-20 year periods. When you're 25 you're nostalgic for stuff that came out when you were 5 to 10 years old. When SNES games launched on the Wii, that was exactly 15 years after the SNES. Well, 15-20 years ago was Gamecube and GBA territory, but Nintendo will absolutely not be adding GC to the service, and currently isn't adding GBA. So we're stuck outside of the prime nostalgia zone.

It's just not the killer feature it used to be, imo.

Worth noting that they're also competing with easy piracy on basically any device imaginable. Basically anything can run NES, SNES, and pre-3DS handhelds, and decent PCs can emulate N64, GCN, and Wii pretty well.

 

[Deleted member 1171]

Pretty sure this is exactly what I commented would be the pricing structure on the NSO Nate the Hate episode. Seems reasonable, even if that's an ubpopular opinion.

 

[DigitalMase]

I keep wondering what's happening with the GB and GBA games that were rumored. That could also be a big value add.

Right now, I think this is a big ask for an extra $30 a year if you don't play Animal Crossing.

 

[Mandos]

Just wait till they announce Mario Party Superstars dlc with NSO+ early release

I am 40+ and I have never played a N64 or Mega Drive game. I should probably get this?!

Totally, N64 games got all sorts of fun wacky and experimental because they were making the rules while the genesis lineup is straight up classics

 

[Beard]

Worth noting that they're also competing with easy piracy on basically any device imaginable. Basically anything can run NES, SNES, and pre-3DS handhelds, and decent PCs can emulate N64, GCN, and Wii pretty well.

It's been easy to pirate most of those platforms for decades. I don't think piracy really has much of an impact on Nintendo's pricing decisions and I don't think it has much, if any, impact on consumers subbing to NSO or not.

I also don't agree with the original point made that the perceived value of Nintendo's legacy software is the lowest its ever been - I'd actually argue it probably hasn't been higher. NSO is incredibly successful and as much as it pains me to say it, the expansion pack probably will be as well.

 

[Fraa]

No thanks. Yeah $50 a year isn't a lot in the big scheme, but compared to the competitors it is atrocious value. $30 more primarily just for N64 and Genesis games is just not worth it. Maybe if they add more DLC into the price point then it can become worth it in the future, but I'm absolutely not assuming that will happen. They aren't even including old DLC in this right now, so I definitely can't jump to the conclusion this will include anything but the Animal Crossing one. Plus, even if they do add more DLC in the future, the next Nintendo game that is likely to have DLC is months away.

There is just no reason at all to go in for this at the launch of this expansion plan.

 

[Jersh]

I guess we should've known that they wouldn't "devalue" their N64 catalog by offering it for ~$10 more a month. But $30 more, which is 150% of the price of the base sub, is just strangely excessive.

It doesn't vibe with the branding of "expansion pack". Expansion pack suggests something smaller than the base product that gets added to the base product.

To me it looks like an admission that the consumer doesn't factor in online access to the price when considering value if they really think this is worth 50% more than the base.

Though it really makes you wonder why they can't give online access for free if they think they can charge this much for retro games alone.

 

[Dark Cloud]

 

[Ahmed]

Oh God, they doubled the price. And I was thinking €35 is the most they could ask for.

This expansion pack isn't worth it if you're going for an individual sub. If I could find a group of people who share a family plan, then I'll bite.

And you won't even get to keep the DLC, you lose access if your sub expires. Which is fair if they'd add lots of free DLC with this expansion.

Yeah, I'm out.

 

[phyl0x]

geez the pricing...insane. if all first party DLC was free..sure...but geez.

 

[Mach]

I guess $10 a year for family plan seems okay but I hope they add more stuff so I can convince my friends to pay that price since they don’t play games much.

Otherwise yeah… that price increase oof.

 

[Clix]

I kinda think Nintendo's older back catalogue has never had less value as it does right now and that's part of the reason why this is underwhelming.


3. N64 games, being early 3d games, just don't age as well as SNES games. There's only a handful worth playing, and most of us have played them half to death already. Not a huge value add.

Pricing issue aside - because I definitely have them - I will offer a counter port. I think for the most part a lot of N64 games have aged because the best ones use stylized visuals with simple but colorful polygons. It's when games from that era tried to overshoot I feel have made them look... ugh. The PC version of FF7 with the higher resolution? I still it looks great. The models are simple but them being chibi and super stylized makes them seem in the style of SNES games in a way.

Now FF8? They were for much more complex designs and realism, and it does not look hot. So it depends on the game and art design.

Playing Mario 64 on All Stars, my only complaint was that damn camera. But I thought it still looked charming as heck.

 

[k samedi]

I Will buy it but I think they went up too far for what they’re offering. I suspect it will lead to more retro third party games in the future but that’s not a sure thing. I’m a big fan of the 64 library though so I will get this anyway but it kind of sucks that the price is so steep and it makes me wonder how they will add GC and Wii games with these kind prices.

 

[Apopheniac]

It's been easy to pirate most of those platforms for decades. I don't think piracy really has much of an impact on Nintendo's pricing decisions and I don't think it has much, if any, impact on consumers subbing to NSO or not.

I also don't agree with the original point made that the perceived value of Nintendo's legacy software is the lowest its ever been - I'd actually argue it probably hasn't been higher. NSO is incredibly successful and as much as it pains me to say it, the expansion pack probably will be as well.

Piracy is easy, but ten years ago emulation was still being done mostly on PCs, and emulation for consoles past SNES wasn't as consistent as it is now. The more casual audience may not know or care about these options, and base NSO gets uptake in part because it's used for online and cloud saves and such, but it's a lot harder to upsell a more core audience when they have alternatives.

 

[Jersh]

Lost in all this - I can't see Game Boy being included in the base NSO plan anymore. Seems much more likely to be an expansion pack thing now.

 

[Pokemaniac]

The immediate price hike is a bit steep, but assuming this is as high as it will go for the foreseeable future, it will probably justify itself in time as more platforms and third party games are added.

 

[Zalman]

It's a lot, but I think the goal here is to future-proof the price. From their perspective they would rather come out with a high price point than raise the price of the service a few years from now when they start adding even more systems. The value may not be there on day one for many, but I'm sure it'll get significantly better over time.

 

[Hocot8]

It's a lot, but I think the goal here is to future-proof the price. From their perspective they would rather come out with a high price point than raise the price of the service a few years from now when they start adding even more systems. The value may not be there on day one for many, but I'm sure it'll get significantly better over time.

Not a great stance to have tbh. The tried and true formula of gradually increasing the price of a service is the best way to do it.

 

[Twinsen]

You know, the price is really too high, at least for me. But the reason why I can't complain is because the cheaper option stays. I can kind of appreciate that nintendo at least has this very cheap option compared to the other 2.

Edit: I'll appreciate it more if SNES will still have games added.

 

[Vantell]

For only 3,33 EUR per month I can upgrade. And there is a chance I redo my island on Animal Crossing anyway to work on the island with my GF so that could work .

 

[lemonfresh]

I kinda miss the virtual console tbh, yeah you had to pay for the individual games but at least you got to pick and they had a really robust library on there

 

[Cantaim]

Definitely $10-$15 more expensive then I thought it’d be. I now fully understand why they choose to delay this news out of the original direct lol. I’ll probably get it as I’m a sucker and portable banjo and KAZOOIE will be my shit.

*my phone keeps auto correcting KAZOOIE to all caps so I shall keep it this way.

**damn it not again

 

[KilleyMC]

If I had a Switch I wouldn't subscribe, that's for sure, absolutely ridiculous price.

 

[Reinhard Schneider]

Well, twitter is now a shitstorm

 

[Ryosuke]

The immediate price hike is a bit steep, but assuming this is as high as it will go for the foreseeable future, it will probably justify itself in time as more platforms and third party games are added.

I honestly don't think this is the ceiling. GBA, GC and god knows, Dreamcast? might go for over 100 with the family plan, and I wish I was joking.

 

[raketenrolf]

Hmmmm not sure if I'll pay up for the expansion. I would love to play those N64 games but I am not satisfied at the pace they released games on the service in the past. Especially considering that you have to wait even longer if there are no games in an update that interest you. Gotta wait and see I guess.