Polygon - Nintendo confirms you will have to pay to use the Switch 2’s C button

I thought this was a joke thread like the one about it not curing aids. Holy shit color me shocked.

What the hell is Nintendo doing?
 
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Nintendo to people:

insult peasant GIF by History UK
 
I mean, they were pretty clear about this in the Direct, no? There's a 1 year trial period where everyone can try it out, and after that it's part of the Switch Online subscription. Why are people surprised?

I don't care because I'm never using this functionality anyway. It feels like something they came up with during the pandemic and are now releasing several years too late.
 
InterMusketeer said:
I don't care because I'm never using this functionality anyway. It feels like something they came up with during the pandemic and are now releasing several years too late.
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Party Voice Chat? Something that's been an online gaming staple for 20 years? You probably mean just the video aspect but the voice chat is also locked behind subscription, unlike PlayStation/Xbox.
 
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Mownoc said:
Party Voice Chat? Something that's been an online gaming staple for 20 years? You probably mean just the video aspect but the voice chat is also locked behind subscription, unlike PlayStation/Xbox.
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I mean the sharing screens, putting a little cutout of your face in there etc. The way they promote this feature is "you can play games online as if you were together."
 
Baemono said:
Polygon speculates here, I'm pretty sure the trial period until next year is to figure out what to do with the button if not used for chat, not leaving it unused
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That's not how console development works. Hardware is finalized way before launch. They don't leave button functionality in limbo for a year.
 
hemo memo said:
That's not how console development works. Hardware is finalized way before launch. They don't leave button functionality in limbo for a year.
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I mean we had to wait like 4 or 5 years before bluetooth headphones to be supported, but you're right, it might be a terrible take from me
 
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Punished Miku said:
I think people are taking their eye off the real problem and falling for clickbait. PS has a share button as well. You can technically use it for captures still, but it's kind of pointless without their sub.
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lol, you're basically spreading misinformation here with the whole "Share button being useless without sub", since you can use it for other things like uploading your screenshots and videos to the social media, or even broadcast your game using Twitch or Youtube, all without subscribing to the PS+.

Hell, you can use Discord on the PS5 without paying PS+, while Nintendo here charging your ass for it. 😂
 
I wonder if you press it without having a subscription, it takes you to the store page to buy a sub. That would be pretty funny.
 
This is really a non story.

However, it seems clear to me that Nintendo is almost certainly working on one or two massive games that will interest me at this point.

This thing was built for the new era.
 
So we're getting a button that's actually useless.. At least when the servers eventually shut down.

This just seems like a thing that really goes against their (past) development philosophy.

Times are changing.
 
Nothingburger. Anyone who has any use for this button will have an NSO sub anyway as it's a feature designed around online gaming.

Unless I am so out of touch and people really prefer booting up their console to chat with people instead of using discord on their phones or whatever else.
 
having voice chat behind a paywall is a really bad idea.

with the rise of free 2 play multiplayer games it will make the Switch 2 a way less attractive system for many if they can't party chat with friends and have to rely on often bad and of course not always private in-game chat systems.

they really should reconsider this. they could lock the screen sharing and camera chat behind the paywall, noone actually needs that in any real capacity, but keep the basic audio chat free, as it is a crucial feature for online MP titles, many of which are free 2 play and therefore don't need NSO to be played.



delishcaek said:
Nothingburger. Anyone who has any use for this button will have an NSO sub anyway as it's a feature designed around online gaming.

Unless I am so out of touch and people really prefer booting up their console to chat with people instead of using discord on their phones or whatever else.
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the most played online games are free 2 play games like Fortnite, and you do not need NSO to play these online.

Fortnite, Paladins, Overwatch 2, Disney Speed Storm, Fall Guys, Pokémon Unite, Apex Legends, Ninjala, Warframe, Brawlhalla, Rocket League... none of these need NSO, but all of them benefit from voice chat with friends. Rocket League for example doesn't even have an in-game chat afaik, pretty sure the same is true for Ninjala, Pokemon Unite and Brawlhalla, but I could be wrong
 
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I maintain my NSO membership to play NES and SNES games online with friends, but I'll still never use the C button for in-game chat.
 
It´s probably a lot worse: Every time you press the button accidentially, you will get a reminder to pay.
 
"But unless you have an active NSO membership, you'll have a whole button dedicated to nothing on your Switch 2. It doesn't even sound like you can remap it to something else. It will just be a reminder of the $19.99 you may or may not be handing to Nintendo every year."

Uh.....this better not pop up every single time I accidentally hit this poorly thought out, unremappable button.
 
Topher said:
"But unless you have an active NSO membership, you'll have a whole button dedicated to nothing on your Switch 2. It doesn't even sound like you can remap it to something else. It will just be a reminder of the $19.99 you may or may not be handing to Nintendo every year."

Uh.....this better not pop up every single time I accidentally hit this poorly thought out, unremappable button.
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You just look at the button and said prompt pops up kicking you out of a game asking for that $19.99 :)
 
Punished Miku said:
I think people are taking their eye off the real problem and falling for clickbait. PS has a share button as well. You can technically use it for captures still, but it's kind of pointless without their sub.
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Now tell us exactly what is paywalled behind the Create button with a Plus subscription? Not chat, not Discord, not broadcasting, not streaming, not gameplay capturing etc.
 
RoboFu said:
Its just an NSO membership .. don't get too excited haters. its only $20 a year.
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it's 20€ per account.
other consoles allow all users on the main console to use the benefits of their subscriptions, such as playing online and playing games included in the subscription.

so with NSO, if you have 2 people who use the system and want to use its online benefits you are at 40€ a year... if you have 3 people it's 60€...
and that's where the upsell offer for the Family Membership which is 35€ a year.

so in reality for many people it will be 35€/$ a year. and for what? so you can play like 2 games online that you otherwise couldn't, as all the free 2 play games that are taking up the bulk of people's time playing online these days can be played without NSO.

so in the end you could possibly be in a situation where all you want is an easy way to chat with friends while playing rocket league online, and that will cost you 20€ a year to do while it would be free on every other system out there. and if you have more than 1 person using that Switch and plays free 2 play stuff with friends, it's 35€ a year to chat online.

it's bad enough that console manufacturers still charge to play paid games online, but at least Microsoft gives you free cloud saves and voice chat, and Sony also has free voice chat... even tho they still charge for cloud saves.
 
Punished Miku said:
I think people are taking their eye off the real problem and falling for clickbait. PS has a share button as well. You can technically use it for captures still, but it's kind of pointless without their sub.

The issue isn't the system price. The issue really isn't the controller having an "online" button. The issue is software pricing.

1) Raising the price of software
2) Sub only BC games
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What? The share button has absolutely fuck all to do with PS+. I streamed for years without a sub plan, took hundreds of videos and screenshots.
This sounds like a severe case of "But Sony too", but i didnt think it would reach straight lying. A proper comparison would be if Sony locked Party chat behind PS+.
 
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