What features and pricing do you expect/want regarding Switch Online?

J

Joelstinton14

Member
When Nintendo announced that the Switch will have a paid for online service, the last free console online service died with it. It is fair to say that this was to some degree expected, but the ambiguity about the service as left a lot of people frustrated, and understandably so. Although i do expect Nintendo to have a direct in the coming weeks to unveil their plans.

With many functions of a console designed around online functionality, I think it is also fair to say that money has to be invested into maintaining security, servers, and development of new features as well as general maintenance. On the flipside it could be seen as a cash grab - PSN alone made more money that nintendo did in the last FY and you can see why Nintendo would want a slice of that pie.

Nintendo have a lot of work to do to prove that their services are worth paying for. It is also an issue that could seriously derail the launch of the Switch and lose a lot of good will and customers. So i guess Nintendo have to play a balanced hand. I don't believe that they have announced all of their plans and foolishly only mentioned parts of it.

So what features do you want to see and what prices? What would you be happy paying, and if they did have £40 a year pricing what do you expect?

Personally I'm looking for flexibility in their online pricing. I think one of the biggest problems facing online charges is that i don't always play online, actually very rarely, but I appreciate that Sony offer 1 month subscription for £4.99. I like to see that to some degree, price depending on overall service. Also if you are not keen on a title you can effectively just decide when you want to jump in and play online.

For the longer term subscriber, if they were going to have basic online services- account, e-shop, discounts, 1 game a month etc, £20, or £15.99 seems about right, especially in context with PSN offering up to 4 games a month at times.

If they were going to the full haul, I like them to try something different, perhaps their game on service games - Mario kart or Splatoon - all dlc becomes free, but then again, maybe not all gamers like those titles , so the value may not be there for some. But it keeps user bases together which has its own advantages. But i think the obvious model they should have followed is making it optional. Like PS3 Psn. Allow users to decide whether they want to invest into it.

Much as been made of Nvidia Shield streaming services, and i wonder if Nintendo have something similar, and if you could get access to that in some form with a subscription, than the full £40 might be worth it, alongside standardised features that the others offer.

So what are you expecting Gaf?
 
$30 annually. $15 for 3 months. $8 a month; doubtful it will be this affordable.

- Discounts
- Account bound purchases (not console-bound)
 
Joelstinton14 said:
When Nintendo announced that the Switch will have a paid for online service, the last free console online service died with it. It is fair to say that this was to some degree expected, but the ambiguity about the service as left a lot of people frustrated, and understandably so. Although i do expect Nintendo to have a direct in the coming weeks to unveil their plans.

With many functions of a console designed around online functionality, I think it is also fair to say that money has to be invested into maintaining security, servers, and development of new features as well as general maintenance. On the flipside it could be seen as a cash grab - PSN alone made more money that nintendo did in the last FY and you can see why Nintendo would want a slice of that pie.

Nintendo have a lot of work to do to prove that their services are worth paying for. It is also an issue that could seriously derail the launch of the Switch and lose a lot of good will and customers. So i guess Nintendo have to play a balanced hand. I don't believe that they have announced all of their plans and foolishly only mentioned parts of it.

So what features do you want to see and what prices? What would you be happy paying, and if they did have £40 a year pricing what do you expect?

Personally I'm looking for flexibility in their online pricing. I think one of the biggest problems facing online charges is that i don't always play online, actually very rarely, but I appreciate that Sony offer 1 month subscription for £4.99. I like to see that to some degree, price depending on overall service. Also if you are not keen on a title you can effectively just decide when you want to jump in and play online.

For the longer term subscriber, if they were going to have basic online services- account, e-shop, discounts, 1 game a month etc, £20, or £15.99 seems about right, especially in context with PSN offering up to 4 games a month at times.

If they were going to the full haul, I like them to try something different, perhaps their game on service games - Mario kart or Splatoon - all dlc becomes free, but then again, maybe not all gamers like those titles , so the value may not be there for some. But it keeps user bases together which has its own advantages. But i think the obvious model they should have followed is making it optional. Like PS3 Psn. Allow users to decide whether they want to invest into it.

Much as been made of Nvidia Shield streaming services, and i wonder if Nintendo have something similar, and if you could get access to that in some form with a subscription, than the full £40 might be worth it, alongside standardised features that the others offer.

So what are you expecting Gaf?
Click to expand...
If I am to pay for online? I want to be able to download any NES game I want and not just let them choose one for 30 days. If I pay, I want something back for it. Like Sony her streaming service.
 
I want a game library I can keep, not rent for a month.

If I have to pay 3-5 dollars for said game...

I guess that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
 
I want voice chat through the console itself.


Seriously though, PS+ like discounts/sales. And it can't be more than 40 a year for what they're offering so far.
 
- True account system
- Cloud saves

Those are the most important features. With the current VC "bonus" I'd somewhat happily pay $15 per year.

I'd pay $30 per year if they add unlimited access to a couple NES/SNES VC games per month

What I would really like and pay $60 per year for is Unlimited Access to all VC games on the system up to and including N64. An Alternative would be a $30-tier like system with GCN and Wii VC games added to the mix.
 
I think "Nintendo Net" would be a good name.

$5 per month tops, I think. I don't play much online MP at all generally so I'm not the target audience but that sounds like a reasonable price to me.

Features, well, we've got the free for one month S/NES game. I don't think it would be wise if services like Netflix eventually come to paywall them behind Nintendo Net.

I'd hope for Nintendo themed avatars. That would be neat. I wonder if a Miiverse replacement would be included.

Bonus discounts on sales for MyN members are a thing, so maybe an additional 10% for Nintendo Net members would be reasonable.

Abilidebob said:
An ACTUAL account system.
Cloud saving.
Click to expand...

KHlover said:
- True account system
- Cloud saves

Those are the most important features. With the current VC "bonus" I'd somewhat happily pay $15 per year..
Click to expand...

I really hope the cloud saving is not locked behind a paywall. For those uninterested in online MP but eager for cloud saves it seems rough to pay to get it.

KHlover said:
I'd pay $30 per year if they add unlimited access to a couple NES/SNES VC games per month
Click to expand...

What would be different from what they're offering now? I'm kind of murky on what they're offering now but it's use of a single pre-selected S/NES game per month, with added online MP, right? So is your proposed idea two games rather than one, or something else? Forgive me if I misunderstood, Nintendo's announced plans are confusing me a bit.
 
It will be very, very cheap. I'm convinced.

Honestly give me stability and actually good discounts (maybe a return of the Wii U digital discount program?) and I'll be fine. I don't expect much. Online NES/SNES games should be cool.
 
~€20-25 a year max
have cloud saves!
storage for screenshots/vids taken in game would be nice
that monthly VC rental could have some extra bonus material
default discount on eShop purchases
some Miiverse-like features integrated into a friend list that is easily accessible (obviously RIP drawings, I guess)

can't think of much else right now. don't give a shit about voice chat, for example.
 
I want them to change their minds about a lot of things at this point. Either:

Pay a smaller yearly fee but still get to keep your monthly free VC game (maybe like 30-40)

or

Pay a larger fee and get access to the full Virtual Console library, ala Netflix (I'd probably pay 80-100 a year for this as long as the library was robust)


Things like party chat and friends list don't really affect me because none of my friends grew up playing/care about Nintendo, but Nintendo should make it work with the device itself - none of this weird smartphone bullshit. I like the idea of being able to manage it all through an app (playing PS4 and adding friends to my party/message people on my phone would be WAY better than having to back out of the game as we do now) - but it shouldn't be the only way we're able to do it. As long as the servers/connection are stable and I get on there and play some Kart/Smash/Splatoon without issue, I'm happy paying for the amount as per what I said above.
 
NippleViking said:
$30 annually. $15 for 3 months. $8 a month; doubtful it will be this affordable.

- Discounts
- Account bound purchases (not console-bound)
Click to expand...

This is a good start. Really, if the online is cheap ill consider buying the bullet. I don't care about the other stuff. I just want to hop online from time to time.
 
purchases tied to an account not a device.

This is not a want for me though. It is a requirement for me to buy the system.
 
shouamabane said:
I want something unique that is worth the money.
Click to expand...

Like the Switch?

double-thumbs-up.jpg
 
I really just want voice chat and lobbies on the system itself.

If not that it better be cheap or the Switch will just be a local multi machine for me.

If annual pricing is too much, $5 a month would be good for just jumping in and playing on a whim, at the very least.
 
I'm very curious about the online features in NES/SNES games. Is this straight up online multiplayer? Or more like leaderboards?

It would be very nice if they could implement online multiplayer in a lot of their VC catalog. I would definitely be happier paying if this was enabled.

Grym said:
purchases tied to an account not a device.

This is not a want for me though. It is a requirement for me to buy the system.
Click to expand...

This is the case for 3DS and Wii U. What you want is the ability to transfer accounts to other devices easily. Which would be nice, yes.
 
Real Dedicated Servers
Cloud Save
Indie and minor game should have the possibility to use Nintendo Server without cost
Good Netcode on first party

No need for games with the account I prefer a price as small as it can get
 
Uh my wishlist would require Nintendo to take community feedback into account and drastically change their plans, but I'll give it a shot:

Right now I can't imagine paying more than $30 a year for what they're offering. I could bump that up to $40-50 if they were to meet my wishlist:

-Proper modern account features management features. I should be able to sign in to my device and have access to download anything I've purchased before; no more system transfer goofiness.
-The app has to be optional. Social features should be integrated into the device, including voice chat & parties. I obviously don't know the architecture of the system, but whatever taxation the video recording & sharing feature is taking should be secondary to social features in my opinion.
-At least two free VC games a month from ANY generation. Ideally one NES/SNES and one N64/GBA/GC (assuming it has GC VC). Occasional Switch/Wii (once again, assuming pro controller ports are possible) games as time goes on too. No borrowing bologna; get in the month and keep forever (or as long as subscribed).
-Cloud storage for saves, screenshots, and videos would be nice but wouldnt be a totally deal breaker.
-They better get god damned Netflix on this thing in the next 6 months. Assuming they do, the download and go feature thats on mobile now would also be great, but not a deal breaker.
-In my experience most Wii U games had shiiiiiit netcode and laggy as hell online play (lookin' at you Smash). Not sure who was to blame for that, but that better not be the norm here.
-DEEP SALE DISCOUNTS. Nintendo eShop sales have historically been really really bad. 10% off a game that came out 4 years ago? Yeah, no thanks. They NEED to get on PSN and XBL's level here, especially if they want me to commit to a digital library.
 
Maybe online fee might be worth it if the thing secretly has a 4G connection in there and that fee pays for anywhere-online, but I don't think thats particularly likely.
 
maxcriden said:
What would be different from what they're offering now? I'm kind of murky on what they're offering now but it's use of a single pre-selected S/NES game per month, with added online MP, right? So is your proposed idea two games rather than one, or something else? Forgive me if I misunderstood, Nintendo's announced plans are confusing me a bit.
Click to expand...
Right now you get one game for one month, afterwards you can't play that game anymore and get a new one.

What I want is more than one game per month that stays in your account forever and is playable as long as you're subscribed to the service.
 
At the very least they really need to enable you to take care of all online features WITHOUT a smart phone. You're already paying for the service, you shouldn't have to use a smart phone to access your friends list.

Price should be less than PS+/XBL...$30 seems decent depending on the actual quality of the service
 
Cloud saves could push me to pay for the service.

I also hope it's cheap. I don't really care about the rental system. The "free game" system companies use to entice consumers doesn't excite me at all. I already have enough games as is haha.
 
With the features we already know of I'm not getting it unless it's like <10&#8364; a year. Which it won't be.

For a similar price to what Sony and Microsoft are offering I would want :
- Cloud saves
- Voice chat/party chat
- Decent "free" games offer
- Better account system
- Not having to buy my VC titles for a 3rd or 4th time
- Not having to rely on my phone for anything
 
They better not pull a dick move and lock non-multiplayer features behind a paywall.

Based on general Switch/game/accessory pricing so far, I think their online service will be undervalued and overpriced.
 
In return for my monthly payment I'm happy with access to online games, consistent servers and the deeper discounts or something as a perk. I don't care much about games tied to it. It's a nice idea but I barely touch most most games that are part of plus or gold. If they want me to pay for basic online gaming, give me basic online gaming and I'll be happy. Nothing more, nothing less.

However, keep it cheap and simple so parents will happily pay it for their kids. My biggest problem with paid online on the switch is nothing to do with me, I just really dislike the idea of a kid trying to trade pokemon or visit each other in animal crossing and being hit with a sub reminder, it's just a total bastardisation of the experience for kids in my mind so keep it cheap and unobtrusive.

I'd actually love if there was a way of verifying the accounts age so kids under x age could go free and have their own play lists.
 
What I want:
- $30 a year pricing
- Frequent discounts on digital titles
- Cloud saves
- Digital purchases tied to your account
- "Free" games that aren't decades old VC titles

What I expect:
-Fuck all
 
I hope it's about the same as EA Access for the price. I hope the sales are better than on 3DS. I hope they add basic online features (party chat, cloud saves, achievements/trophies for profile comparisons, easy to access friend lists). I hope purchases are linked to the account instead of the console.

And I also hope you can get your previous 3DS/WiiU purchases for free if they release on Switch. Let me bring my VC games around.
 
Don't give a shit about online play or anything asssociate with online gaming, just want steady discounts on games, rewards for purchases, and a proper account system I can carry between systems and into the future.
 
I would like one of the included online VC games to be NES Ice Hockey and it not to be bound to one month.

For this I would pay $100/month.
 
Just tell me smash will have some decent matchmaking that isn't a lagfest and I'll pony up.

Don't tie my purchases to my hardware either.
 
I'm honestly hoping that it's just less expensive than PS+ and XBLG. That being said, the overall cost and benefits added will be the big "if" for me. If their discount program ends up being good enough and applies to new games, I can see myself buying in just for that.

The game rental could also be neat, but I doubt I'd use the chat app. I don't even use party chat on my PS4 or Xbox One right now because I'm generally playing games while my wife is asleep next to me. I should add that no matter what, I'll probably try it out for about a year regardless. It would have to be a $60/year service that only offers a chat app for me to want to avoid it entirely.
 
I would like it to also be able to buy a day pass which enables you to play online for 24 hours. I play online very rarely and unregularly so I don't want to pay for a whole month/year if I play online only some random days.
 
$20-30/year max - I don't believe it'll be as robust as the competitors especially with the whole smartphone app for voice chat BS.

Unified account system is a MUST - They need to let us be able to log in into any console. If my system breaks, I shouldn't need to call or ship my console back to get my digital games back.

Cloud saves - Pretty obvious why.
 
£40
Cloud saves
Account based purchasing
The monthly game better be good and better have an "event" tied to it e.g. a community totaliser of coins collected or online leaderboards or something

MAYBE a prize tied to coming in the top 10 for speedruns or leaderboards or something. Would need video proof of not glitching or cheating to get the prize.
 
I wanted this to be free, but what can I do.

I expect similar pricing with some really weird extra feature that people don't get.
Like already people are not getting what Nintendo are trying to do with this 1-(S)NES-Game-A-Month-And-A-Month-Only approach:
They will put up Kirby's Dream Course, and people are like "IT'S ONLY FOR A MONTH", but holy shit, it will have online multiplayer! So you can play Kirby's Dream Course online with random people for a month!!
I actually really like the idea, and think it solves their issue that they don't have a lot of games to just give away for free when people will happily buy them for 5$ a pop.

All the people asking for a complete VC availabilty for like 60$ a year seem crazy to me. Remember how much the NES Classic Mini sold - that was 30 games for 70€ (don't know how many $ this is, the € is also a bit crazy these days).

These games have much higher value overall, and if they priced the service accordingly, it would be a disaster.
PS+ library is only big if you sub for the service for years - and even then it's nowhere near the library size and value of all of Nintendos VC games.

But from what I've seen, it could be much cheaper - like, if it's 10$ a year, I don't have any issue, even if it's as barebones as we think it might be now. Pokemon Bank is the only thing I can derive things from, and that seems very reasonably priced.

What I REALLY want, in a "massive need" kind of way:
- Cloud Saves
(because I am paranoid about my external hard disk drive breaking, and loosing my beautiful Xenoblade Mechs on my Wii U enough already)
With 32GB storage, this is really a must. I will not accept substitutes.

The only thing I wanted from an account system was to allow me to add two (!) 3DS consoles to it, but it's not going to retrocatively work now with the Switch, and I don't really see myself buying two Switch systems (I wanted to buy a N3DS, but the account system held me back). So I'm not too fussed about it - the thing is portable, and I can just bring it to a friend if I want to play games there? If they make the transfer easier when you sell or rebuy the console, that's enough for me.
 
Going by what we know so far... What they're currently offering is a complete joke. It is literally worth close to nothing in its current state.

If they have a true account system (w/ some form of achievement system as a bonus), offer real servers and let u keep titles in your playable list for the duration of the subscription then I could see paying a few bucks a month... Maybe $30-$36 / year. They don't have the track record or the MP games lineup to justify charging anything more than that. Which means they'll charge $60+/year for the privilege of playing Splatoon and MK8 online... Two games, by the way, u can still play online for free on Wii U....
 
I don't really mind not keeping the NES/SNES games; I already own a ton of them and I doubt I'll be playing them much anyway, I don't think owning them in yet another medium is going to make or break a subscription service for me. I also understand an online service has to pay for its infrastructure and I trust they'll implement a decent account system, with cloud saves and all that jazz to justify it. I do want them to price it appropriately though, somewhere around $25 a year would be my ideal price point, $30 tops. I'm not a huge online gamer but I see myself paying that for the occasional MK/Splatoon game and stuff like Puyo Puyo Tetris, Bomberman, etc
 
KHlover said:
Right now you get one game for one month, afterwards you can't play that game anymore and get a new one.

What I want is more than one game per month that stays in your account forever and is playable as long as you're subscribed to the service.
Click to expand...

Ohh, gotcha. Thanks. Yeah, that'd be great.
 
Full access to your previously purchased vc titles. Ideally that would happen regardless but that's too much lost revenue for Nintendo. Allow offline play but require logging in once a week to keep games unlocked.

The free monthly vc title should not go away ever month

Eshop discounts

Miiverse access

$3-4 a month
 
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