8 Major Worries For The Nintendo Switch In 2018
1. Can Nintendo Justify A Paid Online Service?
September 2018. That's the date that Nintendo itself has encouraged Switch owners to circle on their calendars for the long-awaited debut of the hybrid console's paid online service, with the time period between existing as a free trial period.
The burning question on everyone's lips, then, is how does the Big N intend to incentivise paying for the same service that, up until later this year, has remained free for all? Nintendo's breakdown of the perks includes the obvious (online play) as well as a dedicated app for smart devices (yay?), "ongoing access to a library of classic games" and "exclusive promotions," i.e. discounts.
All of that can be yours for €4 a month or €20 for a year (regional equivalents TBA) which, to be fair, is cheaper than either Sony or Microsoft's PlayStation Network and Xbox Live respectively, but is it enough?
Not really. At least not if Nintendo wishes to stay competitive. IGN notes that subscribers will get access to one free game download a month (NES & SNES mainly) which will only remain playable for the month until a full purchase is required.
Compare that to PS Plus or Games With Gold and, well, the discrepancy is glaring, and that's not even taking into account Microsoft's newly-christened Game Pass service that offers supreme value for money. Ninty needs to up its game, or else it risks the fanciful new model being dead on arrival.