Nintendo fans have been waiting to learn more about the upcoming Nintendo Switch Online service for months, and the details finally dropped during the recent Nintendo Direct. Unfortunately, what the company revealed disappointed many, and it seems the downfalls are still coming, as two new flaws have come to light.
The first problem is players have discovered that in order to continue playing NES games available via a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, a weekly check-in is required. This means that players who can't access the internet for a prolonged period of time will be locked out of the NES classics that are being offered, even if their membership to Nintendo Switch Online is still active.
The second issue is that Nintendo's FAQ indicates that cloud saves will be deleted from their servers if a user's subscription lapses. If a gamer's payment bounces or they simply forget to renew at the end of a subscription period, Nintendo will not keep the cloud saves once the subscription has lapsed:
"Save data stored with Save Data Cloud cannot be kept outside of the duration of your Nintendo Switch Online membership. Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online also uses the Save Data Cloud, so the same applies."
Players can continue to play using the saves that are saved on the Switch itself, but something were to occur and the saves on the Switch were lost during that time, the player would be out of luck.
These Nintendo Switch Online issues are just the latest drawbacks that have some gamers doubting whether it's worth paying for the service right now. The millions of Splatoon 2 players are currently being left out in the cold when it comes to cloud saves in an effort to avoid cheating, putting saves with hundreds of hours of playtime at risk. Furthermore, Nintendo is sticking with the voice chat app, and it doesn't appear to be adding any kind of text chat system to the console, either.
On the positive, Nintendo Switch Online is an extremely inexpensive service in comparison to Xbox Live and PS Plus, at only $20 per year if paid in advance. Nintendo has also claimed that special offers for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will be coming, with more information to come in the future.
It's up to players to decide if the numerous drawbacks of the Nintendo Switch Online service are still worth the cost. Ultimately, not paying means losing the ability to play online. Those who do subscribe should be mindful to maintain their subscriptions and regularly log online, or risk losing two of the biggest benefits of the service.
Nintendo Switch Online will begin on September 18th.
Source: Nintendo