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- Aug 20, 2006
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Nintendo is really looking to cash in this time around. Not content with $80 controllers, the company will also be capitalizing on online services—not that there’s anything wrong with that, as their last service was free but really lacking compared to Microsoft and Sony’s offerings.
This is a departure for Nintendo, which has previously offered limited online services on a game-by-game basis (and, to some extent, on the platform level) for free on the Wii, Wii U, and DS lines. This new paid Switch service, on the other hand, seems broadly similar to the paid Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus plans that are required for online gameplay on Microsoft and Sony consoles. Nintendo is promoting some benefits of the new, paid, integrated system over the previous, more ad-hoc model. For one, Nintendo will now provide online lobbies and voice chat through a "smart device app" that lets players "invite friends, set play appointments, and chat during online matches in compatible games."
This is a departure for Nintendo, which has previously offered limited online services on a game-by-game basis (and, to some extent, on the platform level) for free on the Wii, Wii U, and DS lines. This new paid Switch service, on the other hand, seems broadly similar to the paid Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus plans that are required for online gameplay on Microsoft and Sony consoles. Nintendo is promoting some benefits of the new, paid, integrated system over the previous, more ad-hoc model. For one, Nintendo will now provide online lobbies and voice chat through a "smart device app" that lets players "invite friends, set play appointments, and chat during online matches in compatible games."