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Nintendo Switch Online, a Paid Subscription Service Required For Console Owners To Access Internet-Enable Features Like Multiplayer Mode, To Launch This Evening (variety.com)
Nintendo announced Tuesday that its paid Nintendo Switch Online service will launch "later this evening," and that to prepare for the launch it will be taking the Switch eShop offline starting at 8 p.m. ET. From a report: It's expected to be unavailable for up to three hours, it said, putting the launch of Switch Online about 11 p.m. Tuesday night. Nintendo Switch Online comes with a seven-day free trial for all Nintendo Account holders. The official website for the service notes that it will cost $4 for a month, $8 for three months and $20 for a year. A family membership, which supports up to seven others in a family group, will run for $35 for a year. The Nintendo Switch Online service, which will be free to users to try for seven days, will be required for console owners to access any internet-enable features, including multiplayer and cloud saves. It will also grant them the ability to play 20 different Nintendo Entertainment System games at launch, although Nintendo hasn't revealed the entire lineup yet.
Videogame consoles are lagging behind Android devices regarding accounting. When you get a new Android device, using the same account, you can restore your settings (screen, wallpaper, previously connected networks, etc), and optionally, you can restore installed apps. Not to mention that most game saves are stored in G+ account, so they'll be restored too. Aside the problem downloaded content size (anyway, optionall to download again), I cannot see why Sony/MS/Nintendo are not implementing this, giving the previous generation (X360, PS3) hardware problems. Of course, I believe some restrictions should be applied (maybe only 1 console can use the same account at the same time, or something like that).
I've never had and never will have game consoles. Can you even play single-player games on this thing at all?
You can, but there's no way to back up your saves. The only backup is to Nintendo's cloud, and not all games even support that. Nintendo has been criticized for only making games and systems for non-serious gamers before, but it was always only half-true at most. This time, it's completely true.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I love my Switch, and you not only CAN play single-player games, but there is no shortage of amazing single-player experiences out there. These are pretty much the only sorts of games I play and enjoy. If you are assuming all console gaming now is online multi-player, you're sorely mistaken and grossly out of touch of the reality of the game market.
One of the main reasons I'll be buying the online service is for the save game backups, honestly. However, I'm furious about the fact that the feature is left out of some games because the games have some online aspects. Splatoon 2 was originally on my "maybe" list but is now firmly banished because of no backup. I'm worried that Animal Crossing (which I genuinely love) will get the same treatment.
While I am mostly against fees for Online play in general, I do understand that the infrastructure (servers, what-not) has to be maintained somehow. MS charges $120/year for Gold and the PS4 Online charges are similar. The N is charging 1/3 that for up to 8 accounts ($35/yr). Gold gives[1] you (theoretically) 1 AAA game for the One and 1 AAA[2] for the 360. The N gives you 20 NES games (that re-authorize monthly) and online save storage.
[1] The XB1 games are only licensed. Once you drop your gold, they will no longer play - "This title is no longer licensed for your system" - or some such. The 360 games are yours to keep, but as with the XB1 titles, none of the online features will work.
[2] Xbox AAA includes ports of titles from other consoles, like Sega's "Wonder Boy in Monster Land" (Sega Master System, 1988) port for this month. A 30 year old game.
How is [console lock-in] different from being locked into windows?
Consider two differences between a PC running Windows and an Xbox One running the Windows 10-derived Xbox One system software:
PC users are not locked into Windows Most PCs can have a second operating system installed, except for those whose hardware has missing or broken drivers for anything but Windows. (One example is the ASUS Transformer Book T100TA.) The phenomenon of Restricted Boot, where an x86-64 PC's owner cannot disable UEFI Secure Boot or reconfigure its keys, was banned in the Windows 8 era and rejected by the market in the Windows 10 era. Windows users are not locked into Microsoft Store Windows users can install other stores (such as GOG, Humble, Steam, or Origin), download stand-alone executable installers, or build applications from source code. Microsoft's attempt to extend the Windows brand to more locked-down devices (those running Windows Phone 7, 8, and 10, Windows RT, and Windows 10 S) largely failed in the market.In exchange for this lock-in, consoles offer alleged ease of use.