After announcing that they'd eventually have some kind of online service and then keeping the details of it quiet for over a year, Nintendo rolled out the Nintendo Switch Online Service yesterday. The long and short of it is this: with the exception of free-to-play games, any title you want to play online with friends will require everyone to have an active membership. But, there are some benefits.
Earlier this week, Nintendo finally revealed their plans for their online subscription service. Dubbed "Nintendo Switch Online," this service will be required when it launches in September in order to enjoy online co-op with friends for current titles, like Splatoon 2, and future ones as well. Other than the official name, that's nothing particularly new. What is new is that getting that subscription will also give you access to a library of classic NES titles that will include online capabilities for those that support multiplayer.
Online subscriptions for MMO titles are normally a big money sink for gamers, but sometimes things change for the better. In a few months, The Elder Scrolls Online will be losing its required subscription based model to play in favor of a new offering.
Though PlayStation Now has been open to all gamers for a few months now, there has been a desire from the community for a subscription based version of the service. Well, beginning on January 13th, a PlayStation Now subscription program will become available to PS4 owners, giving players the opportunity to have instant and unlimited access of over 100 PS3 games!
When free-to-play access available for a game, there's little to no reason not to give it a go at least once. Gamers who own an Xbox 360 currently have the opportunity to try out the open beta for Warface, now underway!
