Nintendo has always been a little behind the curb when it comes to online services for their consoles, especially when compared with Sony and Microsoft. This makes sense because, since the Nintendo Wii, they have not really been competing on the same field as the two other console giants. This is little excuse for how lackluster their offerings in this department have been, however.
This changed for the better with the Nintendo Switch and its service, Nintendo Switch Online. The subscription grants access to a variety of features in addition to online play. Players get a library of classic games from Nintendo's past, access to free DLC, and even select cloud-saving features. It is a step in the right direction, but Nintendo still has room for improvement, as the entries below show.
8 Letting Users Buy Classic Games Individually
The virtual consoles of the Nintendo Wii and Wii U were a dream come true. The library of classic games available for purchase could have justified a console all on its own even without the Wii's original lineup. Nintendo Switch Online changes the format for the classic game catalog.
The games in the library are sort of free as long as players are subscribed. Nintendo regularly adds games, but they do not always hit it out of the park with their selections. Being able to buy and download them separately for a sense of ownership would be nice. This likely won't happen, though, since many subscribe to the service solely for the retro library.
7 Matchmaking In Retro Games
A lot of people got excited When it was announced that players could play N64 games online. Unfortunately, the reality is not quite as enticing. Players can only connect with friends, so nobody is jumping into matchmaking to play GoldenEye 007 or Mario Kart with random strangers.
Why isn't this a feature, though? Would it really be so hard to implement? If matchmaking was included in these older multiplayer games, it would certainly extend replay value for those who game alone.
6 Free Monthly Games
Those on PlayStation and Xbox are used to a steady flow of free games every month in addition to a service like Game Pass which offers a huge library for download to subscribers. Nintendo should think about offering up a similar pack of goods.
Obviously, it is too much to ask for heavy hitters like Zelda or Mario since Nintendo heavily values its first-party lineup and these series do not release games often. However, the Switch is home to many indie titles from other studios and publishers. A free monthly game could help a lot of smaller titles get good and much-needed publicity.
5 Getting Rid Of Friend Codes
Nintendo has thankfully made adding friends a little easier this time around than with previous generations. On Wii and Wii U players had to use friend codes in order to put them on their friend list. Now there are a couple of more alternatives like adding someone who is in close physical proximity.
The question still remains, though; why are friend codes still a thing at all? They should be cut out entirely and players should be able to select their own usernames.
4 Start Button On N64 Games When Using One Joy-Con
The Switch offers several different ways to play a single game. It is cool that this feature extends to the retro titles too so that four people can enjoy a game at the same time with just two sets of joy cons. However, there is curiously no way to press start on an N64 game when playing with a single joy-con.
This means that if players do not account for it in the setting beforehand, they can get stuck at a game the moment they need to press start to continue. This is a pretty harsh oversight and should be corrected soon.
3 Better Sorting Of Purchased Games
Those who have a lot of digital purchases have probably run into the headache of redownloading older games. They are simply organized in alphabetical order, meaning players have to go all the way to the bottom of their list if they want to play something with a z in the title.
The competing console manufacturers have long since found better ways for players' growing libraries to be sorted and give players plenty of options. If purchases are going to carry over into the next system and libraries are going to get even bigger, Nintendo needs to figure out a way to make the store a little neater.
2 Better Internet Overall
Nintendo is not known for its online multiplayer games. Titles like Splatoon 3 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate certainly have a loyal community and get a lot of mileage from their multiplayer offerings.
It's just a shame that Online functionality for the Switch is not as advanced as PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. It is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessors, but the entire infrastructure needs improvement. Before the OLED Switch, the docks didn't even have an ethernet port, which shows how much of a priority fast internet is for Nintendo.
1 GameCube Games
It is difficult to want more from the retro library when Nintendo added both Game Boy Advance and Game Boy titles by surprise during a Nintendo Direct. However, it feels weird that the GameCube is over 20 years old and isn't a part of the retro lineup yet.
With remasters like Metroid Prime being so successful it makes one think that they'll make more money remastering those games. While this makes sense, there are still plenty of games that aren't popular enough for a remaster yet still deserve to see the light of day again. A GameCube section for retro games would be the perfect place for titles like this.