Online services continue to evolve in the gaming industry. Xbox has made waves with Game Pass, while PlayStation continues to innovate PlayStation Plus subscribers with some of the best titles publishers have to offer. Meanwhile, in Nintendo's corner is Nintendo Switch Online, which is certainly the cheapest of the three premium console services, but with less buck comes a whole lot less bang.
As the service only offers online play, a handful of exclusive free-to-play titles, and a library of retro games, Nintendo Switch Online has often been criticized for its perceived lack of value. When stacked next to other content-rich services, one has to wonder why Nintendo hasn't attempted to emulate its competitors. The company's refusal to bend to industry trends is a product of Nintendo's influential imprint on the industry, the success of the Switch, and the company's unwavering desire to march to its own beat.
Nintendo's Legendary Library
Nintendo has some deep roots in the video game industry. The Nintendo Entertainment System launched in 1983, predating the PlayStation 1 by 11 years, and the original Xbox by 18. Before its competitors, Nintendo's early systems amassed a massive catalog lined with several games that, nowadays, are considered to be some of the best and/or most influential games of all time.
It's clear that Nintendo games are thought of very highly. Unfortunately, playing them is not always an accessible affair. Unless it's Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda, many Nintendo games don't see frequent, official re-releases, despite high fan demand. Unless one wishes to pursue the legally dubious path of emulation, the only bonafide, legal way to play certain games is to hunt down an old console, purchase a copy of the original game, and strongly hope that decades-old hardware still works as intended. There's also the issue of price, as sealed copies of NES games can sell for some outrageous prices.
The public perception surrounding Nintendo's vintage catalog, the inaccessibility of its classic games, along with the value assigned to them by resellers and the buyers who concede to such exorbitant prices, all provide Nintendo with the perfect sales pitch for Nintendo Switch Online. It's an official, cheap way to play retro Nintendo titles. Frankly, there's no convincing that needs to be done beyond that. Players will be hard-pressed to find an official way to play games like A Link to the Past or Yoshi's Island without shelling out the big bucks, so presumably they'll subscribe, regardless of how they feel about the service or its lack of worth.
The Nintendo Switch's Sales
It's no secret that the Switch is a best-seller. Within a few years of its release, it outsold the Xbox One, which had been out for over four years when the Switch launched. The Switch's success continues to this day; Nintendo's hybrid console is so successful, that it could one day be the highest-selling console of all time.
The Switch's software sales are nothing to shake a stick at, either. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Breath of The Wild, and most recently Animal Crossing: New Horizons have each broken sales records, and as a result, are some of the best-selling games of all time. The Switch's software sales don't show signs of slowing at any time soon. In fact, Nintendo plans to break software sales records during the current fiscal year.
While Nintendo would undoubtedly benefit from a service similar to Xbox Game Pass, it's worth noting the circumstances that led up to Game Pass' unveiling. The Xbox One had an infamously negative pre-release press cycle and launch. The Xbox One initially sought to limit users' ability to share or resell physical games and also required players to connect their Xboxes to the internet once every 24 hours, lest they lose access to their purchases. Of course, Xbox would later walk back each of these practices, but the damage was already done, and it shows in the console's lifetime sales.
The Xbox One has always lagged behind the PS4 in sales, which one could assume might have been a factor in the former's pivot to a more consumer-friendly image. Services like Game Pass, Xbox All Access, and Smart Delivery have allowed Xbox to end the generation as a pioneer of pro-consumer practice, despite starting on the other end of the spectrum.
This begs the question: Would Xbox Game Pass be as high a priority for Microsoft were Xbox the leading home console? Considering Xbox's desire to get every new exclusive on the service the day and date it comes out, as well as Sony's significantly less enthusiastic approach to curating PlayStation Now's lineup, one might be inclined to answer "no."
Xbox Game Pass was a part of a broader strategy for the Xbox brand to repair itself. As evidenced by the Switch console's high sales, its critically acclaimed exclusives, and the record sales of its software, the Nintendo brand is stronger than ever. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Nintendo Isn't A Direct Competitor
In 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, which aimed to be the first home console to deliver 3D graphics. Only one year later, the console was discontinued; with astronomically low sales, the system was a flop. The Virtual Boy may not have been a success, but that desire to build something that stands out from the crowd has gone on to influence Nintendo throughout most of its lifespan.
The Wii popularized motion controls, leading PlayStation and Xbox to try their hands at the then-revolutionary trend. The Nintendo DS family of handhelds notably boasted two screens — a feature that the Wii U tried to adapt for use on a home console. Even coming off the low sales of the Wii U, Nintendo still saw innovation as the way forward and put out the hybrid Switch console. Suffice to say, the bet has paid off for the company.
Xbox and PlayStation are innovative in their own rights. With each new generation come advances in hardware and technology that help each console to be better than the last, but the two brands tend to grow in tandem with each other. Both have similar libraries, features, services, and their latest consoles even launched within a week of each other.
However, where Nintendo's consoles differ is that they don't grow alongside others, they just grow. While the mostly similar PS5 and Xbox Series X/S fight for the spotlight, the Switch basks in its own, separate one. Nintendo doesn't feel the need to beef up its offerings to match other services because the Switch is in a league of its own — a league of one.
Between the Switch's offering of several classic, relatively inaccessible games, its absurd sales volume, and the unique niche it occupies, it's either too successful or too different when compared to the other big consoles, so, for better or for worse, there's no reason for Nintendo Switch Online to concern itself with its industry rivals.