As part of its discounts for Black Friday in Europe, Nintendo is offering a deal on classic NES Switch controllers. Anyone taking advantage of the deal must have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but subscription cost is outweighed by how much players can save on the controllers.
One of the biggest draws of the Nintendo Switch Online service is the ability to access some of Nintendo's classic games library. As long as players have an active subscription, they can play some of Nintendo's best NES and SNES games, including some never released outside of Japan. Along with these games, Nintendo offers NES controllers that can be charged by sliding them into a docked Switch, similar to regular Joy-Cons. These controllers are sold only in pairs, and normally cost more than the subscription itself.
From now until December 3, Switch Online subscribers in Europe can get a pair of NES controllers at half price, both UK shoppers and those in mainland Europe. This represents a savings of roughly 25 pounds in the UK, or 30 Euros elsewhere. Unfortunately, Nintendo of America does not appear to be offering the same deal, which will exclude many of Nintendo Switch Online's 26 million subscribers from taking advantage.
While this deal is good for fans, it is worth noting that the Nintendo Switch Online NES library omits some classic titles. Most notably, an English version of the first Fire Emblem game for NES will be a premium standalone release in December, separate from the NES service. The upcoming Fire Emblem release will support the NES controller, so at least players will be able to recreate the original experience while playing. Still, some find it frustrating that buying a subscription does not entitle gamers to every NES game the system has to offer.
On a broader scale, even controller discounts might not sell fans on the frequently-criticized Nintendo Switch Online service. Some of the features the service offers, such as cloud saves, do not work for every game. Many of Nintendo's classic consoles are also not represented on the service, including anything from the Game Boy library. Given the similarity between the NES controllers and the button layout of a classic Game Boy, the discounted controllers would be a great match for those titles, so it's a shame they are unavailable.
Nintendo Switch Online offers a free seven-day trial for anyone new to the service. This gives them the chance to try out some features for themselves, like free trials of games such as Overwatch, before committing to the service. The amount saved with the NES controller deal is greater than the cost of a year's subscription, which means the controller discount effectively pays for itself right away. Given the fast-approaching deadline, anyone interested should investigate as soon as possible.
