Switch's online service is so disappointing. When it was first announced before the launch of the Switch, I thought, "Well if it's only 20 bucks, might as well pay for it, even if it's just for Smash Bros mostly."
But then it was supposed to come out, and they delayed it. "Well fine, more time to play for free, and they're probably not happy with how it's shaping up, so they're improving it. And Nintendo has a history of delaying stuff and it comes out better."
But now it's out, after one and a half year of playing games for free. And it's pretty much EXACTLY what they originally announced: online play, NES games, and cloud saves.
What the heck have they been doing for a year?
And here is why what we ended up getting sucks:
The online infrastructure is exactly the same thing we had since the Wii. Peer-to-peer connections instead of dedicated servers. Friend codes. Limited communication capabilities.
There are a couple of things they actively took away with the Switch, compared to the Wii.
On Wii we could export and import save data, backing it up permanently. On Switch? Gotta pay for a service and if you stop paying, your stuff is gone. And it doesn't even work with all games, in particular those who you'd probably care most about to have backed up, such as Splatoon 2. And despite all your scores being ALREADY stored on Nintendo's servers, (because you can access that information on your phone app), you can for some reason not access that data when logging into your account on another Switch.
On Wii we had Virtual Console with NES, SNES, N64 and various 3rd-party consoles from SEGA and others. Everyone was getting excited for the logical next step on the Wii U: GameCube, and even handhelds. But what did we get? No gamecube, and less games, and we had to even PAY to transport the stuff we already had from the Wii to the Wii U. PER GAME.
And on the Switch? Just NES games and a lousy handful at that.
And then there's that useless Smartphone App.
I have a huge amount of friends, in particular from MFGG, registered as friends on my Switch. But I have never played with ANYONE of them online!
Why? Because there is no way to INVITE a friend to your game. If it's already gotta be a phone app, it would be perfect for having a constant connection to your Switch friends. "Wanna play some MK?" "Yeah sure, give me 5 min" "Cool I'll open a room", and then you boot up your Switch. But instead you have to COINCIDENTALLY play the same game at the same time, or arrange your play session in an EXTERNAL messenger.
So that means, in order to play any Switch game with my friends, I need not one, not two, but THREE systems all working together: the switch, the smartphone app, and Skype. And since not everyone is using Skype anymore these days, I have to add some friends on Facebook, some on Discord, some on Slack, and some on whatever other obscure service.
So yeah.
I'm pretty disappointed. And I'm trying to not get it when Smash comes out even though Smash's online play is these days the only thing I'm interested in, since I have no offline Smash playing friends who satisfy my competitive itch. But I'm probably gonna bite. And they'll read it as a message that "it's good enough, people are paying, let's improve nothing."
I'm curious, how often are you guys playing on Switch with online friends, instead of random strangers? Am I exaggerating this? Am I missing something? It feels so unreal to me, that this stupid app doesn't have any kind of global communication features, not even an "invite to my game" button.
But then it was supposed to come out, and they delayed it. "Well fine, more time to play for free, and they're probably not happy with how it's shaping up, so they're improving it. And Nintendo has a history of delaying stuff and it comes out better."
But now it's out, after one and a half year of playing games for free. And it's pretty much EXACTLY what they originally announced: online play, NES games, and cloud saves.
What the heck have they been doing for a year?
And here is why what we ended up getting sucks:
The online infrastructure is exactly the same thing we had since the Wii. Peer-to-peer connections instead of dedicated servers. Friend codes. Limited communication capabilities.
There are a couple of things they actively took away with the Switch, compared to the Wii.
On Wii we could export and import save data, backing it up permanently. On Switch? Gotta pay for a service and if you stop paying, your stuff is gone. And it doesn't even work with all games, in particular those who you'd probably care most about to have backed up, such as Splatoon 2. And despite all your scores being ALREADY stored on Nintendo's servers, (because you can access that information on your phone app), you can for some reason not access that data when logging into your account on another Switch.
On Wii we had Virtual Console with NES, SNES, N64 and various 3rd-party consoles from SEGA and others. Everyone was getting excited for the logical next step on the Wii U: GameCube, and even handhelds. But what did we get? No gamecube, and less games, and we had to even PAY to transport the stuff we already had from the Wii to the Wii U. PER GAME.
And on the Switch? Just NES games and a lousy handful at that.
And then there's that useless Smartphone App.
I have a huge amount of friends, in particular from MFGG, registered as friends on my Switch. But I have never played with ANYONE of them online!
Why? Because there is no way to INVITE a friend to your game. If it's already gotta be a phone app, it would be perfect for having a constant connection to your Switch friends. "Wanna play some MK?" "Yeah sure, give me 5 min" "Cool I'll open a room", and then you boot up your Switch. But instead you have to COINCIDENTALLY play the same game at the same time, or arrange your play session in an EXTERNAL messenger.
So that means, in order to play any Switch game with my friends, I need not one, not two, but THREE systems all working together: the switch, the smartphone app, and Skype. And since not everyone is using Skype anymore these days, I have to add some friends on Facebook, some on Discord, some on Slack, and some on whatever other obscure service.
So yeah.
I'm pretty disappointed. And I'm trying to not get it when Smash comes out even though Smash's online play is these days the only thing I'm interested in, since I have no offline Smash playing friends who satisfy my competitive itch. But I'm probably gonna bite. And they'll read it as a message that "it's good enough, people are paying, let's improve nothing."
I'm curious, how often are you guys playing on Switch with online friends, instead of random strangers? Am I exaggerating this? Am I missing something? It feels so unreal to me, that this stupid app doesn't have any kind of global communication features, not even an "invite to my game" button.