Nintendo Switch(Nintendo Switch isn)不仅取得了令人难以置信的成功，任天堂的这款小型混合游戏机也恰好(Nintendo)是你今天可以买到的最好、最通用的游戏平台之一。
作为一款独立设备(standalone device)，它已经物超所值，但您可以通过支付Nintendo Switch Online服务订阅费用从 Switch 中获得更多收益。
在线游戏(Online Gameplay)
Nintendo Switch Online 服务(Nintendo Switch Online service)订阅的主要价值主张(value proposition)当然是在线玩游戏的能力。如果没有订阅，您将只能玩单人模式，而对于本质上仅在线的游戏，您将根本无法玩！
云游戏存档(Cloud Game Saves)
Switch是一个便携式系统，这使得您在外出时更容易丢失或损坏它。数字(Digital)游戏总是可以重新下载，你的Switch卡带不太可能坏掉，但你的游戏进度(game progress)是不可替代的。
如果您订阅了Nintendo Switch Online 服务(Nintendo Switch Online service)，您可以在每次连接到互联网时对您保存的游戏进行云备份。现在，有一个重大警告！给定的游戏必须支持云保存才能利用此功能，因此请确保您关心的游戏将云保存列为一项功能。
语音聊天功能(Voice Chat Features)
如今，语音(Voice)聊天是在线游戏中非常标准的功能。您所要做的就是将耳机连接到您的PC 或控制台(PC or console)，您也可以在几分钟内让粗鲁的孩子在您耳边尖叫亵渎。
Nintendo Switch并非如此。莫名其妙的是，控制台(console doesn)根本不支持耳机。您可以使用常规耳机，但USB-C、蓝牙(Bluetooth)和有线耳机是禁忌。
如果您支付订阅费(subscription fee)，任天堂(Nintendo)确实有语音聊天(voice chat)的解决方法。它需要Nintendo 应用程序(Nintendo app)和智能手机，让您可以与其他玩家聊天。老实说，这是在游戏中进行语音聊天的一种非常笨拙的方式。您不妨改用Discord之类的替代品，您可以免费使用它。
访问经典游戏(Access To Classic Games)
Nintendo Switch遗憾地缺乏任何形式的虚拟控制台，就像过去的任天堂(Nintendo)机器一样。在较旧的任天堂(Nintendo)游戏机上，您可以购买经典的NES、SNES、N64和其他经典游戏，以便在较新的硬件上玩它们。
玩经典任天堂游戏的唯一方法是订阅(Nintendo)在线服务(online service)，而不是通过重新发布，因为这使您可以访问Switch Online NES 和 SNES 应用程序(Switch Online NES and SNES applications)。
在这些应用程序中，您会找到来自前两款任天堂家用(Nintendo home)游戏机的精选经典游戏合集。您无法(t get)选择包含哪些游戏，但任天堂(Nintendo)会定期添加更多游戏，无需您额外付费。此外，包含的标题包括一些非常受欢迎的标题。
在NES 方面(NES side)，您会从任天堂目录(Nintendo catalogue)中找到马里奥兄弟 1-3(Bros 1-3)、塞尔达(Legend)传说(Zelda)和其他重量级人物。对于SNES 选择(SNES selection)，有诸如Zelda : A Link to the Past、Mario Kart 和 Star Fox(Mario Kart and Star Fox) 2 之类的标题。该标题仅在SNES Classic上可用，从未在原始硬件上发布过。
考虑到任天堂(Nintendo)过去对这些游戏的收费以及您必须在每台新游戏机上重新购买它们的事实，基于订阅的游戏库代表着令人难以置信的物超所值。随着新游戏和（可能）新系统的加入，这笔交易也只会随着时间的推移而变得更好。
独家控制器(Exclusive Controllers)
作为Nintendo Online订阅者，您可以使用特殊的官方复古控制器，这些控制器只能由属于该俱乐部的人订购。这些控制器旨在让您在玩经典游戏时获得更真实的体验。
老实说，标准的Switch Joy Cons 和 Pro 控制器(Switch Joy Cons and Pro controllers work)非常适合这些经典游戏。此外，您可以从 8BitDo 等公司购买一些非常不错的第三方经典控制器，它们 100%兼容 Switch(Switch compatible)，成本更低，效果很好。除非您是特别铁杆的任天堂粉丝(Nintendo fan)，否则该服务并不是真正的卖点(selling point)。
游戏券(Game Vouchers)
虽然作为Nintendo Switch Online 服务(Nintendo Switch Online service) 会员并不能像(member doesn)Playstation Plus那样让您获得特别折扣，但它可以为您省钱。任天堂(Nintendo)已经为精选的游戏列表引入了数字代金券。
您以固定价格(set price)购买代金券，然后您可以从列表中获得任意两个游戏。您也可以现在申领一个游戏，然后在另一个受支持的游戏发布时使用另一个代金券。只要在购买后一年内。
这可以为您节省多少钱各不相同，因为并非所有这些游戏的零售价都相同。但是，您通常会为您购买的每对游戏节省大约 20 美元。请注意(pay attention)正常价格，以免将代金券浪费(t waste)在更便宜的游戏上。
它的成本是多少？(What Does it Cost?)
像大多数在线服务一样，您预付费用的时间越长，最终效果就越差。如果您想按月付款，则在撰写本文时您必须支付 3.99 美元。三个月的费用为 7.99 美元，一年的费用约为 19.99 美元。选择年度计划将为您节省近二十八美元。很明显，这是最好的选择。
不要忘记，您可以在承诺之前注册一个 7 天的免费试用期，如果您无法决定这是否适合您，那么再过 4 周 4 美元也不算多。
如果您的房子里有多个玩家的多个 Switch，那么家庭计划(Family Plan)绝对是一笔绝妙的交易。每月 34.99 美元，您可以在一年内使用八个Nintendo 帐户。(Accounts)您可以自己弄清楚如何充分利用这一点，但每个帐户全年只需 4.30 美元。
您不需要在线切换的内容(What You DON’T Need Switch Online For)
并非每款游戏都需要订阅Switch Online 服务(Switch Online service)才能使用在线多人游戏服务。可以在任何具有互联网连接的(internet connection)Switch上下载和播放像Fortnite 和 Paladins(Fortnite and Paladins)这样的免费游戏，根本不需要向任天堂(Nintendo)支付任何费用。不需要Nintendo Online 订阅(Nintendo Online subscription)的游戏通常会在eShop 描述(eShop description)或他们自己的官方主页上(official home page)明确说明。
显然，您也不需要订阅即可登录Nintendo eShop并以数字方式购买游戏。只有大多数游戏的多人游戏方面(multiplayer aspect)需要此订阅。
支持本地多人游戏的游戏不需要Nintendo Online 订阅(Nintendo Online subscription)。例如，像Torchlight II或Mario Party这样的游戏将让您与携带自己的Switch(Switches)的朋友一起玩，而无需Nintendo Online 订阅(Nintendo Online subscription)，或者实际上，无需互联网连接。
因此，作为Nintendo Online Subscription(Nintendo Online Subscription)的一部分，您拥有当前获得的所有内容。当然，这些功能是否物有所值，完全取决于你(you )对它们的重视程度。我们确实希望任天堂(Nintendo)会随着时间的推移使交易变得更甜蜜，但由于这是任天堂(Nintendo)，我们正在谈论的是不知道何时或如何。
Nintendo Switch 在线服务值得吗？(Is Nintendo Switch Online Service Worth It?)
好的，让我们在这里总结一下价值主张(value proposition)，看看这项服务是否适合您。如果您想玩需要订阅的在线游戏，这很容易。你应该去参加这项服务，并与距离本地多人游戏太远的朋友一起玩。
如果您是复古游戏爱好者，并且想要在NES 和 SNES 系列(NES and SNES collection)中玩游戏，那么每年 20 美元购买便携式经典游戏系列(game collection)就很划算了。因此，仅此一项绝对是支付费用的理由。
如果您打算在某一年从优惠券列表中购买两个或更多游戏，那么您节省的钱已经支付了一年的个人会员资格，实际上是免费的。(voucher list)所以这也是一个很好的场景，我们大多数人每年都会从该列表中购买两款AAA Nintendo游戏。(AAA Nintendo)在这种情况下，这是免费的钱。
云(Cloud)存档是另一个杀手级功能(killer feature)，但它本身并不足以让这项服务变得物有所值，但如果您将存档游戏的价值定为每年 20 美元以上，那么一定要扣动扳机。
总体而言，Nintendo Switch Online 服务(Nintendo Switch Online service)订阅对于绝大多数用户来说是物有所值的，您至少应该先试一试为期一周的试用期，然后再完全放弃它。
Nintendo Switch Online Service: Everything You Need To Know
The Nintendo Switch isn’t only incredibly successful, the little hybrid console from Nintendo also happens to be one of the best and most versatile gaming platforms you can buy today.
As a standalone device it’s already worth every penny, but you can get more from your Switch by paying for a Nintendo Switch Online service subscription.
Online Gameplay
The main value proposition of the Nintendo Switch Online service subscription is of course the ability to play games online. Without the subscription you’ll be limited to only playing the single-player mode and for games that are only online in nature, you won’t be able to play at all!
Cloud Game Saves
The Switch is a portable system, which makes it much more likely that you could lose or break it while out and about. Digital games can always be downloaded again and your Switch cartridges are unlikely to break, but your game progress is irreplaceable.
If you subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online service, you can make cloud backups of your saved games every time you connect to the internet. Now, there is a major caveat! A given game has to support cloud saves to take advantage of this feature, so make sure the games you care about lists cloud saving as a feature.
Voice Chat Features
Voice chat is a pretty standard feature in online gaming these days. All you have to do is connect a headset to your PC or console and you too can have rude children screaming profanity in your ear within minutes.
Not so for the Nintendo Switch. Inexplicably, the console doesn’t support headsets at all. You can use a regular set of headphones, but USB-C, Bluetooth and wired headsets are a no-no.
If you pay the subscription fee, Nintendo does have a workaround for voice chat. It requires the Nintendo app and a smartphone, that lets you chat to other players. Honestly, this is a pretty clunky way to get voice chat in games. You might as well use an alternative like Discord instead, which you can use for free.
Access To Classic Games
The Nintendo Switch sadly lacks any form of virtual console, as has been the case with past Nintendo machines. On older Nintendo consoles, you could purchase classic NES, SNES, N64 and other classic games to play them on newer hardware.
The only way to play classic Nintendo games, other than through a re-release, is to subscribe to the online service, as this gives you access to the Switch Online NES and SNES applications.
Within these apps, you’ll find curated collections of classic games from the first two Nintendo home consoles. You don’t get to choose which titles are included, but Nintendo periodically adds more games at no further cost to you. Moreover, the titles that are included include some properly beloved titles.
On the NES side of things, you’ll find Mario Bros 1-3, The Legend of Zelda and other heavy hitters from the Nintendo catalogue. For the SNES selection there are titles such as Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mario Kart and Star Fox 2. A title which is only available on the SNES Classic, having never been released on the original hardware.
Given what Nintendo has charged for these titles in the past and the fact that you had to re-buy them with each new console, the subscription-based libraries of games represent incredibly good value for money. The deal will also only get better with time, as new titles and (perhaps) new systems are added.
Exclusive Controllers
Being a Nintendo Online subscriber gives you access to special official retro controllers, which can only be ordered by those who belong to the club. These controllers are meant to give you a more authentic experience when playing the classic games.
To be honest, the standard Switch Joy Cons and Pro controllers work just fine for these classic games. Also, you can buy some very nice third-party classic controllers from companies like 8BitDo which are 100% Switch compatible, cost less and work great. Not really a selling point for the service, unless you are a particularly hardcore Nintendo fan.
Game Vouchers
While being a Nintendo Switch Online service member doesn’t give you access to special discounts in the same way that, say, Playstation Plus does, it can save you money. Nintendo has introduced digital vouchers for a select list of games.
You buy the voucher for a set price and then you can have any two games from the list. You can also claim one game now and then use the other voucher when another supported game is released. As long as it’s within one year of purchase.
How much money this saves you varies, since not all of these games have the same retail price. However, you’ll generally save about $20 for each pair of games you buy. Just pay attention to the normal price so you don’t waste vouchers on cheaper games.
What Does it Cost?
Like most online services, the longer the period you pre-pay for, the less it all ultimately works out as. If you want to pay month to month, you’ll have to stump up $3.99 at the time of writing. Three months will cost you $7.99 and a whole year will cost about $19.99. Going for the annual plan will save you almost twenty-eight bucks. So clearly that’s the best one to go for.
Don’t forget, there’s a 7-day free trial you can sign up for before committing yourself and four bucks is not too much for another four weeks if you just can’t decide if this is for you or not.
If you have more than one Switch in the house with multiple players, the Family Plan is an absolutely fantastic deal. For $34.99 a month, you can cover eight Nintendo Accounts for a year. You can figure out how to make the best of that yourself, but that works out to a miniscule $4.30 per account for a whole year.
What You DON’T Need Switch Online For
Not every game requires a Switch Online service subscription to use online multiplayer services. Free-to-play hits like Fortnite and Paladins can be downloaded and played on any Switch with an internet connection, with no need at all to pay anything to Nintendo. Games that don’t require a Nintendo Online subscription will usually clearly say so in the eShop description or on their own official home page.
Obviously, you also don’t need the subscription to log into the Nintendo eShop and buy games digitally. It’s only the multiplayer aspect of the majority of games that need this subscription.
You do NOT need a Nintendo Online subscription for games that support local multiplayer. For example, a game like Torchlight II or Mario Party will let you play with friends who bring their own Switches along without a Nintendo Online subscription or, indeed, an internet connection.
So there you have everything you currently get as part of the Nintendo Online Subscription. Of course, whether these features are worth the money depends entirely on how much you value them. We do expect that Nintendo will sweeten the deal over time, but since this is Nintendo we’re talking about there’s no telling when or how.
Is Nintendo Switch Online Service Worth It?
OK, so let’s sum up the value proposition here and figure out if this service is for you. If you want to play games online that require the subscription, this is a no-brainer. You should go for the service and have a blast with your friends who are too far away for local multiplayer.
If you’re a retro-game lover and there are titles you want to play in the NES and SNES collection, then $20 a year for a portable classic game collection is a steal. So that alone is definitely a reason to pay the fee.
If you’re going to buy two or more games from the voucher list in a given year, then the money you’ll save already pays for a year of individual membership, effectively making it free. So that’s also a good scenario and most of us are going to buy two AAA Nintendo games per year from that list. It’s free money in this case.
Cloud saves are the other killer feature, but it’s not quite enough by itself to make the service worth it, but if you value your save games at more than $20 a year, then by all means pull the trigger.
Overall, the Nintendo Switch Online service subscription is worth the money for the vast majority of users and you should at least give the week-long trial a go before dismissing it entirely.
