I got the NES and SNES games from the Switch Online Membership, Do I keep the games?

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Basically I am wondering if I have these games for keeps even after my subscription to Switch Online Membership is expired.

And I don't need to have an internet connection at all times to play these games?

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Basically I am wondering if I have these games for keeps even after my subscription to Switch Online Membership is expired.

No. Any NES game data and saves you have on your Switch when your subscription runs out will remain, but will be inaccessible until you renow your sub.

And I don't need to have an internet connection at all times to play these games?

No, not at all times. Going online once a week should be enough, since NES games downloaded to your Switch can be played offline for up to 7 days.

Fyi, I only mention NES games cuz I'm assuming the SNES ones work the same.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Basically I am wondering if I have these games for keeps even after my subscription to Switch Online Membership is expired.

No. Any NES game data and saves you have on your Switch when your subscription runs out will remain, but will be inaccessible until you renow your sub.

And I don't need to have an internet connection at all times to play these games?

No, not at all times. Going online once a week should be enough, since NES games downloaded to your Switch can be played offline for up to 7 days.

Fyi, I only mention NES games cuz I'm assuming the SNES ones work the same.

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

You might be able to squeeze out a few extra days if you take your Switch offline before the sub ends, but otherwise, nope.

That's how these subscription services work: access to a whole bunch of games, so long as you keep paying for it.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

 

[Squilookle]

Honestly you should have looked this up long before you bought it. You're just asking to be screwed over by not checking beforehand.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Honestly you should have looked this up long before you bought it. You're just asking to be screwed over by not checking beforehand.

I took a Free Trial

 

[Squilookle]

Honestly you should have looked this up long before you bought it. You're just asking to be screwed over by not checking beforehand.

I took a Free Trial

In that case- feel free to ignore what I said. I assumed it had been purchased.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

More or less, yes. The real desired endpoint is game streaming subscriptions. Gives publishers complete control over when and where people can consume games while also ensuring a steady stream of income. Since game files are not stored locally, it'll also essentially eliminate piracy.

 

[Squilookle]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

More or less, yes. The real desired endpoint is game streaming subscriptions. Gives publishers complete control over when and where people can consume games while also ensuring a steady stream of income. Since game files are not stored locally, it'll also essentially eliminate piracy.

Until a service offers every game under the sun to gamers, piracy will never be eliminated. Same goes for movies, TV, or any media for that matter.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

More or less, yes. The real desired endpoint is game streaming subscriptions. Gives publishers complete control over when and where people can consume games while also ensuring a steady stream of income. Since game files are not stored locally, it'll also essentially eliminate piracy.

The Internet has ruined Gaming. We embraced MMOs and Xbox Live but then it became warped into something that makes games unplayable.

It ruined job opportunities for people who work in game stores.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

snip

Until a service offers every game under the sun to gamers, piracy will never be eliminated. Same goes for movies, TV, or any media for that matter.

True, internet infrastructure is nowhere near ready in most places for a full mass market transition to streaming only. Publishers know this, so they're not yet putting all their eggs in the streaming basket and both physical and downloadable games aren't likely to go anywhere soon. Piracy will exist so long as they do.

But let's not kid ourselves, the moment streaming games does become feasible on a mass market level, publishers will pounce on it like a pack of ravenous hyenas. Not in one fell swoop though, but gradually. Over time, more and more new games will be streaming exclusive. Older downloadable games slowly delisted and rereleased on streaming services. Until all digital games are streaming only and people have accepted that as the norm. You'll still be able to pirate older games, but not anything released in the streaming only era. You can capture the video and audio being streamed to you, but unless someone leaks them, you don't have access to the actual game files you need to actually run the game. I'm pretty sure those won't be streamed.

Fyi, not advocating piracy here, but offering a take of the likely outcome of a widespread adoption of all streaming.

 

[CaitSeith]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

More or less, yes. The real desired endpoint is game streaming subscriptions. Gives publishers complete control over when and where people can consume games while also ensuring a steady stream of income. Since game files are not stored locally, it'll also essentially eliminate piracy.

The Internet has ruined Gaming. We embraced MMOs and Xbox Live but then it became warped into something that makes games unplayable.

It ruined job opportunities for people who work in game stores.

Publishers ruined gaming. The Internet was just their tool.

 

[BrawlMan]

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

More or less, yes. The real desired endpoint is game streaming subscriptions. Gives publishers complete control over when and where people can consume games while also ensuring a steady stream of income. Since game files are not stored locally, it'll also essentially eliminate piracy.

The Internet has ruined Gaming. We embraced MMOs and Xbox Live but then it became warped into something that makes games unplayable.

It ruined job opportunities for people who work in game stores.

The Internet is neither inherently good or evil, so don't blame it. Blame the assholes in power that like screwing people over. The Internet never made these decisions.

Also this:
<link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJBlWYqVQbQ>It's Microsoft's Fault That Videogames Are Bad (The Jimquisition)

So I cannot play these games at all once the sub expires?

Yeah, it's basically a netflix service. You might be able to play the games for a week after your subscription ends if you just go offline for a week... but I doubt it. One would assume that once the service is downloaded, a part of the programming will be keeping an eye on the system's internal calendar.

This is garbage form of playing games then and what I fear will be the future.

More or less, yes. The real desired endpoint is game streaming subscriptions. Gives publishers complete control over when and where people can consume games while also ensuring a steady stream of income. Since game files are not stored locally, it'll also essentially eliminate piracy.

The Internet has ruined Gaming. We embraced MMOs and Xbox Live but then it became warped into something that makes games unplayable.

It ruined job opportunities for people who work in game stores.

Publishers ruined gaming. The Internet was just their tool.

Damn straight.

 

[Satinavian]

But let's not kid ourselves, the moment streaming games does become feasible on a mass market level, publishers will pounce on it like a pack of ravenous hyenas. Not in one fell swoop though, but gradually. Over time, more and more new games will be streaming exclusive.

I honestly don't see that coming.

It is way cheaper to let people download the game than to provide servers for running it and a whole streaming infrastructure. Some of the really huge entities may try it and hope for some economy of scale, but for most publishers it won't ever be particularly enticing.

Then we all know that piracy does not actually cost that much revenue and is more an eternal scapegoat. That means preventing piracy is also not actualy worth that much effort for publishers.

As doe the constant revenues : that is not something that works for small and middle size studios. They need a lot of money when the game is done as soon as possible to pay the development costs, not some small part of a percentage of an income stream of some publisher portal with hundreds of other games.

Then there is the issue with latency which will never go away and where game providers can't do very much about aside from plastering the whole world with nearby servers (they won't do that) and subsidizing internet providers (won't do that either). A local game is always faster, more reactive, and more stabile than a streamed one. And considering the number of people who are willing to actually buy high end PCs for gaming it would to match the preferred performance as well.


Streaming has maybe some chance for consoles, where it can circuvent hardware restrictions and the games are already curated and perchased via one channel only. But otherwise i don't see it.

And even for consoles the most recent attempt, the Stadia seems to lack interested customers completely.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

But let's not kid ourselves, the moment streaming games does become feasible on a mass market level, publishers will pounce on it like a pack of ravenous hyenas. Not in one fell swoop though, but gradually. Over time, more and more new games will be streaming exclusive.

I honestly don't see that coming.

Maybe, maybe not. It is my default assumption that publishers will only do what benefits them regardless of whether or not it also benefits the consumer (if at all). That tends to be the safer bet.

 

[CaitSeith]

snip

It is way cheaper to let people download the game than to provide servers for running it and a whole streaming infrastructure. Some of the really huge entities may try it and hope for some economy of scale, but for most publishers it won't ever be particularly enticing.

Do you realize that most publishers don't have their own download site? They have other companies like Valve, Riot, EA, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo to keep their games in their servers and make them available through their storefront pages. Streaming wouldn't be different.

Then we all know that piracy does not actually cost that much revenue and is more an eternal scapegoat. That means preventing piracy is also not actualy worth that much effort for publishers.

DRM's like Denuvo wouldn't still being used then. Smoke and mirrors are profitable. The anti-piracy PR convinces the stockholders, making it worth the effort for the publishers.

As doe the constant revenues : that is not something that works for small and middle size studios. They need a lot of money when the game is done as soon as possible to pay the development costs, not some small part of a percentage of an income stream of some publisher portal with hundreds of other games.

The same can be said about putting it on Steam or other online storefront.

Then there is the issue with latency which will never go away and where game providers can't do very much about aside from plastering the whole world with nearby servers (they won't do that) and subsidizing internet providers (won't do that either). A local game is always faster, more reactive, and more stabile than a streamed one. And considering the number of people who are willing to actually buy high end PCs for gaming it would to match the preferred performance as well.

If publishers wanted it, they'd forcefully push the hype for game genres other than action games (genres where latency issues get less in the way). They have artificially killed genres before. Besides, how many people aren't into PC gaming just because they see high-end PCs as too expensive or too complicated to build, but they'd totally game if they could play on the same PCs they use for watching YouTube and Netflix?

Streaming has maybe some chance for consoles, where it can circuvent hardware restrictions and the games are already curated and perchased via one channel only. But otherwise i don't see it.

Kinda why Microsoft have tried to limit the PC channel in the past with things like GFWL and UWP.

And even for consoles the most recent attempt, the Stadia seems to lack interested customers completely.

Lack of interested vocal customers doesn't mean lack of interested customers. We'll know for certain after it is released.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I don't play multiplayer games other than Dauntless at the moment. I don't think I even own any Switch games with online multiplayer so the subscription service isn't something I need.

I WOULD however absolutely buy Super Metroid, Earthbound, Breath of Fire, and many more at substantially higher price than free with that subscription and be able to play them whenever I wanted. I already have them on cartridge, and their ROMs. Me being ready to buy them again and not being able to is simultaneously dumb of me and Nintendo.

They would be making more money off of me, and players like me, by giving us that option. I passed on the new 3ds because the console was already dead when I got an old 3ds let alone when that thing came out so I didn't get to avail myself of the last vitual console I'm likely going to get.

 

[Yoshi178]

i already own like 3 different copies of Super Metroid. yeah it sucks that you don't get to keep the games if you stop subscribing, but i still have ways of playing super metroid even if i stop paying

and i prefer to think of it as, i'm paying to play my modern day nintendo games online for $20.00. oh and for that $20 i also get access to play 20 super nintendo games and like 40 NES games or whatever number they're at now, and they'll keep adding to those libraries in the future for no additional cost (at least not for moment). yeah i don't mind paying for that.

i wouldn't say i like paying for it, but i don't mind it either. i still get my monies worth and know exactly what i'm paying for and plus the online subscription is like a 3rd of the cost of PSN and Xbox live, so meh.


at this point in time i'll pay keep paying Nintendo Switch online and i'll pay for Playstation online, at least while Crash Team Racing still entertains me anyway and if we keep getting good PS + games added i'll keep paying. the only one i've stopped paying for is Xbox Live because i just don't see the value in that service anymore, even though it's a better service than PSN and Switch online, the Xbone literally has nothing i want to play on it anymore, maybe i'll resub when Halo Infinite comes out, but that's if Halo Infinite even turn the Halo series actually good again.


Edit: Oh and i can play old SNES multiplayer games online with other people legally now which wasn't possible before, hell yeah!