Last month, Nintendo announced that it would make Nintendo 64 and Genesis games available in a new tier of its Nintendo Switch Online Service. Now we know how much the price will increase, and it’s a lot.
The original version of NSO online costs $20 a year ($35 for a family membership). Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will cost $50 a year ($80 for a family membership).
That is more than twice the original price just to get some old Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games. The new tier also includes access to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons expansion Happy Home Paradise, which will normally cost $$25. So this could be a decent deal if you’re an avid Animal Crossing player. If you just care about the retro games, however, it’s a less enticing proposition. And if you ever stop paying for NSO + Expansion Pass, you lose access to Happy Home Paradise.
This new tier price is close to what it costs for a year of PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold. You pay $60 a year for those services. On top of access to online gaming, they give you a few free games to download each month, and these are often newer titles. Oh, and you don’t have to use an app on your phone for online voice chat.