Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass Price Revealed

During the September Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games were coming to Nintendo Switch Online via a new tier of the subscription service called an Expansion Pass. No details about pricing were revealed. Now, we have prices and we have a date thanks to the recent Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct. First, the new tier will be available on October 25. Now we get into the pricing. For one year, an individual membership will cost $49.99 while a family membership will cost $79.99. Now, we did learn that the new ACNH DLC Happy Home Paradise will also be included (please note that the DLC will also be available as a separate purchase if you don’t want the subscription service).

That all being said, ouch. Most fans I saw talking about it were expecting a $10 increase while hoping for only $5. The reality more than doubles current subscription rates. This is a major bummer given the details that we currently have. We’re not getting very much at launch and lately Nintendo has really been lacking in adding more content to NSO. This obviously is making many fans say “nope” right away and I can’t blame them. Combine that with subpar online experiences that many fans experience and it really does feel like Nintendo is screwing over fans.

Now, if you wanted to legally play these games, your only other options are to either own the cartridges and consoles or to purchase them for roughly $10 on Wii U’s Virtual Console. Sadly, the Wii U was a terrible selling unit and so very few actually own one. Plus, that’s a pretty big cost up front assuming they have all the games that you want available (spoiler alert, they probably don’t).

There are ways that Nintendo can make the Expansion Pack more worth it. First, being better about adding new games to the NSO collections. For a while, it’s been very random when we get new games added to the NES and SNES collections and if we had more concrete details about additional titles for the new consoles, it could really help people see additional value. Another way to help increase the value is to add more DLC. The Happy Home Paradise DLC will be available to subscribers and if they opened it up to include more DLC like the Fighter Passes for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it could really add a lot of value. The final thought I have is to add Switch titles to the service and make it like Xbox Game Pass. That would definitely add a ton of value. Of course, I don’t expect any of these things to happen. What would you like to see Nintendo do with the Expansion Pass?