The fault is all on the consumers. Not on the companies. Remember last gen? Everyone bragged about how Xbox Live was superior because it was paid. That PSN was crap because it was free. PS Plus included amazing free games and they only had 1M paying subscribers (now they are closer to 30M).

By giving PSN for free, Sony only managed to make everyone think it was a bad service compared to a paid alternative. So they decided to make it mandatory.

Nintendo Network was always deemed inferior, because it was free. "Problem" solved.

Anyway, people try to make it sound like a big deal. I don't like being forced to pay, but it costs less than a single game. Nobody cares, nobody will stop buying the console because of that. Forum people will complain, but we end up buying anyways. The same people complaining on forums are the one that bought a Wii U, lost support after 3 years and will still preorder the next Ninty console.

Of course, I'm also guilty of giving money to companies. I bought a Vita even with uncertain support and ridiculous overpriced memory cards. I don't regret it, but I usually expend tons of cash on consoles. I was almost buying a Wii U or 3DS, but they announced Switch and I decided to wait. No point in buying soon to be replaced consoles. I'm getting a Switch in 2017.

We, hardcore gamers that go on internet forums, are the market segment that does not worry companies. Because we will buy the products anyway, even if we complain about it for years. The normal consumers are the ones they have to convince.

I was more talking about the you can arrange game times with friends, voice chat, etc stuff.  If that added to the decesion to make it paid then....

Animal Crossing will be behind the online pay wall.  I can't visit friends towns or have them visit mine without paying for online.  Means no Animal Crossing for me.  Someone else will have to make the thread this time.

So after the reveal for which a lot of people asked us to wait because all would be good we now have a inundation of complaining threads... Seems like vgc is very disappointed with Switch.

Those last two sentences are exactly how I feel. Pokemon and Monster Hunter are the only two online games I truly care about, and I prefer local multiplayer on those anyway.

Especially given Nintendo does local multi player better than anyone.  

Does Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have a classic battle mode? That's all I want them to add to make it the best Mario Kart game ever for me.

I've never payed for Xbox Live, and I probably never will.

I wouldn't like to pay extra cash to access a feature that has been free for the last decade on Nintendo consoles, but I might just do that if the games are right (Monster Hunter).

No regrets, Sony offered me free games and cloud saves. Nintendo just has to find the right price and the right features to put under the paywall.

ps+ is a good value for just the "free" games. don't blame me that nintendo is only offering you 1 month of access to an nes/snes game.

the paid online isn't the disappointing part,.. the really, really shitting "free" game is.

How long do the PS+ games stay up?

once i get a game on ps+ i have it forever so long as i am currently subscribed to ps+.  doesn't matter if i let me subscription lapse,.. if i resubscribe i still have my entire ps+ library.  since i have been a subscriber since day-1 (and i own a ps3, ps4, psvita) i have litterally hundreds of games to play.  to tell you the truth i haven't purchased a vita game in like 2 years because the 2+ "free" game a month means my backlog is always well stocked.

for years people complained ps+ was just a game rental.  well at least i can take my sweet ass time deciding when i play the game instead of having to start and finish the game within the 1 month it is offered.  at at least my game are from the current generation instead of 30 years ago.

want to play snes games?   ..build a retropie.