Nintendo Online - launches today

Started by L___E___T, September 18, 2018, 03:15:28 pm

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L___E___T

 

So I'm waiting for the update to drop so I can play some NES / Famicom games on Switch - also mainly so that I can order a pair of the NES joycons.

Then it hit me - the service also launches in Japan - are they supposed to play with NES controllers?  Surely they'd be Famicom joycons right?

I would much rathe play with Famicom joycons than NES ones, even if the functionality on those does leave a bit to be desired...



Didn't see this picked up elsewhere or mentioned here, so happy to share that nice little confirmation :)
My for Sale / Trade thread
http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=9423.msg133828#msg133828
大事なのは、オチに至るまでの積み重ねなのです。

P

Yeah it was on Nintendo Direct. I guess they showed different controllers depending on the region.

So the Famicom joy-con set seems to be technically inferior due to the missing buttons on the right joy-con (I doubt the microphone works). Also since they miss a lot of buttons I wonder if there are many games that can be played with them. If they are missing the motion, rumble and NFC stuff (can't see the IR-camera either) they are quite expensive for what they are. Either way I'm picking them up. lol

UglyJoe

Quote from: P on September 18, 2018, 06:15:37 pm
Also since they miss a lot of buttons I wonder if there are many games that can be played with them.


They only work with the NES games. nothing else: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/09/switchs-replica-nes-controllers-only-work-with-emulated-nes-games/

This also implies that they become mere decoration if you stop subscribing to their online service.  Nintendo being Nintendo.

They look really cool, though ;D

P

I see they aren't really Joy-Con at all, just special accessory. Funny that they have L- and R-buttons similar to the Joy-Con's SL- and SR-buttons though. I guess they are used to access the menu, but it sounds a bit weird that they have two dedicated buttons only used for menu access. I guess there is a possibility that they will be used for other things as well.

Looking at Nintendo's homepage it looks like the mic is functional though. Zelda is a one of the initial games so it makes sense if it emulates the real Famicom mic.

Too bad it won't come until December though.

zmaster18

I was actually semi-excited for the online NES games.... until I found out that the online is friend-only. So... no random matchmaking. :(

I would have liked to play some Ice Hockey as well as the other sports games online. The last time I played the NES sports games with others was in high school and it was lots of fun, even for my friends who played modern sports games. They liked the simplicity and quick nature of the games.

The price of the controllers are expensive and not worth it as of now. I haven't checked, but I'll assume they actually cost $80 here in Canada. :(

Releasing only 3 NES games a month is a joke. They already have the next few months of releases announced and it's not very impressive. The Wii, 3DS, and Wii U had waaaay more games than this at launch.

I'm not even going to bother with my free 7 day trial of this service. Maybe I will when the online system gets a major update.

P

September 19, 2018, 04:35:25 pm #5 Last Edit: September 20, 2018, 04:10:43 am by P
I already subscribed (skipping the 7 day trial). The price isn't bad and I'm playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online sometimes, also I want to play Smash Bros as well when it comes out. I also want the Famicom controllers.

Yeah I thought Ice Hockey was the best ice hockey game for NES, I had more fun with it than Blades of Steel anyway. Since I have a Japanese account I got the FDS version of the game in the Switch, which has different music and no Swedish team. I wonder if it's possible to create an English account and download the NES version as well or if I need another online subscription for that account in that case. The Famicom/NES games app is downloadable for free in the Switch eShop.

You can only get one controller per account for now though so it might not be possible to snatch the Famicom/NES controllers that's outside your region.

Edit: It works! I created another My Nintendo account with USA as region and another e-mail for it. Created an account on the Switch and linked it. Accessed the eShop using the American account and downloaded the NES app. I can play it with my Japanese account (which subscribes to the online service) and it has the NES version of the games. Great!

Retrospectives

I have no Switch as I am not rich and cannot afford it. But controller looks neat and here is another photo showing them a little bit more in detail.  They seem to be beautiful haha.  :D


P

It's not really an expensive system though. At least if you don't count the pricey accessories. Same problem as Wii and Wii U, cheap console and expensive controllers and peripherals. At least you kind of get two controllers with the system this time (well for games that support them as separate controllers). The sole most important accessory is the Pro Controller though, which I highly recommend for most games.

It's really to bad that the Famicom controllers can't be used as joy-con though, as there are several games that only need two buttons and a good d-pad.

Yelir

I love my Switch but am on the fence with this. Is online NES just between your friend's list or is there matchmaking?

Watched a bit of random content and as usual the lag of the VC doesn't really seem great. I would love to play other games like Chip 'n' Dale and TMNT II online at a further date.  :gamer:

Retrospectives

Well compared to what modern day console Xbox and PS4 cost then I assume is cheaper? No idea, I have never even though buying either. But yeah, I think is fair to say is the additional things that might add up price. But if parent of two monsters is a bit difficult puzzle together both time and argument to buy a Switch I suppose  :P

UglyJoe

I signed up for the 7-day trial, but I don't use my Switch enough to really make it worth paying for, I think.

The NES collection is neat, but it just feel goofy playing them this way.  I have the carts already.  I have the console hooked up.  I can just go upstairs and play them with a real CRT at the real intended aspect ratio.

I know I'm an edge case, though.  The whole thing is well-presented and am sure would be a blast to people my age who don't collect.

Honestly, it's $20 a year, but I see Ikaruga is on sale for $10 right now and I'd much rather throw my money at that ;D

P

I don't think anyone on this forum is really interested in the Famicom/NES emulation alone (unless they really want the online feature or the portability) when we already have the real hardware.

Just be careful with the 7-day trial and turn off the auto renewal in the eShop. Since the trial renews into the 1 month plan by default, the most expensive plan.

Quote from: Retrospectives on September 21, 2018, 01:02:46 am
Well compared to what modern day console Xbox and PS4 cost then I assume is cheaper?

Yeah Sony and Microsoft systems nowdays costs and arm and a leg. Nintendo's systems do come pretty close if you buy lots of controllers and other accessories though.

maxellnormalbias

When are companies going to produce cloned versions of the famicomalike controllers so I can buy like four of them and play a bunch of homebrew/emulated games with friends while tailgating?

P

Turns out they were lying. It seems that the Famicom controllers do work in any game (just check out some Youtube videos where they try to play Smash Bros with them), it's just that they are missing lots of inputs from the Joy-Con controllers making them useless in most games. They apparently have a better d-pad than the Pro Controller as it's the same as the NES Classic Edition, so they should be useful in any game that only needs the d-pad, A, B, SL, SR and +/- buttons.

I wonder how the microphone work though. You can apparently hear your voice through the speakers at least like on a real Famicom.


BTW I've tried the headset port's microphone with Zelda and Pols Voice won't even lift an ear, nor did I hear my voice. Doesn't work in Joysound either.