When you unwrap your brand new console, you’re ready to start playing games and having a tonne of fun. However, there is one limitation. If you want to play online, then you need to subscribe to an online service. This is an extra fee you need to pay every month, and if you don’t pay it, you won’t be able to take your games online to play against other people. Which is a problem, as online multiplayer is awesome.
No doubt you already know about Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, which are the online subscription services for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. We’ve now received the final details for Nintendo Switch Online, too. It will only cost $29.95 for a whole year, so it’s not that expensive, but it is launching in September. Which means if you want to play games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or ARMS online after that data, you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold are more expensive, at $79.95 per year. This money is used by the console makers to keep the servers running. So these are the big computers that hold content like DLC, allow players to connect to each other and also run community features.
So, is buying one of these subscriptions worth it?
Absolutely! Playing games online is not only amazing fun and way more challenging than playing against a computer offline, but it means your game is endless. Even if you have finished the story, you can still jump online and play the game, so it never gets old.
But the real reason why these services are worth it is because they come with free games each month. On Xbox One and PS4, these games can be great little indies or huge blockbusters. While on the Switch, there is a library of classic NES games like Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros to try.
You just download them and begin to play, so you totally get your money’s worth!
