What is the next Video Game Consoles App do you think it's likely that Nintendo would add to the Nintendo Switch Online Service (or Expansion Pack) in next year's announcement?

[King Marth 64]

Since the recent 2/9/2023 Nintendo Direct revealed Nintendo just added the Game Boy for regular Nintendo Switch Online and Game Boy Advance for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack to the Nintendo Switch eShop at the same day. I'm going to predict that next year's announcement in a future Nintendo Direct in 2024 that we might possibly going to see TurboGrafx-16 Online added for regular Nintendo Switch Online (while Sega Genesis was popular in West, I think TurboGrafx-16 might get some more Boost since it was in Wii Shop Channel & Wii U eShop with a limited stuff) while Nintendo DS Online might show up for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack like GBA had.

 

So, if you had any predictions what next console(s) that you might predict to expect for Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2024 Nintendo Directs, you can post them here.

Edited February 11, 2023 by King Marth 64

[know_naim]

On 2/11/2023 at 5:43 AM, King Marth 64 said:

I think TurboGrafx-16 might get some more Boost since it was in Wii Shop Channel & Wii U eShop

Yup, I also think we might see TG-16 eventually. I'd say that Neo Geo seems likely for similar reasons. 

[King Marth 64]

11 hours ago, know_naim said:

Yup, I also think we might see TG-16 eventually. I'd say that Neo Geo seems likely for similar reasons. 

Well technically that there are hundreds of Neo Geo games on the Arcade Archives that were still up on the Nintendo Switch eShop. I do know that the reason why Sega Genesis Online was added because of Nintendo is adding 3rd party titles from the Sega Genesis in there as well, but I seriously don't think we're going to see any Neo Geo games added to the Nintendo Switch Online because Neo Geo games are still selling in the Nintendo Switch eShop.

[lenticular]

One thing that isn't clear to me is what the licensing agreement is likely to be between Nintendo and Sega, or Nintendo and third party publishers on Switch Online. For the Virtual Console, it seems like it would be relatively simple: for every unit that a game sold, some portion would go to Nintendo and some portion would go to the rights holders. But for NSO, since nobody is actually buying any of these games, it isn't that simple. Are Nintendo paying Sega (etc.) a flat fee for having their games on the service, or is it a more complicated system with payments depending on how many people are actually playing the games in question?

Because, ultimately, for a game or a system to appear on Switch Online, two things need to be true: the rights holders have to think that they make more money licensing to Nintendo than they would if they just sold a rereleased version themselves, and Nintendo have to think that they will make more money in attracting/retaining subscribers to Switch Online than they are paying in license fees.

And I'm not really sure that both those criteria are going to be met for any other third party consoles. I just don't think that there's any other (realistic) console that has the same level of wide appeal that the Mega Drive/Genesis has. Some consoles have had very strong regional success (like the PC Engine in Japan, or the Master System in Brazil), but none have had as wide an adoption as the Mega Drive. So if I'm Nintendo, I'm thinking that I'm not wanting to pay as much to license those systems, whereas if I own the systems, I'm thinking maybe I could so better for myself with more targeted releases.

(The only console that has global sales figures comparable to the Mega Drive and that wasn't made by Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft is the Atari 2700, and while I would nerd out over the chance to play Adventure or Breakout on my Switch, I just can't see many people getting excited about games of that era. And that's even putting aside how much of a nightmare the licensing would probably be given the messed-up corporate history of the Atari brand.)

So, overall, my guess is that we probably won't see any other systems from non-Nintendo developers on Switch Online. I think the one that would surprise me the least would probably be the Master System, but I'm still not expecting it.

As for Nintendo's own consoles, they're running out of options that could easily be implemented. The Virtual Boy, Wii, Wii U, DS and 3DS all have hardware gimmicks that make emulation awkward. Not impossible, but awkward. For instance, I'm sure it's possible to emulate a DS on the Switch, but it isn't going to be a seamless experience. After all, the Switch only has one screen. And needing a touch screen means it would only work in handheld mode, not docked mode. So if they're going to go with any of their systems, the Gamecube is the one that makes the most sense to me.

Except that it feels as if Nintendo have been pretty protective of Gamecube titles, wanting to keep them in reserve for potential remakes and rereleases. (I'm thinking things like Zelda: Windwaker and Mario Sunshine here.) So are they really likely to have emulated Gamecube games for the first time on a system that is well into the second half of its life cycle? Maybe, but I would guess probably not. They have a history of being stingy with that sort of thing. Instead, I guess that they'll keep it in reserve for whatever their next console is, and have Gamecube games as one of the selling points for whatever their next iteration of Switch Online is called.

[know_naim]

9 hours ago, King Marth 64 said:

Well technically that there are hundreds of Neo Geo games on the Arcade Archives that were still up on the Nintendo Switch eShop. I do know that the reason why Sega Genesis Online was added because of Nintendo is adding 3rd party titles from the Sega Genesis in there as well, but I seriously don't think we're going to see any Neo Geo games added to the Nintendo Switch Online because Neo Geo games are still selling in the Nintendo Switch eShop.

True, haven't thought about that there are plenty ACA Neo Geo games on sale but ultimately I don't think Nintendo will be bothered by this if they still have the licences from the Wii days. There's been some overlap before with NES/SNES games sold in collections (Konami comes to mind) but, yeah, Hamster doing their thing makes it a lot less likely. 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

4 hours ago, lenticular said:

One thing that isn't clear to me is what the licensing agreement is likely to be between Nintendo and Sega, or Nintendo and third party publishers on Switch Online. For the Virtual Console, it seems like it would be relatively simple: for every unit that a game sold, some portion would go to Nintendo and some portion would go to the rights holders. But for NSO, since nobody is actually buying any of these games, it isn't that simple. Are Nintendo paying Sega (etc.) a flat fee for having their games on the service, or is it a more complicated system with payments depending on how many people are actually playing the games in question?

I can't imagine it's anything other than Nintendo paying a flat licensing fee for the games. "Gameplay royalties" are not like anything I've ever heard of. Except maybe in the form of some metaverse blockchain "play to earn" dystopia. Maybe the exact amount Sega gets paid is re-negotiated every year based on the eventuality of NSO shutting down at some in-determinate point of the future, but who can say what the finer details are. I'm willing to bet it's pretty cheap though. Sega Genesis games have been available for pennies on every system and the Genesis is a notoriously easy system to emulate on any hardware.

As for the topic, I truly think they're done adding new systems after what is already announced. However, if you asked me what's the largest non-zero chance of a new addition, it's probably Neo Geo. It's true that those are available individually on the eshop, but the same is true of Sega games. The Sega Genesis NSO emulation was courtesy of M2, the same team that did the Sega Ages series of releases exclusive to Nintendo Switch. That's in addition to the Sega Genesis Classics you can find on Steam and elsewhere. Another possibility is an "Arcade system" loaded up with games from all sorts of companies, including Nintendo's back catalogue. Granted, a lot of Nintendo's arcade games already have their NES conversions on NSO, I don't think that stopped them during the Wii VC era.