For months we’ve been hungry for more information on the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, and even now that it’s launched, there’s a lingering “and what else?” feeling among us. Details up until the day it launched were scarce and not exactly forthcoming. One particular bit of info we learned prior to its debut explained how the service ties in with one of Nintendo’s other services. My Nintendo, Nintendo’s replacement rewards program for Club Nintendo, will allow Gold Coins earned from game purchases to be spent on Switch Online subscriptions.
Technically, this is just spending gold coins on the eShop the same way as anything else on there. For technicality’s sake, I’ll keep referring to it as a “reward” even though it’s not listed as a reward because it’s an option for exchanging coins, and coins really only exist to be exchanged for rewarding things. But this isn’t really a reward most of us want as much as it is a reward we need to get the basic functionality we previously had.
That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the option. In fact, it’s possibly the best idea Switch Online and My Nintendo currently have going for them. But it’s only a good idea in the sense that it covers for some of the flaws of My Nintendo and allows us to avoid spending money on a lackluster online subscription rather than turning either into a positive experience. It’s a step in the right direction, but their legs remain just as deep in their own problems.
Many of our recent articles and comments agree that Switch Online’s features are underwhelming, so I won’t beat that dead horse any more than I already have. My Nintendo could use more of a spotlight, mainly because this news is the first time many of us have even thought about it for several months, if not longer. Not only are there very few interesting rewards going for the program, but out of those few interesting rewards, the only one that complements its design is the one we just got. And it’s not that complementary anyway.
Source: Destructoid My Nintendo’s online sub option is a bandage for its unambitious rewards