I recently wrote about how I had become bored with the Nintendo Switch 2 after a week. A lot can change over a month, as the Nintendo Switch 2 is now the gaming console I play the most. And it’s not because of new games like Mario Kart World or the just-released Donkey Kong Bananza. I’ve been spending most of my free time on Switch 2 thanks to a service I initially overlooked: Nintendo Switch Online.
If you don’t know, Nintendo Switch Online, or NSO, is a subscription service that’s required to play most Switch games online. It’s effectively Nintendo’s version of PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass in that regard. While being able to play online might be the main draw for most, NSO has something that’s made it irresistible to me — the ability to play classic Nintendo games.
Now, this isn’t anything new, as NSO has given users access to Nintendo classics since 2018. That said, this is my first time using NSO, so having access to so many old-school Nintendo games has been a revelation, especially as I’ve become increasingly disenchanted with modern games. Yes, there are other ways to play retro Nintendo games, but NSO makes it so much easier.
Here’s why I’ve fallen in love with Nintendo Switch Online and why it’s reinvigorated my passion for classic gaming.
What is Nintendo Switch Online?
Like I said before, NSO is Nintendo’s answer to gaming subscription services like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus. Subscribers get access to online multiplayer for the best Nintendo Switch games, cloud save support for eligible titles, and a curated library of over 100+ NES and SNES titles.
With the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, you get all those benefits plus access to classic Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis games, along with DLC content for titles like Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And with a Family Membership, you and up to seven other Nintendo accounts get all the perks offered at each tier.
The base NSO subscription costs $20 a year, while the Expansion Pass costs $50 a year. In comparison, the entry-level PlayStation Plus Essential plan starts at $80. Xbox Game Pass has no yearly subscription plan, but it effectively costs $120 per year for Xbox Game Pass Core. NSO is the more affordable gaming subscription service offered by the Big Three.
The retro gaming experience
I spent most of my childhood playing on systems like the Game Boy, NES, and SNES. My passion for these consoles and their respective games hasn’t gone away, but it hasn’t always been easy to replay these classics. That’s not to say I haven’t had access to these titles, but it has never been as simple as playing modern games. NSO changes that.
So far, I haven’t encountered any glaring emulation issues with what I’ve played. Games like Super Mario Bros, F-Zero, Punch-Out!!, Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda seem as well-emulated on NSO as they were on the NES Classic Mini and SNES Classic (respectively). In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if these were direct ports of those games.
Though my experience with what I’ve played has been great, I should mention that some folks have been less than enamored with the emulation quality of 3D games from platforms like the Nintendo 64 and GameCube. I’ve never owned those systems or played their games, so titles like Super Mario 64 and F-Zero GX seem fine to me. That said, I’m not an expert on these platforms, so take my word for what it’s worth.
Game selection is generally good, though it’s not as robust as I would have liked. Yes, you get a slew of Super Mario games, but franchises like Castlevania, Contra and Mega Man (among many others) are noticeably absent. I can’t say this surprises me since you can purchase those games in their respective collections. Konami and Capcom would prefer you purchase those titles from them instead of playing them on NSO, after all.
Old games are notoriously difficult, but thankfully, NSO allows you to rewind games if you need to redo a section. This has made replaying games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles less anxiety-inducing. I also appreciate how you can create up to four suspend states (saves) if you want to stop at specific parts.
CRT filters
CRT filters are essential for replicating the look of emulated retro games. Some disagree with this, preferring to view games in their raw pixel form. I won’t slam others’ preferences, but considering how old games were designed to work with CRT TVs and monitors, I’d argue that the raw pixel look isn’t accurate. I won’t delve into the specifics here, but YouTuber Godpuu does an excellent job explaining why CRTs (and by extension, CRT filters) are important for retro gaming.
So, how are the CRT filters on NSO? For 8- and 16-bit games, the filter is a tad blurrier than I typically prefer. That said, the filter does a nice job of blending pixels to give the overall image a smoother, more rounded appearance. This CRT filter definitely makes the games look the way I remember them.
The CRT filter used for N64 and GameCube games is much sharper than the filter for sprite-based games. The scanlines aren’t too thick, but they add a nice depth to images that helps offset the blocky polygons. Textures on both 2D and 3D elements also appear quite nice, thanks to this filter. I wish I could use this specific CRT filter on NES, SNES and Genesis games. It looks fantastic.
Game Boy games utilize a different kind of filter since they were originally on a device with a dot-matrix display. While the green-ish tint and large blocky pixels might be off-putting to some, this is the way Game Boy games actually appeared. I don’t have any experience with the Game Boy Color, but I also prefer playing games with its specific filter. As with the CRT filter, images just have more depth and detail.
Take me back to 1985
While I have minor gripes with Nintendo Switch Online, such as notable missing titles and a lack of CRT options, the enjoyment I get from replaying some of my favorite childhood games negates those issues. I imagine the service will only continue improving over the following years.
With modern gaming becoming more disappointing each day, NSO provides a fantastic way to revisit my favorite eras of gaming.
