Tokyo, 22 July, /AJMEDIA/
More than any other video game company, you’d expect Nintendo to fully embrace its heritage, especially from the 8-bit era. The defining examples of so many video game genres were titles made for the Famicom/NES, a lot of which were developed by Nintendo itself and continue to be hit franchises with new releases to this day.
And yet, the relationship between Nintendo and its classic games is complicated. For example, it’s been years since Nintendo began selling updated versions of its 8-bit system controllers for use with its current flagship Switch hardware. Just because Nintendo has been selling them though, doesn’t mean that anyone can buy them, as they were exclusively available to members of the Nintendo Switch Online online service package.
To reiterate, the controllers weren’t given to Nintendo Switch Online Members for free, nor were they discounted for members. Being signed up and paying for the service merely gave you the privilege of being able to pay Nintendo more money in exchange for the controllers. Not a Switch Online Member? So sorry, but you can’t purchase them at all.
Ostensibly, this seemed like an attempt to further incentivize signing up for Nintendo Switch Online, but it was also a way to turn away a lot of potential customers, freezing them out of something they wanted to give the company money for. However, Nintendo has finally, and thankfully, decided that this is a lose-lose arrangement, and as of July 18 anyone can buy a set of Switch-compatible Famicom controllers.
