How Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack Has Grown Since Reveal

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Nintendo has always been at the forefront of innovation in the gaming scene. Nintendo popularized the home console with its NES, created the first true portable gaming device in the Game Boy, and made gaming more accessible with its Wii. That same level of innovation can be seen today with the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid home console/portable device that pushes the boundaries of what's possible in the gaming landscape. However, not all of Nintendo's products are quite as groundbreaking, and Nintendo Switch Online is the perfect example.

While the Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular and successful consoles of all time, Nintendo Switch Online hasn't exactly been the company's finest product. Originally launching with the Switch for free, Nintendo Switch Online lacks a significant number of features present in competitors' online services and has some severe lag issues. But with the introduction of Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack in October 2021, things started to look a little brighter for the outdated online service.

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When the Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, the console had a barebones online service. Not yet called Nintendo Switch Online, this service was essentially the same thing, but in more of a beta test mode. For a while, this version of Nintendo Switch Online was completely free for early adopters of the Switch, but Nintendo did make it clear that this was going to be a paid service later on.

Initially, this early version of Nintendo Switch Online was not well-regarded by fans or critics, with some severe latency issues, and the requirement of a smartphone app to communicate with other players. But with the introduction of free NES games every month, Nintendo