Capcom Is Bringing 'Resident Evil 7' To Switch, But There's A Catch

Capcom is throwing a lot of support behind the Nintendo Switch. Over the next few months we're getting Okami HD, two Mega Man collections, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Today they've announced another addition: Resident Evil 7.

Well, sort of.

Resident Evil 7 (Resident EVIL: Biohazard)

As reported by Nintendo Life, Resident Evil 7 will arrive on Switch in the form of a "Cloud Version." This means that users would pay ¥2000, or about $18, for a six-month window of access to the game which includes last year's DLC involving series hero Chris Redfield. Further, the game is streamed from a cloud server to your Switch, requiring a strong and constant internet connection to play.

While the price is reasonable, you're effectively paying to merely rent the game, in addition to potentially suffering hiccups in the atmospheric action due to latency and lag.

Last month SEGA did something similar with Phantasy Star Online 2: Cloud Version, which is a free lightweight 40MB download and lets you sync your progress across the PlayStation 4, Vita, PC and Switch.

Both of these games have another thing in common: they're currently restricted to release in Japan, although changing regions on your Switch alleviates that issue since the console isn't region locked. That said, streaming games on a U.S. WiFi connection from a Japanese-based server could be a headache. Not only that, but the Switch's WiFi adapter doesn't boast the strongest connections.

It would be awesome to see some combination of these models (subscription-based cloud streaming or free-to-play cloud streaming) introduced in the U.S. It would be even sweeter for SEGA to finally localize Phantasy Star Online 2. At least SEGA AGES has the potential to bring us the beloved Dreamcast original.

As for Capcom, there's no denying the support they're giving Nintendo's latest console--though their Switch lineup is comprised mostly of ports and collections--so perhaps Resident Evil 7: Cloud Version is a gateway to something more. Sales and quality of service in Japan could dictate what we see next, not just from Capcom but from other publishers as well.

Would you be interested in streaming games on your Switch rather than owning them?

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