Nintendo is slowly but surely lifting the lid on their online services.
Up until now Nintendo has kept their cards close to their chest regarding the online subscription launching in September. On the Nintendo website there are now a few more details regarding what we can expect, first and foremost, from September you will need this subscription to play online, so all you folks busy inking one another of Splatoon 2 will need to cough up once this launches.
You’ll also gain the luxury of being able to store your saves in the cloud, there’s no word on a limit to the storage but it’ll finally be nice to have that extra security knowing you’re not going to lose hundreds of moons in Odyssey should anything happen to your Switch. On top of that you’ll be able to use the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app to enhance the online experience, from voice chat in compatible games to checking your stats in Splatoon 2. There’s also a brief mention of special offers exclusive to the service but no details unfortunately, expect something along the lines of discounts on games.
Finally you’ll gain access to a library of NES games that have been updated for Switch to include online play either competitively or cooperatively. Initially the service will launch with 20 games (check out the list below for mentioned titles) but more will be added over time.
- Ice climber
- the Legend of Zelda
- Balloon Fight
- Soccer
- Tennis
- Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros.
- Dr Mario
- Super Mario Bros 3
- Donkey Kong
With the lack of Virtual Console announcements it seems like this will be the stand in on Switch so don’t be surprised to see virtual console classics appear here in future.
That covers it for features but how about pricing? Well the service will cost you £17.99/$19.99 a year with one or three month options also available. There is also the option for a family option which covers up 8 Switch accounts and that will set you back £31.49/$34.99 a year.
So what do you think of the online services so far? Are you willing to pay up for these benefits? Let us know in the comments below. Stay tuned to the Switch Player for more information as we get it.