Nintendo’s upcoming Nintendo Switch Online service is an affordable, multi-featured paid service that lets users enjoy online play for compatible Nintendo Switch games, access classic NES games with added online functionality, back up save data for most games and use additional features for the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app that will enhance the online experience for compatible games.
Nintendo revealed more information about Nintendo Switch Online, including pricing, Save Data Cloud backup and additional details about the classic NES games subscribers will be able to play when it launches in September.
U.S. Pricing: Various price points offer a variety of affordable options for different players.
Individual memberships:
One month: $3.99
Three months: $7.99
12 months: $19.99
Family membership (12 months): $34.99
With a family membership, up to eight Nintendo Account holders will be able to use the Nintendo Switch Online service, even on different systems.
Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online: Subscribers will have access to NES – Nintendo Switch Online, a compilation of classic NES games. The collection will initially include 20 games, with more added on a regular basis. At launch, previously announced games Balloon Fight, Dr. Mario and Super Mario Bros. 3 will be joined by Donkey Kong, Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Soccer, Super Mario Bros. and Tennis. An additional 10 launch games will be announced in the future.
For the first time ever, players will be able to enjoy these classic NES games online. Depending on the game, players can engage in online competitive or co-op multiplayer, or take turns controlling the action. Friends can even watch each other play single-player games online, and “pass the controller” at any time. Every classic NES game will support voice chat via the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app*. It will also be possible to play these games offline.
Save Data Cloud Backup: By using Nintendo Switch Online, a backup of Nintendo Switch save data for most Nintendo Switch games will be stored online for easy access. This is great for people who want to retrieve their data if they lose, break or purchase an additional Nintendo Switch system.
Online Play: A Nintendo Switch Online membership will be needed to participate in co-op and competitive online features for many current and upcoming Nintendo Switch games, such as Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, Mario Tennis Aces and Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido.
Nintendo Switch Online App*: The Nintendo Switch Online smartphone application can be used to enhance the online experience for compatible games through voice chat and other features.
*The Nintendo Switch Online app is for Nintendo Account holders 13 years old or older. Persistent internet access and compatible smartphone are required. Data charges may apply.
For more information about the Nintendo Switch Online service, visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service.
Source: PR
All is according to plan.
Nintendo’s dominance is but a question of time…
Yep. Thats right.
Aside from the much needed cloud storage, everything here is pretty lame.
Agreed.
Can’t believe they are still following through with that horrible voice chat integration even after the huge backlash. I have slivering hope that they allow normal, HassleFree vc.
I’m glad they are still keeping the budget to 20$ a year in the US. At least now Nintendo will be able to include more Switch games online functionally like Metroid prime 4 perhaps. Also, How could we do voice chat if the switch system doesn’t have a mic included in the console.
They said the voice chat will be through their Nintendo Switch Online phone app. And I agree that the $20 price is great.
Oh ok. I forgot about that. And yes, the 20$ is really great.
and switch is a portable system so what do you have with you outside on a bus a train in a car on a cAmp site in a hotel room
YOUR PHONE DUMB ASS
Most people won’t play online on the bus or train (because of slow connection/expensive data rates). But indeed with a place with a decent speed wifi like a hotel or somewhat modern camp site your phone is a great way to make voice chat possible and consistent in every Switch configuration.
Is that an insult or your just being retarded?.
So I’ll be paying $20 for online play, NES games I don’t care about and features I can’t access without a device I don’t own.
Still cheaper than any other online service
With way less features than any other online service.
@Necroshine
Not even that much less features than other online services.
Mainly the voice chat is limited in it’s feature set (no party or cross game chat). Hopefully they’re going to fix that later on.
The free games feature actually has a positive aspect: being a persistent and growing library is actually a major plus over being limited to monthly free access.
The classic games do have a smaller immediate audience than current games, but there are actually great games to discover there which many people haven’t taken the chance to play.
Except for those differences (of which one is actually positive) the features are pretty much the same for a third of the price. $20 instead of $60 is a much better deal even considering those shortcomings.
Also, if you have a friend family member with a Switch you can set up the family membership and it’ll be even cheaper:
$17.50 per person for two or even $8.75 if you’re with four friends/family members. That’s dirt cheap compared to the other online services.
They haven’t even announce all the features no yet give it some more time as they said they’ll discus more later on (also the nes games are online now so you can play it with friends I don’t know how that’ll work)
Needs a party system on the system itself. The smartphone app is hot garbage.
Other than that, this is fine.
The pricing is fair.
not that fair. a game like Splatoon for instance doesn’t cost them much to run online because it’s P2P no servers involved. after almost 5 years of being free why would we pay for mario kart 8 online? is the cloud storage a hostage situation? i don’t pay sony for my saves on ps4. they are banking on pokemon and smash bros. thank god i don’t give 2 fucks about either of those series. save about $300CAD a year could almost buy an xbox for that price.
How would you ever save $300CAD a year by not getting a $25CAD subscription? were you planning to get it for 12 accounts?! lmao!
Actually with the family plan to get to $300CAD a year you’d have to get NSO for 48 accounts and even then you’d still fall short at 6*45 = 270CAD.
I don’t know how you got to 300CAD but you’re doing something terribly wrong.. XDD
As long as they increase their overall online quality, I’ll be satisfied with this.
I’m pretty excited about the NES games that come with this. An ever-increasing amount of 20+ NES games for $20 isn’t too shabby, in my opinion. Of course, I never got a NES Classic and don’t own many NES games on the Wii U/3DS VC, so I’m more excited than most probably are.
cloud saves are cool too
Yeah I thought about that.
Hopefully this isn’t their full hand, and I Dont think it is, but hearing some of these details makes me a lot less nervous. If you didn’t require the smartphone app for voice chat then I’d be pretty happy with the service.
Maybe throw some snes titles down the line? But if you don’t, at least offer a ton of virtual console systems on the eshop
that will never happen. they are fully giving the middle finger to those of us who supported the wiiU.
VC is officially dead. So most likely the SNES and later games are going to come to the persistent Classic Game Library with NSO at some point in the future..
More redemption of Nintendo by using cloud saves!!
I’ve been holding back judgement on the online service until we got further information. I’m very disappointed with the amount of features offered (or lack there of). I was convinced voice chat would be native and the friend code system would be removed.
I hope there is more to be announced, but I’m not holding my breath as things are already looking grim.
Why would you expect voice chat to be through the console when they have said it was through the app since the beginning and repeatedly thereafter? If you don’t like it that’s fine but expecting it to just change despite no indication that it would just because you want it to is pretty silly. Thought you would’ve got over it by this point.
The whole thing Seems more counter productive that’s why…
I do not know anyone who has genuinely used the stupid set up and gone through the painful procedure to play with voice chat via the app.
I know Nintendo won’t just throw it away (even though they should), but maybe they can add the real/original way for voice chat, with the more complicated version as a side option.
OMG Nintendo get that smartphone app away . I cringe anytime I hear about it lol
I was afraid of what I was going to read.
I wasn’t… Not really.
Everything sounds, ok. For the exception of the Smartphone app, really that needs to be left out, lol.
Discord stays as a much better option.
Yeeeees! Save backups
I can’t wait to see them put the SNES games and the 64 and Game Cube games!
Omg yes :o … They are going to be “mine” though not just online stuffs???
Just lose the SmartPhone app and we’re golden. Also add more than just NES games.
On the one hand, slightly underwhelming, simply because we’re still in the dark about whether or not Virtual Console will be making any sort of return. But, I appreciate not having to rebuy the same NES games over and over again, even if it’s just a rented access tied to the online fee. It’s smart for them to offer features that you can’t get through emulation, at least.
VC is officially dead (confirmed by Nintendo). This NSO Classic Game Library is what’s likely going to replace it. Which I think is perfect! Access to a growing libary of games for $20/year? Don’t mind if I do!
Nintendo keeps talking about those online NES games that sound cool, yet all I want to know is whether their online play infrastructure will be improved (as in a way of dedicated servers)
It was a pain playing Smash Bros or Mario Kart with that PvP awful connection type. It’s about time Nintendo steps their game up if they want to keep all that competitive scene alive in their games.
Other than that, the service seems fine considering the $20 price tag. Throw in it reasonable eShop discounts (maybe physical purchases discounts as well) and the service would be a “gift” from Heaven.
so is there going to be any way to chat with the friends you have on your list?
or is it going to stay as limited as it is now?
No word on any changes to that yet, so expect it’s not coming at launch. Possibly some time in the future…
Would like to be able to chat with the people I’ve added and that have added me.
UK pricing???
EU pricing is €3,99/€7,99/€19,99, so I’d guess UK pricing would be £3.29/£6.59/£16.59, based on comparable eShop prices (it’s usually about 80% of the EU price from what I can see).
£17.99 @SR388
So the incentive other than multiplayer will be the same BES games that they have been rereleasing since the gba classics line from like 2004? Come on Nintendo quit beating around the bush and give the people what. Virtual console.
VC is gone. But if they’re going to expand this Classic Game Library at a decent pace it’s a better deal. In VC the games were a few bucks per game. Now you they start with 20 for $20 which is already cheaper if it was only for the games instead of the full service.
RIP IWATA
People are defending Nintendo by saying cloud saves and online NES games will save this membership, but I doubt that will be the case. $20 for something so barebones (why did they take an extra year?) is quite pricey, especially considering the fact that cloud saves should have been free from the start. This is not to mention, of course, the extremely buggy app that is a waste of time still being pushed.
Online is going to “save” this membership just like it did with PS+. On top of that comparison with the competition is going to make this membership a success. Cloud saves is just an extra push (not a very nice move to deny save backups to people without a membership if you ask me though). NES games library is a bonus and additional justification for the purchase and online NES multiplayer is a small extra bonus on top of that.
The app will likely get an update and will undoubtedly be improved over time. If it’s all going to work properly there’s nothing wrong with voice chat via a smartphone app. It can actually be better. Many people are using Discord via their phone already.
LAME
Happy to hear about the cloud storage. Now that I know it’s a thing, I’ll be getting a new Switch at some point. Don’t know when that will be, though. I got a month set out for when I’ll start paying that 20 bucks a year thing; either February or March as PS+’s yearly payment is in January. I think I had my yearly antivirus payment for PC set in March so most likely February. So I will probably have a new Switch by February. I don’t know if they explicitly stated it but being able to transfer my games from one Switch to another by simply logging my Nintendo Account into a second Switch better be a thing; games being console locked needs to die as I don’t have this fucking problem on my PS4.
As for everything else, still underwhelming as hell. The fact voice chat is STILL locked to that stupid app is atrocious. If the app was available for PC (desktops & laptops) & not just exclusive to smartphones, I wouldn’t have any problem with the app as it’s a great idea; just not a great idea when it’s imprisoned on smartphones which are devices I’m not fond of. But this is Nintendo & they are annoyingly stubborn, so I don’t see them rectifying this any time soon, if at all.
Discord, looks like you will still be my go-to for text & voice chat since I can use you on my laptop.