We’ve seen some pretty awesome games on the Nintendo Switch, with many of the main releases getting stellar reviews from our writers. However, many are still wondering what Nintendo plans for the future of its online services, being that they announced to be moving towards a premium model. Following in the footsteps of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus, Nintendo’s service can be bought monthly, quarterly, or annually, but what exactly will be provided?
As of now, the minute details are still pretty scarce. Nintendo shared this information with a website update that lists out all of the details such as what will be free and what will be offered through the service. We do know the pricing of the service though and I gotta say that the annual price of $19.99 is a pretty big deal when compared to the competition.
1-Month Membership
$3.99 (USD)
3-Month Membership
$7.99 (USD)
12-Month Membership
$19.99 (USD)
Of course, players that have this service will be able to play online on their games such as Splatoon 2 or ARMS. Premium members will also get access to special deals on the E-Shop, which for someone who plays a ton of Nintendo games, this could save some serious money. We’ll also be getting access to a Classic Game Selection, which supposedly will add online features to older Nintendo games like Dr. Mario or Balloon Fight. I assume this means things like leaderboards and challenges, but it would be great to play the SNES Mario Kart via online play. Lastly, having this service will grant voice chat through the special app.
It’s also important to note that online play will be free until 2018, with a basic version of the app that runs the service launching sometime this summer.
Overall, I think this is a step in the right direction for Nintendo. Think of all the extra funds they could have accumulated from online play from past hits like Super Smash Bros or Splatoon, which could have then be put into better servers or special events. Really, even at the lower price, this is a good thing for Nintendo financially.
I am still concerned though on how exactly they’ll be offering classic games. We still don’t have access to any sort of virtual console on Switch. Hopefully, E3 will bring some clearer details on how the Switch will handle classic games. My fingers are crossed for that elusive Gamecube support teased at a while back. I would love to fully dive into Metroid Prime on the go or challenge friends to Custom Robo matches.
For the full post of Nintendo Switch’s Online Service, check out the official listing on Nintendo’s website.
