Nintendo’s Switch Online services priced, officially launching next month

It kind of got lost last week, but Nintendo’s Switch Online was detailed a bit more, and has a launch window of next month.

Online

Nintendo’s online strategy has been… well it’s been a little laggy. The company was incredibly slow to move into the online space at all to start, and really hasn’t picked up much pace through the Wii, Wii U, and now Switch years. Though, the online service that’s coming next month goes a long way towards fixing that.

Yes, it’s been nice not having to pay for multiplayer on the Switch, but we all knew that was coming to an end sooner or later. And subscribers will actually be getting some solid services, in addition to multi, for their coins.

A total of 20 NES games will lead the way, and be available for play by all subscribers right off the bat. From there, Nintendo says that more will be added “regularly”. What that means, I have no idea, but it does sound like this is something of a “free” Virtual Console. Albeit one that only offers NES titles.

Cloud services will also be a part of the plan, with the ability to upload saved games for backup purposes. Will you be able to access these saves from a friend’s console? We don’t know. Nintendo hasn’t said yet, though they do promise to let everyone know before the service goes live. Very nice of them.

There’s also an online app that will compliment the service, and “Special Offers” of some kind. Though I also have to point out that, much like the cloud service, there’s not too much to say about either of those elements yet.

So what does all of this cost? Not much honestly. The pricing plan is probably right where it should be for something like the above –

• 1 month – $3.99 USD
• 3 months – $7.99 USD
• 12 months – $19.99 USD

Then there’s also a Family Membership, that allows for up to 7 people to access the service for $34.99 USD. That one’s only for a yearly rate, and seems likewise pretty low priced. Watch for more when the calendar turns to September.