After several delays, it appears that Nintendo is finally going to jumpstart its Nintendo Switch Online services this fall. Today the company revealed a new section on its website, detailing the various features and price points the service will offer. Here’s a quick rundown:
- The main features of the service are online play, cloud saves, access to a library of NES titles, usage of the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app, and special offers (which are currently unspecified).
- You are not required to purchase NSO services to access the eShop, manage friends, share screenshots/videos, or update your system.
- The service will cost $3.99 for one month, $7.99 for three months, and $19.99 for one year. You can also purchase a one-year family membership for $34.99 that allows up to eight Nintendo Account holders to have access to NSO services (considering that’s less than the price of just two people getting it for one year, it seems like a great deal.)
- NSO services are tied to a Nintendo Account — thus, if you have two separate users on the same Switch, you can’t use one Account for both (necessitating the family plan).
- Not all games will require NSO to play online — it seems that all Nintendo first and second party titles (Splatoon 2, ARMS, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, etc.) will absolutely require it, but it may vary.
- There will be 20 NES games available at launch, with more added in the future. At the moment we know of 10 of them: Soccer, Tennis, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, Dr. Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros. 3.
- NSO will work with parental controls.
- NSO, as its name would imply, is only for Switch services, and thus is not needed for Wii U and 3DS services.
- More details (including particulars on cloud services) are scheduled to follow sometime in the future.
That’s about all we know about Nintendo Switch Online at the moment. Stay wired for even more details as we wait for the service to launch in September.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
