Nintendo Switch Players Get Online Service, Access to Classic Games for $19.99/Year
Nintendo recently confirmed that the Nintendo Switch Online services will go live in 2018 and will cost $19.99 a year.
With that amount, Nintendo promised to let Switch players "download a compilation of classic titles with added online play." Some of the familiar games that Nintendo teased will be included in the online platform are "Super Mario Bros. 3," "Balloon Fight" and "Dr. Mario."
Nintendo further explained to Kotaku: "Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will have ongoing access to a library of classic games with added online play. Users can play as many of the games as they want, as often as they like, as long as they have an active subscription."
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Apart from the $19.99 a year subscription fee, Nintendo Switch players can also choose to subscribe for shorter periods with lower costs. An entire month of membership will cost $3.99, while players can also choose to sign up for three months for $7.99.
These price points are relatively lower compared to the membership-based online services for Xbox and PlayStation players. The Xbox Live Gold subscription costs $59.99 per year, $24.99 for three months, and $9.99 for a month. One year access to PlayStation Plus is priced the same as Xbox Live Gold.
The higher prices for Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus can be justified by its jam-packed games library and the regular free games and discount deals. On the other hand, considering that Nintendo is one of the pioneers in video games development, it will not be a surprise if the Nintendo Switch Online rises up to the challenge in terms of the availability of free games.
As Nintendo also told Kotaku: "At launch the classic game library will include NES games. Super NES games continue to be under consideration, but we have nothing further to announce at this time."
Apart from the continuous flow of classic Nintendo games, the Nintendo Switch Online service will also include an "online lobby and voice chat" services. However, it will arrive as a smartphone app and cannot be used directly on the Switch console. Players can start downloading the chat service's "free, limited version" this summer.
