Nintendo Details Online Service, Brings Cloud Saves

What exactly the Nintendo Switch online service would be has been a mystery since Nintendo originally announced it, but one thing was constant: no one wanted to spend money on a service that they had been getting free since Nintendo went online with their games. It’s a fair point, but those who followed the industry new that to charge a premium for online services, Nintendo would need to gives us more than just online play. And thankfully, they have delivered.

Online Play

Of course, paying a premium for online services will at the least give you access to, well, online gaming. Whether you want to play Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, or a host of other online Nintendo titles, you will now be required to purchase the online service package if you wish to play with your friends. Thankfully, the entire service isn’t that expensive, coming in at (Canadian) $4.99 for a single month, $9.99 for three months, or 24.99 for an entire year. For those with multiple My Nintendo accounts, and perhaps multiple Switch units, there is also a 44.99 Family 1 Year Membership.

Cloud Data

Finally! Sending your Nintendo Switch in to get fixed? Your save data will now be stored in the cloud for select Nintendo Switch titles, which means all those hours you’ve logged into various games will not be lost for good. This is huge, and although I haven’t been affected personally, I know many friends that have. This is a great added feature for Nintendo Switch owners.

NES Classic Games

Here is the blurb from Nintendo of Canada on the NES Classics:

Subscribers will have access to NES – Nintendo Switch Online, a compilation of classic NES games. The collection will initially include 20 games, and more will be 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., Tennis and 10 others that will be announced in the future. And for the first time ever, players will be able to enjoy these 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.

Are you excited for Nintendo Switch Online? You can check out the full press release here, and later this week, our own Daniel Fugate will have another of his More Thoughts From Me blog on this very topic!