Nintendo Switch Online Release Date, Features, And Opinions
Nintendo Switch Online will be released very soon. The online service promises to introduce exclusive features to subscribers and increase the fun that comes with the portable console. Opinions on the Nintendo Switch online vary, but the Asian gaming company seems to believe that the new service will bring their console to new heights.
The first whispers of an online service for the portable console circulated just a couple months before the Nintendo Switch launch, reported BGR. The Switch’s online service was originally slated to be released in the summer of 2017. However, the designated release date came and went. The tech company eventually announced that the online service would be released in the fall of 2018 instead. It seems that Nintendo will be keeping its word this time as a release date in late September has been announced. Given that it is already mid-August, gamers assume that there will be no delay this time.
The online service promises to give subscribers exclusive features. For example upon purchase, subscribers will receive 20 free NES games, including Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario Bros. More NES games will be added to subscribers’ collections throughout their subscription. The main draw of the service, however, is the ability to play with other gamers around the world in titles like Splatoon 2, ARMS, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Some other interesting features Switch online subscribers will receive is the ability to save their data online with data cloud backup. Details on this feature are not well-known and Nintendo promises to release more information about it prior to the online service’s launch in late September. Besides the backup feature, though, subscribers will also gain access to the official app for the online service. It is unknown, though, if this feature will be exclusive to subscribers only.
The Asian gaming company’s official website also mentions special offers which are shrouded in mystery. GameRant believes the special offers will be similar to the Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus memberships. If the publication is correct, then online subscribers may be getting other free games every month besides the NES games promised regularly. They may also be getting certain promo codes or discounts for other popular games and accessories.
Nintendo Switch Online subscription up on Best Buy, GameStop https://t.co/1PH6E8ckC0 pic.twitter.com/TixEH7YqLL
— Nintendo Everything (@NinEverything) August 11, 2018
According to The Gamer, fans of the Switch have high expectations for the online service, especially since the Asian game developer has already moved back its release date. Nintendo’s online services have not always been up to par when compared with Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox, but it was also free. Now that Nintendo fans will be charged for the Switch’s online service, they expect a higher level of quality.
u/Nintendo_nx from Reddit also observed that charging for the online app and the saved data backup may not be agreeable to some Switch players. However, with the portable console’s ever-growing collection of games in its arsenal, the subscription might be worth purchasing in the long run.
Currently, there are four pricing plans available for Nintendo Switch online. For individual memberships, there is a 1-month plan for $3.99 USD, a 3-month for $7.99 USD, and 12-month plan that costs $19.99 USD. Then there is a 12-month plan for the family membership for a group of up to seven people, which costs $34.99 USD.
