Nintendo Switch Online is well, now online…more than a year after the console launched! This marks the very first time Nintendo has charged for online play. Nintendo fans had it pretty good until now.
The service goes operational at 11pm EST on 9/18/18 in the US. You can access the service for a full seven days before your free trial ends.
There are a few payment packages, starting at $3.99 per month, or $19.99 for a year. Compared to competing services such as Xbox Live at $40 a year or PlayStation Plus at $60 a year, Nintendo Switch Online looks like a bargain. But not everyone with a Switch is going to sign up for the service, and if your friends don’t maybe you should think twice.
Nintendo Switch Online will let you take part in online matchmaking for games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, or the many other games that just aren’t complete until you’ve played with others, whether in your living room, or online.
Signing up is also the way to get HD remasters of older classics. Nintendo Switch Online members will get 20 NES games at launch, with three additional games coming on a monthly basis, with upgraded graphics and some limited online / two-player functionality. You’ll be able to use these games for some time without internet before your Switch requires you to phone home online and make sure you’re still a paying customer. This could give those with tight budgets the time to get funds together to keep their games and enjoy them without risk, such as children with an allowance that doesn’t fall on the billing date or adults with unpredictable incomes like restaurant workers or uber drivers.
Of important note is that Fortnite is unaffected by this and will not require Nintendo Switch Online.
Works Cited
Leger, H. S. (2018, September 18). Nintendo Switch Online arrives on your console today: Here’s what you need to do. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://www.techradar.com/news/nintendo-switch-online-arrives-on-your-console-today-heres-what-you-need-to-do