Nintendo Switch Online: what it is, how much it costs and what does it include

We are going to explain what it is exactly, how much it costs and what does Nintendo Switch Online include . In essence, it is a payment service with which you can play online with the Nintendo Switch , something that may remind you of Sony and Microsoft’s PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold , but it has some peculiarities that make it quite different.

We will start the article by briefly describing what exactly Nintendo Switch Online is, and we will continue to explain what is included in the subscription and the list of games that you will have access to . Then, we will end by showing you all its payment methods and comparing them with those of similar services on other consoles.

What is Nintendo Switch Online

Until now, Nintendo had never charged any type of subscription to be able to play online with its previous consoles. However, after the launch of the Nintendo Switch they also announced that this was going to change with it, although playing online with the rest of active consoles such as the Wii U or 3DS would continue to be free.

IN EXTRA LIFE

Testing Nintendo Switch Online made it clear to me the only thing I needed to know: it’s not for me

This service is very similar to what Sony and Microsoft offer on their current consoles, but it has some differences that also make it very difficult to compare. The payment services of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One allow you to play online and give away games every month, but Nintendo makes use of its catalog of classics , and what it offers in addition to online gaming systems is access to a catalog of games of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

But this also has a negative side, and that is that Nintendo is not going to give away Nintendo Switch games monthly as Sony and Microsoft do with their subscriptions. This aspect can be more or less negative depending on your preferences, and to what extent values ​​that in return give you access to the catalog of classic Nintendo games.

The other big difference is in the price. The subscription to Nintendo Switch Online has a much lower cost than other systems, with a range of prices that at most will make you pay per year something very similar to what you have to pay each quarter for Sony and Microsoft services. In addition, Nintendo will also offer a family rate .

However, this does not mean that Nintendo’s decision has come after Microsoft and Sony have led the way “normalizing” the payment to play online. Yes, they will possibly receive criticism since in the end people do not like to pay for something that until now had been free, but surely much less than if they made this decision with the Wii U.

What’s included on Nintendo Switch Online

Here is a list of all the services that Nintendo will include in the price of your online subscription. In total there are five points, ranging from the possibility of playing online to the NES games, through saving games in the cloud, the availability of a mobile app for online and exclusive offers:

• Online Play: If you pay a paid subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, you can play online with friends and rivals from all over the world cooperatively and competitively in the games that are compatible. Here is the list of games compatible with Switch Online , both those that have come out and those that are about to hit the market.
• Access to Nintendo Entertainment System games: The subscription also allows direct access to games from the legendary NES, a catalog that will be expanded over time. These games have been adapted to play online, and you can always continue playing them all as long as you maintain your subscription.
• Saving data in the cloud: It will allow you to save copies of the data of the games compatible with this option automatically in the cloud. With these copies, you can recover data such as saved games if you lose your console, use those of a friend or simply buy another. The data of your games will always be linked to your account.
• Nintendo Switch Online Mobile App: The subscription also includes access to the Nintendo Online App , a mobile application that allows you to manage your friendships, play online and use a voice chat. According to Nintendo, voice chat can also be used in NES games included in online mode as well. It is available for Android and iOS .
• Special Offers: Finally, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will be able to enjoy discounts and exclusive products. This means that there will be offers, and you can also buy things that users who do not pay the subscription will not be able to buy, such as the NES official wireless control pack and other products that will be announced over time.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as well. For example, the data you have stored in the cloud will disappear if you stop paying for your subscription, and as has been revealed, the NES game catalog will only be available if you connect to the network once a week.

What are the included NES games

As we have seen, 20 classic NES titles will be included in the Switch Online subscription from the start, which you can play whenever you want as long as you maintain the subscription. The games of each game can be recorded and continued at any time. These first 20 titles are as follows:

• Balloon fight
• Baseball
• Donkey kong
• Double dragon
• Mario
• Excitebike
• Ghosts’n Goblins
• Gradius
• Ice Climber
• Ice hockey
• Mario Bros.
• Pro Wrestling
• River city ransom
• Soccer
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Tecmo Bowl
• Tennis
• The Legend of Zelda
• Yoshi

This catalog of games will increase in the coming months , and Nintendo has already announced which games will be incorporated into it between now and the end of the year. In total, there will be three titles that will join the existing ones each month that passes and the chosen ones are these:

• October– Solomon’s Key, NES Open and Super Dodge Ball
• November– Metroid, Mighty Bomb Jack and Twin Bee
• December– Wario’s Woods, Ninja Gaiden, Adventures of Lolo

IN XATAKA

We have played ‘Mario Kart 8’ by eight people with four Nintendo Switches at the same time and this is our experience

How much does Nintendo Switch Online cost

Next we will tell you the official prices that the Nintendo Switch Online subscription will have . As is usual, the more months you buy at once, the cheaper the price per month will be. There are four subscriptions, three individuals and one family member for those who set up a family to which up to 8 different accounts can be subscribed.

• One month individual subscription (30 days): € 3.99
• Three-month individual subscription (90 days): € 7.99
• One year individual subscription (365 days): € 19.99
• Family subscription up to 8 accounts a year (365 days): € 34.99

And to finish, here is a comparative table with the prices of Nintendo Switch Online compared to those of PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold. As you will see, the subscription to Nintendo is somewhat cheaper than that of the competition, although its characteristics, especially in the games it gives away, are quite different.