Nintendo devoted a portion of its latest Direct presentation to sharing more information on its upcoming paid online service for Switch. The service will begin rolling out for players next week, on September 18 (September 19 in Europe and Japan), and now we know a few more details about its classic games library and other perks.
As previously revealed, while online services have been free on Switch since the console launched in March 2017, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to play games such as Splatoon 2 and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate against other players online going forward. Many of these games will receive additional features via the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app. Splatoon 2 players, for instance, are able to access SplatNet 2 on the app–a service that allows them to view stats, the stage rotation schedule, and order gear to pick up in the game.
In addition to online play, a Nintendo Switch Online subscription grants you access to a library of classic NES games. Nintendo says this lineup will be expanded with new titles on a regular basis, but at launch, it will feature more than 20 classic games, each of which features some form of added online play. The company revealed the first half of the launch lineup back in May, and now we know the other games that will be available on day one:
- Excitebike
- NES Open
- Double Dragon
- Ghosts n’ Goblins
- Gradius
- Solomon’s Key
- Super Dodge Ball
- Mighty Bomb Jack
- Metroid
- Baseball
- Ice Hockey
- Pro Wrestling
Switch Online subscribers will also receive other benefits, such as cloud saves. This won’t work with all titles–the upcoming Pokemon RPGs, Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee are among the games that won’t support the feature–but it will be available for most Switch titles. Subscribers will also receive “special offers” on the Eshop, although Nintendo says it will share more details about that in the future.
Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions can be purchased in one-month (US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6), three-month (US $8 / £7 / AU $12), and 12-month (US $20 / £18 / AU $30) increments. Nintendo is also offering an annual Family Plan for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55, which allows up to eight Nintendo Account holders in the same family group to take advantage of the service, even across different Switch consoles. You’ll be able to try the service for free for seven days when it launches.