Nintendo Switch’s online service will cost less than $30 a year

Nintendo Switch’s online service will cost less than $30 a year

Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has just announced that Nintendo Switch will require a paid subscription for online gaming, it’s reportedly to cost around 2,000-3,000 yen per year, which is between $17.63 and $26.44.

The online service for Switch will allow players download a free NES or SNES game each month, but Kimishima didn’t confirmed if the player will own the game once downloaded, or if the game will expire at the end of the month.

Check down below some of what President Kimishima told Nikkei:

“Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima gave the price range in an interview with Nikkei today, telling the Japanese newspaper that “with paid [services], we will be able to fully commit to customers.” The Switch will be the first Nintendo system on which the company will charge for online play; neither the Wii nor the Wii U required a subscription for networked multiplayer features.

That range is much cheaper than the cost of Microsoft’s or Sony’s online services. Even if Nintendo were to charge $29.99 a year in the U.S., it would be half the price of an annual subscription to Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus, both of which cost $59.99. An Xbox Live membership is required for online gaming on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, while a PlayStation Plus subscription is necessary only on the PlayStation 4, not the PlayStation 3.

The cost difference seems to make sense considering what we know of the feature set of the Switch’s online service. It will offer one free NES or Super NES game per month to subscribers, but unlike the monthly free games that come with a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold membership, each Nintendo game will be free only for the month in question. Once the next month rolls around, it will feature a new game, and the previous title will no longer be free. Nintendo is adding online play to these 8- and 16-bit games.

It’s also worth noting that with the Switch, Nintendo is relegating many features that are typical of an online gaming service — voice chat, online lobbies and other social elements — to a dedicated mobile app. Those features will not be accessible directly on the console, and the company’s existing social network, Miiverse on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, also will not be available on the Switch.”

Translation provided by analyst Dr. Serkan Toto (thanks, Nintendo Life)

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