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[Derphoof]

Online Play on Nintendo Switch

You’ll be able to play compatible co-op and competitive games online by signing in with your Nintendo Account. Online play will be free for Nintendo Account holders until our paid online service launches in fall 2017.

After the free-trial period, most games will require a paid online service subscription from Nintendo in order to play online.

This service is only for Nintendo Switch. It does not affect Wii U or Nintendo 3DS systems or online play.

Planned for fall 2017

- Online lobby and voice chat

- Our new dedicated smart device app will connect to Nintendo Switch and let you invite friends to play online, set play appointments, and chat with friends during online matches in compatible games─all from your smart device.

A free, limited version of this app will be available for download in summer 2017.

- Monthly game download

- Subscribers will get to download and play a Nintendo Entertainment System™ (NES) or Super Nintendo Entertainment System™ (Super NES) game (with newly-added online play) for free for a month.

Exclusive deals

Special offers for subscribers may include discounts on select digital games and content.

http://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/

No word on pricing details, so far.

 

[RoKKeR]

- Our new dedicated smart device app will connect to Nintendo Switch and let you invite friends to play online, set play appointments, and chat with friends during online matches in compatible games─all from your smart device.

Please tell me this functionality will also be native to the console....

If not, I literally cannot fathom this.

 

[Alucrid]

so they don't even have basic online features ready for launch?

 

[watershed]

The only reason I'd ever pay for this is because I have to in order to play Splatoon 2 online. That's it. Even Mario Kart online isn't worth paying a monthly subscription for.

 

[AGoodODST]

Please tell me this functionality will also be native to the console....

If not, I literally cannot fathom this.

Yeah I was thinking this.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Again why is this console launching In March let alone this year

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Free game stuff and discounts are cool. Am I understanding that right that online lobbies and voice chat won't be live until fall though?

 

[Derphoof]

Please tell me this functionality will also be native to the console....

If not, I literally cannot fathom this.

I can't imagine it not being native. The app just seems like a companion option, so you don't have to fool around on the system itself.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Why is this system launching on March 3rd?

What the fuck are they doing?

 

[Lo-Volt]

Subscribers will get to download and play a Nintendo Entertainment System™ (NES) or Super Nintendo Entertainment System™ (Super NES) game (with newly-added online play) for free for a month.

Wait, does that mean that you only get the NES or Super NES game for a month? Am I reading that correctly? PlayStation Plus lets you keep whatever their free games are for as long as you keep your subscription current. How is that competitive?

 

[Phoenixus]

Ah, so it's just to play online? I'm fine without that. Sucks for Splatoon enthusiasts though, hopefully it'll be cheaper than psn and xbox live subscriptions.

 

[GhostTrick]

The worst online system is now under paywall.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Awful. The app thing required to chat, the "one free nes/snes game" free a month thing...

I'm really disappointed by Nintendo.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Online play will be free for Nintendo Account holders until our paid online service launches in fall 2017.

Well at least they're not charging us for an unfinished service. That's something I guess.

 

[MatrixMan.EXE]

Subbing to this thread so I can see what kind of mental gymnastics are deployed in order to defend this.

 

[onemanasylum]

They don't even have basic features rdy for launch...wow.

 

[True Fire]

Is this unanchored? Cloud saves? Give us the details we actually care about Nintendo, my god. Sony makes this look so easy

 

[Psychoward]

lol

 

[mr.beers]

NES or SNES? Not both?

 

[Equanimity]

Do the free games only last a month?

And they could have done better than NES and SNES games.

 

[Maxinas]

Wait, does that mean that you only get the NES or Super NES game for a month? Am I reading that correctly? PlayStation Plus lets you keep whatever their free games are for as long as you keep your subscription current. How is that competitive?

Bad wording perhaps, they could mean its available to play for free for a month, later changed to a different game the next month.Similar to PSPlus you could keep the game as long as you downloaded before it changed. Could be wrong though, hope that i'm right.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

"The paid online service will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only at launch."

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

I'm assuming DeNa built it all?

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Wait, does that mean that you only get the NES or Super NES game for a month? PlayStation Plus lets you keep your free game for as long as you keep your subscription current.

I think that's in addition to the "Monthly game download" though.

 

[Hidden One]

Looking at how everything else is priced I'm guessing the only service will be 59.99 a year.

 

[Surface of Me]

- Subscribers will get to download and play a Nintendo Entertainment System™ (NES) or Super Nintendo Entertainment System™ (Super NES) game (with newly-added online play) for free for a month.

So it's going to be VC games that get replaced each month to go against PS+/GwG? Oh, Nintendo.

 

[Ushojax]

Why is this system launching on March 3rd?

What the fuck are they doing?

Financial year ends in March.

 

[Sora the Cat]

"The paid online service will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only at launch."

So how do I play if I'm on South America? Fake US address?

 

[dmix90]

I am sorry.... Voice chat app?
Do i understand this correctly that you will have to download app to your smartphone to invite players and use voice chat? Does this thing do not have enough spare power to run this simultaneously with the game or what?

 

[Ogodei]

Again why is this console launching In March let alone this year

No way they could've limped through another year on Wii U and the fumes lineup that is the 3DS.

I am sorry.... Voice chat app?
Do i understand this correctly that you will have to download app to your smartphone to invite players and use voice chat? Does this thing do not have enough spare power to run this simultaneously with the game or what?

I'm assuming something's lost in translation there, and they're just emphasizing the fact that it's a smartphone app so that people can remain connected, socially, wherever they go whether they have their switch with them or not. Although it is possible that they're going with a light footprint OS so that games can take advantage of all the RAM unlike having half of it blocked off for the OS like in the Wii U.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

So how do I play if I'm on South America? Fake US address?

You don't, I guess.

That can't be right... Can it?

Right at the bottom of the page.

 

[GHG]

"The paid online service will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only at launch."

That can't be right... Can it?

 

[Zombie James]

"The paid online service will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only at launch."

So after fall of this year Japanese and European gamers won't be able to play online? Or will it stay free just for them?

 

[Dancing Queen]

Subbing to this thread so I can see what kind of mental gymnastics are deployed in order to defend this.

"You already pay 60 dollars anyway (on the PS4), what difference 10 more makes?"

"If you can buy the console for 300 dollars, you can afford 10 more!"

"The paid online service will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico only at launch."

And fuck the rest of the world.

 

[vatstep]

Mario Kart 8 online should be free for life considering you can play all you want on Wii U.

 

[Ushojax]

That can't be right... Can it?

Presumably Nintendo.com is talking about availability in the Americas. There is no way the console launches in Japan and Europe without an online service.

 

[Delio]

I dont get the voice chat thing. Is it JUST through a phone?

 

[Chaotic-Strike]

Again why is this console launching In March let alone this year

Because the Wii U is deader than dead.

 

[Majine]

It has no name? They're just calling it "paid service"?

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

So after fall of this year Japanese and European gamers won't be able to play online? Or will it stay free just for them?

One of the two. Either way, everyone gets to be angry!

 

[Magwik]

I am sorry.... Voice chat app?
Do i understand this correctly that you will have to download app to your smartphone to invite players and use voice chat? Does this thing do not have enough spare power to run this simultaneously with the game or what?

It does sound a lot like the OS level stuff is being sidelined into smart phones ...

 

[Regiruler]

Nintendo you can get fucked if the features require an external device to use.

 

[Sora the Cat]

You don't, I guess.



Right at the bottom of the page.

"Every other country can play online for FREE!"

 

[GHG]

"You already pay 60 dollars anyway (on the PS4), what difference 10 more makes?"

"If you can buy the console for 300 dollars, you can afford 10 more!"

"Do you drink coffee? It's less than the price of a coffee a day, just stop drinking coffee"

 

[madmackem]

Wait I need another device to chat online send invites etc?????? This can't be real it just can't be right?.

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Wait I need another device to chat online send invites etc?????? This can't be real it just can't be right?.

Phone or nothin pal

 

[botty]

No streaming?

 

[GHG]

All I'm wondering is if they will have a windows phone companion app.

 

[VanWinkle]

This thing better be like $15 a year or something.

 

[Hidden One]

So how do I play if I'm on South America? Fake US address?

You go back to your WiiU