Nintendo's new online service has finally been detailed, with cloud saves available only for those who pay up each month.
One common complaint regarding the Switch was the lack of a method to back up your save games, meaning if you lose or damage your console (a predicament far liklier with a portable machine) you can kiss goodbye to those 50+ hours you spent in Breath of the Wild. With the new online service finally detailed, it appears we'll finally have a method to keep our files secure - so long as we're willing to pay for it.
Nintendo has forever seemed to be playing catch up to the likes of Xbox and PlayStation when it comes to online services, but with the announcement of a paid service for Switch there were hopes for a fairly significant jump in service quality. Sadly, the details for Ninty's (admittedly cheaper) online service aren't sounding all too impressive, asking users to pay for something that comes as standard on other consoles and PC.
Costing $3.99 for 30 days or $19.99 for a full year, the service also allows players to make use of a dedicated phone/tablet app for voicechat and play a selection of classic NES games including Ice Climber and Donkey Kong with new online functionality. NES games are great and all Nintendo, but we're still waiting on that Virtual Console for those N64 and Gamecube classics. Subscribers will also be given "exclusive offers only for members." Which will most likely come in the form of discounts on the eShop store.
The paid Nintendo Switch online service will start in September this year. upon its launch, games with competitive online features like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will transfer to the paid service and no longer be available to play online for free.
