Nintendo Switch Online Service Lands in 2018 for $20 per Year

If you have already managed to find a Nintendo Switch, you are doing better than most of the gamers out there who still can’t get hands on Nintendo’s latest. A new online gaming service is coming to the Switch next year and it’s priced at a level that should make other game consoles feel bad. Nintendo will sell you online gaming capability for only $20 per year.

If you want to try the service out before you plunk down the full twenty, you can get a month subscription for $4 or a 3-month subscription for $8. One reason for the lower prices would seem to be the fact that Nintendo won’t offer some of the basics that you enjoy with the PS4 or Xbox One, namely voice chat and lobby services.

To use voice chat or lobby services you will need a smartphone running Nintendo’s app. That app will connect to the Switch and allows gamers to invite friends to play online, set play appointments, and chat with friends during online compatible games. Nintendo has stated that a free, limited version of the app will land this summer.

The “free, limited” wording makes me think there will be a premium version of the app that will cost you. This may be where Nintendo will make back some of the money it’s saving you on the online play portion. Nintendo will also give you free classic games you can play with the online service including Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario among others. Your online subscription includes access to an ongoing library of classic games reports Kotaku.