Cloud saving will finally come to the Nintendo Switch with the upcoming online service, which launches in September, Nintendo said today. Finally, you won’t have to worry about losing all 200 hours you’ve sunk into Zelda — as long as you’re willing to pay.
“Details about this feature will be available before the paid service launches in September,” the company said.
The Switch’s subscription will also give you access to the smartphone app – which is currently free – and 20 NES games. Nintendo had previously said that the $29.95/year plan would allow Switch owners to play NES games with online features.
Seems like those features will be robust:
With online play added to every classic game, you can compete (or cooperate) online with friends, share your screen, or pass the controller, depending on the game. With the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app, you can also voice chat during your play sessions.
Here’s the launch lineup:
Ice Climber
Legend of Zelda
Balloon Fight
Soccer
Tennis
Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
Dr. Mario
Super Mario Bros. 3.
Donkey Kong
Nintendo says it will reveal 10 more of these NES games — as well as more details on how cloud saving will work — closer to the service’s launch, in September. The service makes no mention of a Virtual Console or of classic games from any of Nintendo’s other systems.
Paying for an online Switch subscription will also let you take multiplayer games like Splatoon 2, Arms, and Mario Kart 8 online. Until the service launches, you can play those games online for free.
The service will cost $US4 ($5) for one month, $US8 ($11) for three months, or $29.95 for a full year. A family membership – allowing up to eight “family accounts” to use the same subscription – will cost $US35 ($47) for a year. (We’ll update this post when Australian pricing for the monthly, tri-monthly and family account subscriptions are known.)
“Online features including Nintendo eShop, Friend registration and management, the sharing of screenshots over social networks, Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, system and software updates, and Nintendo Switch News will not be affected by the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online paid service,” the company said.
Comments
38 responses to “Nintendo Switch’s Online Service Will Finally Let You Back Up Your Saves”
I’m glad they have reasonable family pricing.
… for a family of an expendable income to own 8 Switches 😛
considering they’re really offering the advanced infrastructure that MSFT offers nor the huge competitive multiplayer video game library I would they wouldn’t charge the same.
Instead the cloud saving will likely become the reason you lose all your progress.
There’s a reason I switch that shit off for Steam, Uplay, etc.
As long as the family account isn’t IP locked, that’s not bad. I’ve got 6 mates with Switches, so splitting it is nothing
My money is on it being locked to a single console. Note that this would mean that if you have multiple users on a single console but opt for the cheaper option, the others won’t get to use the service at all. Classic Nintendo move.
I wouldn’t be so sure. Nintendo were strongly suggesting the other day that they are targeting a one-per-person distribution of Switches (RE The end of support for the 3DS) so it would make sense they’d promote that by having the sub-accounts be able to be used on separate consoles.
I’d put money on this not being the case. About $35USD, in fact.
Or you can play the Wii U version and back up your saves on USB drive for free.
What a complete fucking joke. Paywall your backup features and unreliable p2p multiplayer, and even then you can only do it for one account unless you pony up more. Also leave half the game features locked to two external platforms independent of the actual console, and no way to use them. Oh and some NES games we’ve all seen played and owned dozens of times over for the past several decades. Totally worthwhile, sure.
Still waiting for them to point out where the value in this fee is supposed to be coming from.
You do realise that sony and ms also offer this cloud save feature on paid sub account only as well right?
I dont see why your labeling this as paywalling….
You misunderstand, I’m not disagreeing with cloud saves being a paid feature. That’s probably the one part of this service that is actually a service and justifies some level of cost.
As far as I understand on PS4 at least, you can still perform local backup to a USB drive. Cloud storage isn’t your *sole* backup option, that’s why I label it paywalling. The Wii and Wii U didn’t have the problem of your save data being trapped within the system like it is on the Switch, and there was no fee required to solve that problem.
Exactly.
On both PS and Xbox i can plug in a usb stick, Copy my save files and put them somewhere else.
This is impossible to do on the switch.
Too right. Save game features are literally a QoL feature and should be default.
Ah… makes much more sense to me now.
Your choice of words made it sound like to me that you were more against them charging for cloud saves instead of a lack of alternative backup options
LOL. If your Switch bricks. Gets stolen. Gets damaged by water or any other random things that can happen to a PORTABLE DEVICE then you literally can’t pull an SD card out of it and have your shit saved.
What’s your opinion on the laughable voice chat that requires a smart phone app?
Moving the goal posts much mate?
I was commenting why Gooky was up in arms over cloud saves being a paid service since at the i had assumed the other 2 console makers did the same thing though apparently ms does it for free so i was wrong there.
Not saying ninty is perfect (yes the chat app is convuluted rubbish btw) but i didnt see the drama over cloud saves being paid when other companies did it anyway.
Yeah true enough.
I would still label it as a paywall though because there is literally no other alternative. It’s 2018, have options.
Actually between sony and ms, sony is the the only one where you need to pay for online cloud storage. I had a system issue with my ps4 losing all my progress of shadow of war, luckily had a back up of the hard drive data before i started so i didnt lose everything, now i have PS plus just to avoid that annoyance of losing data again.
Cloud saves are free on the Xbox One so I don’t know why you’re lying?
https://support.xbox.com/en-US/games/game-setup/cloud-game-saves-faq
Honestly didnt know it was free… i had assumed it was part of the paid service i had on LIVE since Sony only did cloud saves via PSPlus.
I stand corrected =P
You just cant please some people.
Especially if you’re not even doing anything but still demanding money for it.
which they aren’t, so all good.
Not yet, but come September they will.
You can’t please some people? This is like selling a car and demanding people pay extra for cup holders, a radio or any other BASIC FEATURE.
Hell the fucking voice chat requires a smart phone app. Like – HOLY SHIT.
Buy the new Hyundai Santa Fe! It comes with access to an amazing Smartphone app that lets you play Digital Radio! (please note: radio not part of cars functionality)
arrrr …. you know every other company charges for the same service?
just people looking to complain, like yourself.
Except that there is no alternative.
Both the Xbox and PS4 allow you to plug a HDD in and transfer saves off the device.
Hell even the 3DS has this functionality.
Because nobody is allowed to criticise or have legitimate complaints about being ripped off. Everyone’s just a hater, right?
nah, just interested in this topic and Nintendo finally move towards the solution and everyone keeps whinging.
I stand by what i said
Probably because they aren’t exactly solving any of the problems particularly effectively.
Sooo… will we have to be online at all times in order to play these NES games?
Is it possible to go offline anymore? Seriously though, I can’t stop looking at my phone… Send help. 🙁
God now I just have to not lose or brick my Switch until September, then I can finally ensure my precious 300 hours of Splatoon 2 will be safe.
I’m a pretty big ninty fan but even I will have to pass on this.
Not enough games I want to play online, and the NES offerings are below average at best.
Just give me the opportunity to backup saves on a USB.
Not asking to be an asshat, are people genuinely excited to be playing NES games nowadays? Fair play if so/to each their own etc. Just genuinely interested; I guessed they were with the way the mini-NES sold but wasn’t sure if that was just because it’s a cool little gadget?
As a (very) early 80’s kid I grew up with the NES but even then it adds nothing to this offering in my eyes & i’m just not sure when i’d ever want to play a NES game? Just one too many gens old? SNES? Now that’s a different story (biker mice from mars on the switch would be epic!)
Probably not. How many people even put 10 hours into the NES classic? Less than 10% of them I bet.
I will probably have a poke at each one when I get the service but I don’t expect to spend any time there.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the prices get marked up for Australian subscribers. Foreign companies always love squeezing us with OzTax(tm) Of course, our Greedy Pig Pollies want to stick their snouts in the trough for another 10% too.
The cost of the service is the same, our dollars are worth less. When did they become a charity?