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Nintendo Switch Online, a Paid Subscription Service Required For Console Owners To Access Internet-Enable Features Like Multiplayer Mode, To Launch This Evening (variety.com)
Nintendo announced Tuesday that its paid Nintendo Switch Online service will launch "later this evening," and that to prepare for the launch it will be taking the Switch eShop offline starting at 8 p.m. ET. From a report: It's expected to be unavailable for up to three hours, it said, putting the launch of Switch Online about 11 p.m. Tuesday night. Nintendo Switch Online comes with a seven-day free trial for all Nintendo Account holders. The official website for the service notes that it will cost $4 for a month, $8 for three months and $20 for a year. A family membership, which supports up to seven others in a family group, will run for $35 for a year. The Nintendo Switch Online service, which will be free to users to try for seven days, will be required for console owners to access any internet-enable features, including multiplayer and cloud saves. It will also grant them the ability to play 20 different Nintendo Entertainment System games at launch, although Nintendo hasn't revealed the entire lineup yet.
I love my Switch, and you not only CAN play single-player games, but there is no shortage of amazing single-player experiences out there. These are pretty much the only sorts of games I play and enjoy. If you are assuming all console gaming now is online multi-player, you're sorely mistaken and grossly out of touch of the reality of the game market.
One of the main reasons I'll be buying the online service is for the save game backups, honestly. However, I'm furious about the fact that the feature is left out of some games because the games have some online aspects. Splatoon 2 was originally on my "maybe" list but is now firmly banished because of no backup. I'm worried that Animal Crossing (which I genuinely love) will get the same treatment.