Information is trickling in about the Switch, including important online service information from Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, saying that the service will cost about 2-3000 yen a year. That will leave the NA Switch service costing about $20 for a year of service.
Twitter user Serkan Toto also reports that Kimishima says the fee will help Nintendo cover the costs of online features such as multiplayer and downloads of classic games, which they will be offering for free. There’s also a bit about Nintendo taking a hesitant look at VR, hoping to put it into the Switch once they know of a way for users to experience it for long periods of time with no drawbacks, an important thing when your systems are so often gifted to children.
Previously, Nintendo’s online services were free. Consoles that could possibly connect to the internet did so with only a bit of fuss. However, they were slow and clunky and pretty much useless. An extremely low fee compared to other companies, about $1.66 a month, is a literal small price to pay for a useful online connection.
None of this pricing is set in stone, but it’s looking good for the Switch release. Nintendo is really taking fans into account with their decisions.