Gaming

Nintendo is launching an online service for the Switch

Key Points
  • Nintendo's paid online service includes access to a library of 20 NES games, as well as cloud backup for game saves.
  • The company also announces a family subscription model, which lets up to eight users sign onto one account.
Visitors play Nintendo's new video game console Switch during its presentation in Tokyo.
Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images

Nintendo is launching a paid online service for its popular Switch console in September.

The Japanese gaming company unveiled details of the new membership service Monday. It includes access to a library of 20 games from Nintendo's classic NES console, as well as cloud backup for game saves.

An annual subscription will cost users either $3.99 a month, $7.99 every three months or $19.99 for the year. That's cheaper than online services offered by Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's Xbox, which cost $59.99 annually.

The company also announced a family subscription model, which lets up to eight users sign onto one account. An annual family membership will cost $34.99.

Nintendo has mostly shied away from online gaming in the past, focusing its efforts on portable and family-orientated gaming experiences.

The company's latest console, the Switch, has proved to be a major success with gamers. Nintendo sold 15 million units of the Switch in the year ending in March.