Nintendo goes well: the Switch console of the Japanese gamemaker sells like a fool and the company recently announced that they have sold almost 18 million units since its launch last year. What the Switch does not yet have is a decent online service. That is a bit of a shame in 2018, but from September on it will really take shape.
Free games
Fortunately, the paid service still has some extras in store. Not only do Switch owners finally get the ability to save their saves in the cloud (a much needed option, because if you now have a problem with your Switch you can start again in games like Zelda and Mario) but Nintendo also had a small surprise: you get access to some twenty classic NES titles that you can play for free if you have the online subscription.
A precise list has not yet been published, but just assume that games like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Donkey Kong sit down there. Also titles like Metroid, Kirby’s Adventure, Excitebike, Kid Icarus and Dr. You can expect Mario. Think of the list of the NES Classic Mini but only with the titles that Nintendo itself has published.
It is striking that Nintendo says that games where applicable also have the ability to be played online. More games would also be added to the catalog in due course. In addition to that, you also get access to the chat app for mobile phones that you need to be able to talk with other players of the Switch. That system is far from ideal, but perhaps that will also be improved towards the launch of the service.