NES Controllers for Nintendo Switch Exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers

The Nintendo Switch Online service is available from this week. In addition to Nintendo making a host of features and details regarding how you'd be able play games online on your Nintendo Switch available, it also revealed a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) controller. The NES controller is wireless and can be used with the 20 NES games available for the service at launch. However, there's a catch. In order to buy the NES controller for the Nintendo Switch, you'll need to be an active subscriber of the Nintendo Switch Online service.

Yes, you don't plan on subscribing to the Nintendo Switch Online service, you won't be able to buy the NES Controller. The NES Controller price is $60 (around Rs. 4,200) and each pack ships with two of them. Pre-orders open on September 18 in the US and they will ship in December. They charge just like standard Joy-Con controller do, which means you can slide them on the side of the Switch.

The Nintendo Switch Online service grants access to online multiplayer, cloud back ups for game save data, and classic games from Nintendo's past consoles such as the NES for $4 per month (around Rs. 280), $8 for three months (close to Rs. 560). and $20 for an entire year (nearly Rs. 1,400).

It will be interesting to see how Nintendo Switch Online is when it hits. The lack of options for voice chat would mean hardcore Switch fans would have to resort to the likes of Discord while its low price point seems too good to be true. We won't be surprised to see Nintendo ramp up the costs attached to its service over time much like PS Plus and Xbox Live have. Furthermore, the site teases exclusive deals for Nintendo Switch Online members, what these entail are yet to be known though we won't be surprised to see these operate similar to added discounts on games for PS Plus and Xbox Live subscribers.

Considering that the Nintendo Switch is not available in India officially, it's safe to say that we won't see any local pricing or availability for the Nintendo Switch Online service either. So if you own a Nintendo Switch and are residing in India, you'd probably be restricted to online subscription codes for the service or Nintendo eShop credit via the likes of Amazon US.

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