Nintendo Switch Online Features to Be Paid After Free Trial

At the Nintendo Switch event, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima revealed that the Nintendo Switch’s online service known as Nintendo Online will be available for free until Fall 2017. There will be smartphone compatibility along with it.

This confirms that much like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live, gamers would have to pay to use online services for the Nintendo Switch. The company updated its website to highlight what this would contain.

Nintendo Switch online service paid versus free

Nintendo Switch Price and Release Date Announced

Prior to this, Nintendo confirmed that the Nintendo Switch is region-free. This was stated by Nintendo President Tatusmi Kimishima at Nintendo's event today.

What this means is, like the PS4, PS4 Pro, and Xbox One S, the Nintendo Switch may not need a stepdown transformer or another adapter if you buy it in a country like the US, but plan to use it in another country, for example, India. Prior to this, Nintendo announced that the Nintendo Switch will cost $299 and has a March 3 release date.

It might also mean Switch games, unlike games for the the GameCube, Wii, and Wii U, could be region-free as well — so what you buy in a country that supports the NTSC U/C standard would work fine in other nations that use the PAL format like India, and vice versa. This however seems unlikely given that Nintendo made it tough to make Miitomo account if you weren't in a country where it launched.

We discuss everything we know about the Nintendo Switch on Transition, our new podcast on gaming and pop culture. You can subscribe to it via RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below.