https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/nintendo-introduces-switch-cloud-saves-as-part-of-paid-online-subscription/:

First, the good news: Nintendo will finally begin offering a way for Nintendo Switch owners to back up their currently vulnerable game save datastarting in September. Now, the bad news: that feature will only be offered to players who spend $20 a year for Nintendo's first-ever paid online subscription service.

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Online accounts will be portable across Switch systems, provided you log on to the secondary console with your centralized Nintendo Account.

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The first 10 of those NES games to be confirmed for inclusion at launch are:

• Balloon Fight
• Donkey Kong
• Dr. Mario
• Ice Climber
• The Legend of Zelda
• Mario Bros.
• Soccer
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• Tennis

Rather than offer an integrated voice chat solution, Nintendo is still sticking with its bizarre and unwieldy smartphone app to enable voice chat between friends for the Switch Online service.

It's unfortunate the only way to back up saves is $20/year, but who knows if it will be like that forever. Was really hoping the would do something about the voice chat tho.

That's cheap enough that I don't really mind. Especially since there are supposed to be a total of 20 NES games with more getting added. I'll take those on the go, thank you.

"More details of how cloud saves will work will be available at a later date."

That sentence has me worried, because knowing Nintendo, cloud saves won't just work nice and automatically like on the Xbox or PlayStation. Can't wait to see what kind of weird and unnecessary system they've thought up for them.

Honestly, the thought of paying for online in general makes me cringe, but Nintendo's is so cheap that I just might go for it if they put out enough interesting multiplayer games. If not, no big loss on my part since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the first online experience I've had in ages and even that has been put on the back burner. I'm just more of a couch multiplayer guy.

As for the NES games, sadly none of them really tickle my fancy except the ones I've already played. I've always half-jokingly said I'd want to do a blind run of the original Zelda, but I can get that on my 2DS for like 4 bucks soooo...

This is a random question, but are you required to use the joycons for anything besides the initial setup? I want to sell mine for a Pro controller. Well, I’m thinking about it.

I sincerely hope this yearly fee rental library isn't the only Virtual Console type offerings Switch is going to have. That's a pretty meager launch lineup and the way Nintendo tends to dripfeed new titles onto their old platforms, the library won't ever get robust before it's time for new hardware.

Eh. I'll probably buy for the online backups alone, I have no interest in playing any old NES games.

Bit of a shame about the online chat but you can use discord on a phone so whatever.

Depending on the deals we'll get with the online plan, it may practically pay for itself.

I mean cool, but just not enough. Replaying stuff from 25 years ago gets old really quick. Also, where's SMB2 dammit? Even though it's only twenty bucks they better come out with new a NES game every week. And then start putting out or selling SNES/N64 and GC games.

Nintendo, just get with the times (I've said this for years). Internet is not a new and exotic thing, that just started happening.

Man Nintendo can fuck off 20 bucks if you want cloud save support, sure you get more stuff for that. But forcing people is fucked up, and knowing nintendo's shitty "what's the internet reputation" it probably won't work half of the time. I never use cloud saves but that doesn't mean i want shitty save support. Steam offers that shit for free ! Like Jeff mentioned a few times Nintendo should hire some folks who "understand" the internet. And get there shit straight.

Disappkinting but then i asked myself if i would pay 20pounds for 20 nes games on the switch from the estore and i thought "yes" so ill give the offering a 6 out of 10

Because Nintendo. Of course maybe they'll release classic games in eshop too eventually, but guess we'll see...

https://www.destructoid.com/wow-nintendo-confirms-that-the-virtual-console-isn-t-coming-to-switch-502062.phtml

"There are currently no plans to bring classic games together under the Virtual Console banner as has been done on other Nintendo systems. There are a variety of ways in which classic games from Nintendo and other publishers are made available on Nintendo Switch, such as through Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo eShop or as packaged collections. Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online will provide a fun new way to experience classic NES games that will be different from the Virtual Console service, thanks to enhancements such as added online play, voice chat via the Nintendo Switch Online app and the various play modes of Nintendo Switch."

The notion a $20 paywall could well be the only way to backup Switch saves is frustrating. Maybe Nintendo will surprise everyone with a firmware update that adds the feature locally, but I won't be shocked if this is very much the company's sole plan to address the issue.

I really hope they have more online features to announce at E3. $20 a year isn't a huge burden, but I'm not happy if all I'm getting is save data backup (which should be free), a couple dozen retro games I may or may not want to play, and access to Nintendo's convoluted online infrastructure.

@glots: Ars are saying the same: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/sorry-the-switch-isnt-getting-wii-style-virtual-console-downloads/

The answer to that question seems to be no, as Nintendo told Kotaku that "there are currently no plans to bring classic games together under the Virtual Console banner as has been done on other Nintendo systems."

$20 a year for some roms and the ability to back up saves? lMao...I don't need to play Smash online that bad.

I'll probably be getting it for Mario kart, smash bros, and the online functions for the eventual Pokemon and Animal Crossing games. $20 a year isn't that bad just for a few of my favorite games' online. Can't say I really care that much about NES games after years of having the ability to play them on things. I'm more disappointed at the thought of no virtual console to allow for a wider range of games from old hardware.

I don't think this is going to be enough to satisfy some people. I saw plenty assuming that the amount of extra time they were taking meant this was going to be a more robust service at the start. Instead it's pretty much exactly what they told us it would be a year later with some cloud saves.

I mean, $20 a year isn't too bad, especially if they keep adding classic games to that library. I don't really have any NES nostalgia left though, and my SNES Classic has pretty much everything I need from that gen. They'll need to get into N64 and Gamecube stuff eventually.

Even though the we technically knew from the beginning that a paid online service is coming I still think they'll get a lot of backlash considering you can play Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online for free right now, but starting in September that gets moved behind a paywall.

Also I have no problem with them charging for cloud saves, but it's still nonsense that you can't move saves to an SD card.

Since most of my online multiplayer gaming has shifted to PC for the most part I'm pretty against having to play extra funds for that ability when it was free on other consoles such as the PS3 and Wii U. Nintendo's pricing is better when compared to the PS4 and Xbox One but the fact that online multiplayer is going to be locked behind a paywall to begin with is bad enough.

On top of not all games supporting cloud backups, it looks like Nintendo are "unable to guarantee that cloud save data will be retained after an extended period of time from when your membership is ended". For reference, PS+ gets you 6 months, while Xbox has no expiry.

Nintendo's approach to online services is about a decade behind, while pricing isn't that bad I think what they're offering is laughable to be honest.

It's like the big N as only just discovered the internet.

Like the original Xbox One plans, you'll need to check in online with Big N every week in order to play those hot NES roms they downloaded from the internet games.

I'm curious if the save data from these games will be included in cloud saves.

So, anyone got the trial yet? Thoughts? How is the NES experience?