Nintendo Switch: VR being studied, online service is cheap

How much can you expect to pay for the Nintendo Switch online service? Well, it’ll actually be cheaper than console rivals, it’s been reported.

Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima told Nikkei that the paid online service, a first for Nintendo, would cost between 2000 and 3000 yen (R238 to R357) per annum.

By comparison, Sony’s PlayStation Plus service has a yearly price of US$60 (South Africans can expect to pay roughly R749) and Xbox Live Gold has the same US$60 price tag (local gamers will need to splash out around R899).

The Nintendo service also allows subscribers to download a NES or SNES game every month, but this is essentially a rental for the month. Meanwhile, both Sony and Microsoft offer at least four games per month, being playable as long as you’re a subscriber.

The Nintendo Switch will have a cheap annual fee for online services – but it looks like you get what you pay for

Kimishima says that the paid model means Nintendo can “fully commit” to consumers.

The Nintendo head also told Nikkei that it was considering VR support for the Switch.

“If we are able to resolve the issues with playing comfortably for long hours, we will support it in one form or another,” Kimishima was quoted as saying.

Of course, strapping the Switch to your face could be extremely awkward, owing to the size. Additionally, the screen resolution of 720p isn’t ideal for the technology. So it’s not out of the question for Nintendo to use a dedicated headset instead. Only time will tell…