【Philippines】

With just under two weeks to go before allsome is Philippinesrevealed at E3, Nintendo delivered a double-edged surprise: we know how the Switch online service will work, but it's not arriving on time.

Previously pegged for a fall 2017 launch, Nintendo Switch Online -- as the subscription service is known -- will now be available sometime in 2018.

SEE ALSO: Your intense iPhone thirst could be slowing down Nintendo's Switch production

There are pricing tiers for 1-month ($3.99) and 3-month ($7.99) subscriptions, but the $19.99 1-year option offers the most value. It's worth noting that this is roughly $40 cheaper than competing services for PlayStation and Xbox.

The lower price comes at a cost. Much of the Switch's online experience -- which is to say, lobbies and voice chat -- is relegated to an app for unspecified smart devices. A limited version will be available to download starting this summer.

Of course, using an app for such features comes with its own set of obstacles. Since game audio comes out of the Switch and chat audio comes out of your chosen app-bearing device, an audio splitter is required to mix both sources together. As we learned earlier today, that leads to a headache-inducing setup.

Subscribers also have access to a collection of classic games, enhanced with support for online play (where applicable, of course). Interestingly, the newly updated Switch Online website includes no mention of a controversial catch related to these freebies.

The site previously indicated that subscribers would "get to download and play a [NES] or [SNES] game ... for free for a month." Nintendo subsequently confirmed that featured games would only be playable for free within that month.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

That stands in stark contrast to competing subscription bonuses from the pricier PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. With those services, you can download a freebie during its featured month and keep playing it for as long as you keep it installed and remain a subscriber.

While there are still lots of of questions, the chart below lays out in broad strokes how Switch Online subscription benefits one-up the "free" experience.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

All Switch online features -- including the forthcoming stripped-down app -- will remain free until the service launches for real next year.

For the time being, online play looks like the only major draw of this admittedly cheaper-than-the-competition service. Voice chat is looking like an inconvenient mess and the freebie games become considerably less exciting if you can only play them for one month -- though it's not clear if that's changing.

The real question Switch owners should be asking -- and one that we'll be seeking answers to at E3 -- is this: Which games are actually worthplaying online?

Splatoon 2, Nintendo's ink-splattering competitive shooter, is the obvious big one. The company will have an opportunity to gauge interest in what is arguably its flagship online game after it launches in July.

Fighting games like Ultra Street Fighter 2and Nintendo's signature racing series Mario Kartought to draw crowds as well. Minecrafttoo; that one launched recently and it lets players hop online together and share their worlds.

There will be plenty of opportunities to hype the service ahead of its 2018 launch, but E3 is Nintendo's moment to make a good first impression. If the company can sell its fans on the virtues of Switch Online with a tantalizing lineup and a clearer sense of what's good about the service, it will enjoy a much smoother ride into next year.

---

Featured Video For You

---

A snake regurgitated another snake, and both slithered away alive

---

Topics Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Switch

• Life
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Science
• Deals
• Tech
• Games
• Social Good

• Finger-Lickin’ Lulz
• Scientists discover a super
• Target Circle Week is here — just ahead of Prime Day
• Huawei cracks down on recruitment corruption in outsourced hiring · TechNode
• Uniting Against White Supremacy in Charlottesville
• How to make the most of the Olympics on Peacock
• AgiBot unveils Lingxi X2, an advanced humanoid robot with multimodal intelligence · TechNode
• Scientists capture absolutely stunning image of the Andromeda galaxy
• Summon Your Tech Kids to the White House Day
• Xpeng Motors prepares for ADAS available outside of China: CEO · TechNode

• Twitter's mobile apps no longer force 'For You' timeline on users
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 7 Pro: Which camera has better specs?
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for February 5
• 'The Last of Us' episode 4: Who is Henry?
• Angry Birds celebrates 10 years with a campaign to get us all angry
• This is the one good prank on the internet
• Airbnb now lets you take cooking classes with locals from 75+ countries
• Dominance and submission: a guide to Dom/sub dynamics
• Vivo's X90 flagship phones charge to 50 percent in 8 minutes
• All the tech companies laying off employees in 2023

• I Am Not a Fish Dating a Bird
• NASA video shows its next Martian helicopter soaring over Mars
• Tesla Robotaxis aren't coming in August, it seems
• Thin Red Line launches spring recruitment amid reports of developing an AI system · TechNode
• What Comes After Resistance?
• A secretive U.S. spaceplane just snapped a stunning view of Earth
• NYT's The Mini crossword answers for July 12
• Webb telescope spots curious objects that aren't stars, or planets
• Festung High School
• NASA rover just made a compelling discovery on Mars

• Giuliani’s Pooch
• 10 YouTube videos you need to watch this week: Kendrick, Skibidi Toilet, and more
• Huawei advances in robotics with "MATEROBOT" trademark application · TechNode
• Free Slurpee Day 2024: How to get one and why it matters
• Entitlements
• AT&T data breach impacts tens of millions of customers
• Scientists discover a super
• The best early Prime Day 2024 Samsung Galaxy deals
• The Norwegians Who Mistook Their Bus Seats for Muslims
• The best early Prime Day 2024 Samsung Galaxy deals