Nintendo Switch Online is the upcoming subscription service that will allow players to access several online features and a library of classic NES Games. A few days ago, the Big N revealed the release date of the service, and it will be released together with the latest system update on September 18, 2018.

Now, an essential piece of information regarding Nintendo Switch Online has been revealed, and it should definitely catch the attention of players planning to subscribe to the service to play classic NES games on the go. As it turns out, the NES games included with the subscription can only be played offline for up to seven days before players are required to connect online and check-in with their membership.

Of course, connecting to the Internet on a weekly basis seems to be a small price to pay to play NES games on the Switch. However, the time-frame provided by Nintendo to play these classic games without an online connection seems short, which may become a problem when a player is unable to go online. It seems that Nintendo’s approach is somewhat stricter than Sony and Microsoft, as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Games with Gold titles can be played offline as long as the games are within the specified time frame, and downloaded on the console.

Moreover, Nintendo revealed that Cloud Saves, which was previously announced to only work on specific games, will not store a player’s data once the subscription is canceled. This method is again different from Sony and Microsoft, as the former would keep data for 30 days once the online subscription is canceled, while the latter will keep them indefinitely.

Nintendo Switch Online was announced a few months ago and will feature a subscription-based service that will allow players to play certain games online. The service is also the spiritual successor of the Virtual Console, which ports games from previous generation consoles to the current one. Nintendo Switch Online will feature 20 NES games at launch, and the company promises that more games from other Nintendo consoles will be added later.

Nintendo Switch is now available, while the Online service is set to launch on September 18, 2018, with a 7-day free trial.

Source: Variety