Nintendo Explains Switch's Online Service Delay, Virtual Console & File Management

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime was at E3 2017 and answered some burning questions about the Nintendo Switch. The most important topic he discussed was why the online service for the Switch console was delayed.

As most fans already know, the Nintendo Switch’s online service was supposed to arrive later this fall. Nintendo then announced that that its availability was going to be pushed back to 2018. At the time, the gaming firm didn’t give out an exact reason for the delay, but now, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has spoken out.

“As we were proceeding along development, there were things we wanted to do with Nintendo Switch online that extended the development time,” Fils-Aime told Polygon. “When you look at the products [from Nintendo] that have been delayed, typically it’s worth the wait. ‘Breath of the Wild’ is a great example.”

He also said that that Nintendo believes that its hardware and IPs are “world class,” and that its digital environment needs to be world class, too. That is why the Nintendo Switch online service is taking so long, because the company is still working on it to meet its high standards.

The online service for the Nintendo Switch will cost $19.99 for a 12-month subscription, while the monthly and three-month memberships will cost $3.99 and $7.99, respectively. Nintendo’s online services for its past hardware are usually free, but with the Switch, the company now believes that it can charge customers like its rivals, Sony and Microsoft.

The Nintendo Switch online service will also include a the Classic Game Selection, a feature bundled with the paid service. This lets subscribers play classic Nintendo titles that have been enhanced with online multiplayer.

Fils-Aime also had this to say about that: “We wanted to make sure that it is a robust, well-executed online environment, and for the $20 annual subscription fee, the consumer says, ‘This is a no-brainer. I want to participate. I’m all in.’”

For the Wii and Wii U, Nintendo had the Virtual Console where gamers could purchase old Nintendo games and not just the classics. The Virtual Console was a success for the Wii and Wii U, but it remains to be absent for the Switch.

“What we’ve said is that as we communicate the specifics of the Nintendo Switch online service then at that point we’ll communicate what it is we’re doing with our legacy content,” Fils-Aime said when asked by Kotaku about the availability of older games for the Switch.

Another problem on the Nintendo Switch is the absence of file management and backing up data. If a user were to break their Switch by accident, all their saved progress would be lost, and there would be no way to recover them.

Fils-Aime was also asked about this issue at E3 2017, and it looks Nintendo is trying to find a way to implement file management for the Switch that’s secure and can deter piracy.

“It’s everything from not only how is it going to work but it’s also how we do this in a way that doesn’t lend itself to piracy or systems or our core software infrastructure that can be modded or hacked,” Fils-Aime told Mashable. “Those are all of the things that we need to think about from a business standpoint.”

The Nintendo of America president also said that they are aware of everything of what consumers are asking for, including Netflix and Amazon Prime support, but the company needs to do it in a way that “makes good business sense.”

We’re aware of requests around cloud saves or file management, we’re certainly aware of all the requests for legacy content, we’re aware of consumers asking for ways to have multiple devices linked to one particular account, we’re aware of all of those. What we’re trying to do is deliver positive steps on all of these areas but in a way that is prioritized and makes sense for us. — Reggie Fils-Aime