At Nintendo's major press conference, the company announced it will provide online services that includes making appointments, chatting with friends, online matches, and more. It will be free to start in a trial period, but will eventually move to a paid service in the Fall of 2017.
You'll be able to play compatible co-op and competitive games online by signing in with your Nintendo account. If you don't have one already, you can sign up for a Nintendo account today.
There will be an online lobby in a dedicated smart device app that will allow players to invite friends to play, set play appointments, and chat during online matches in certain games. The app will be available to download for free starting in the Summer of 2017
Subscribers to Nintendo Online Services will be able to download and play one NES or Super NES game for free for a month. Presumably, this will be similar to Microsoft's Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus, where you can download and play games. The main difference being that, it appears Nintendo's offering doesn't allow you to keep any games for more than the month they are offered.
Non-subscribers will still be able to take advantage of Nintendo's eShop, friend management, screenshot social sharing, and parental controls.
The company's president, Tatsumi Kimishmia, noted that services will be accessible from a smart device as well. From the Nintendo Online Services website:
This service lets Nintendo Switch owners enjoy online multiplayer gaming as well as a dedicated smartphone app that connects to your Nintendo Switch system and helps you connect with friends for online play sessions.
It sounds like Nintendo is taking a page from Sony and Microsoft to create an online service similar to Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus. At least we'll be able to try it out for a few months before we decide if it's worth our money.
We're updating this post as we know more, so be sure to stay tuned.
