Nintendo discussed its pricing strategy for the upcoming Nintendo Switch’s pay-to-play online service on Wednesday, revealing an annual fee that’s a fraction of what players pay for similar services on competing console platforms like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
While pricing for North America has not yet been revealed, Nintendo notes that Japanese players could pay between 2,000 yen ($17.50) and 3,000 yen ($26.50) for an annual subscription, suggesting that a similar price range is in store for other regions.
During a showcase event in January, Nintendo revealed that the Switch will require an annual fee for online multiplayer and other network services. While rival console manufacturers Sony and Microsoft previously instituted annual fees for online multiplayer features for their PlayStation 4 and Xbox One titles, respectively, Nintendo has never required a subscription fee for its own games, marking a significant shift in strategy.
Nintendo’s suggested pricing is a major point in its favor, however, as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold annual subscriptions cost $60 each in the United States. That’s potentially more than twice or even three times as much as a Switch subscription will be, based on fees in Japan. Players who pay Nintendo’s annual fee will get access to online multiplayer features in upcoming games like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, along with other member-exclusive perks that will be revealed at a later date.
The Nintendo Switch console will hit store shelves worldwide in March alongside a selection of launch titles including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1, 2, Switch. Unlike previous Nintendo consoles, the Switch can be removed from its TV-connected dock and used as a portable gaming device, allowing players to seamlessly resume in-progress games while traveling.
While details regarding Nintendo’s paid online service remain scarce, company officials previously confirmed that subscribers will get access to one free NES or SNES Virtual Console game every month. Unlike similar offerings for Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, Nintendo’s free games will be revoked at the end of each month, requiring players to buy full versions for continued access.
The Nintendo Switch launches on March 3.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.