Nintendo had their most recent Nintendo Direct today, and to say that it was full of some amazing surprises is an understatement. From the Kirby title, an update to Splatoon 3, all the way to the final trailer which revealed the Bayonetta 3 gameplay, Nintendo made sure this was Direct that no one would soon forget. One of those reasons actually had to do with the Nintendo Switch Online service itself, which is getting an additional tier. The company announced the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, a higher threshold for the Nintendo Switch Online service that will also include Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles.
Nintendo revealed that this new tier in the online service will be available starting sometime in late October. They also showed off some of the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles that will be up right when the services go live. For the Nintendo 64 side, you have Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, Sin and Punishment, Dr. Mario 64, Mario Tennis 64, WinBack, and Yoshi’s Story. For the Sega Genesis side you’ll have Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Ecco the Dolphin, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Contra: Hard Corps, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, M.U.S.H.A., Phantasy Star IV, Ristar, Shining Force, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, and Strider.
Nintendo also stated that they will have some more confirmed Nintendo 64 titles on the way to the Nintendo Switch Online service in the foreseeable future. These include Banjo-Kazooie, Pokémon Snap, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Mario Golf, Paper Mario, and F-Zero X. On top of all that, Nintendo also announced that they will be releasing special Nintendo Switch versions of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers, just like they did with the NES and Super Nintendo controllers. Think about this for a second, Nintendo is now manufacturing and selling a Sega Genesis controller. Who would’ve known? Both controllers will cost $49.99 each when they launch
Interestingly enough, Nintendo did not mention nor state what the price of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will cost. Since there are three ways to purchase the online service to begin with, it’s anyone’s guess as to how they’re going to put a number on the Expansion Pack. They did state that they will reveal this information at a later time, so at the very least we won’t have to wait too long to find out. Regardless, this is just another major reason to own a Nintendo Switch, and we can’t wait to try some of these classic titles out when it goes live.