Meaningful.

The Nintendo Switch Online service launches this September, but beyond a few basic details, we know very little about it. 

Keen for answers, Waypoint spoke with Reggie Fils-Aime recently and quizzed him on the finer points of the service. For example, what benefit will Switch owners see when they subscribe later this year, over what they already have for free?

You will get the ability to cloud save your content. And so for those consumers that are concerned about saves, you know, we've now provided a method to address that.

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Secondly, you're going to get access to some legacy content. And we've said that we're going to start with 20 games that are going to be available. We've outlined the first 10. And so that's the other benefit that you're going to get as part of Nintendo Switch Online.

What I would say is that we've got a number of months until the service launches. We'll continue to provide detail as we go. Right now the message is that it's launching in September. Fundamentally there are three elements to the service: connected play, the cloud saves, and the legacy content. We're going to continue providing more details as we get.

The death of the Virtual Console has led many to question exactly how Nintendo is going to handle legacy content via Nintendo Switch Online; could it adopt a similar approach to Sony and Microsoft, who - via their PlayStation Plus and Game Pass services - grant access to a wide library of both classic and modern games? Reggie wouldn't comment on what competitors are doing when asked by Waypoint, but did say this:

What I would tell you is that we know that Nintendo has a deep and rich library. We know that consumers enjoy playing those legacy games. And we also know that we've done a lot in making that content available. Whether it's the work we've done on past platforms, whether it's what we've done with micro-consoles in the NES Classic and SNES classic.

For us, it's really about being thoughtful around what's the best way to enable consumers to have access to this content and to do it in a meaningful way. We think the work that we're doing with the Nintendo Switch Online is one way to address that opportunity.

We'll no doubt hear more about Nintendo Switch Online as September approaches, but what are your feelings on the service currently? Will online play, cloud saves and a few NES games be enough to tempt you to part with your cash, or are you expecting something a little grander - perhaps something along the lines of PS+, where free Switch games are offered up each month, as well as retro titles? Let us know with a comment.

[source waypoint.vice.com]