Nintendo Switch Online

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Nintendo Switch Online (or NSO for short), is a paid online gaming subscription service for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, similar to PlayStation Network on the PlayStation consoles and Xbox Live on Xbox consoles. It was introduced in September of 2018, roughly a year after the Nintendo Switch's launch. At which time, games that used to have their online multiplayer functions accessible for free were locked behind this subscription service.

Additional Services include online save data backup, access to games from older Nintendo consoles, such as NES, SNES and Game Boy, and more.

Some users have been banned from all online services, including Nintendo Switch Online after hacking their consoles.

Nintendo Classics

Nintendo Classics is the product line in which NSO subscribers gain access to games from older consoles via software emulation. Subscribers can download applications pertaining to a particular console's library, and thereby gain access to the games for that console which Nintendo has approved for the service. While the games are installed locally, the selection of games available can be changed any time by Nintendo. The selection of games has expanded over time, but in some instances, games were taken off the service.

This is in stark contrast to the 'Virtual Console' service Nintendo offered for their Wii, Wii U, and 3DS consoles previously, in which individual titles were available for a one-time purchase and digital download.