Future switch owners need to secure their desired usernames now, before someone else does.
Switch is introducing a new suite of Nintendo online services called, uh, Nintendo Online Service, and it doesn’t use the same old Nintendo Network ID you used on 3DS or Wii U. No, it’s now the Nintendo Account. .
Destructoid reports that Nintendo has added some new features to the Nintendo Accounts homepage ahead of Switch’s release next week, so hurry up and log in. Simply go to the User ID section and click Edit to reserve your ID.
If you don’t have a Nintendo Account yet, you can create one now. Sign in with your existing Nintendo Network ID, a range of social media credentials or an email address; complete the two-factor authentication process; and Bob is your uncle. You’ll all be set up before Switch and Nintendo Online Service, and you can choose your name online.
There are some decent advantages to creating a Nintendo Account, including the fact that you’ll need one of these credentials to use the Switch eShop and use the Nintendo online service. In a notable improvement over the old Nintendo Network ID system, purchases made through your Nintendo Account for Switch are locked to that ID, not the hardware they were made on – a big change from 3DS and Wii U days.
Although Nintendo Accounts are free, you will need to pay a monthly subscription to the Nintendo online service, like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live. It will be free at launch, however – likely because several key features will be missing. Likely responsive to Nintendo’s gradual launch, however.
The Nintendo Account was launched in March 2016 and is platform independent, allowing users to make purchases and download them automatically through websites and apps as well as on Nintendo hardware. It is also the platform for My Nintendo, the new loyalty program.
