Nintendo has narrowed down Switch Online's launch window to the second half of September.

The news comes courtesy of a tweet by Nintendo of America (below), and describes Switch Online as a service providing online play, cloud saves for compatible games and a catalogue of NES games with “added online play".

Log on

This post marks the narrowest release window for the service to date. Nintendo Switch Online had a tentative launch date of late 2017, then 2018, before zooming in on September earlier this year.

The service will see players charged $3.99 a month to play online and access the full range of features, with options for longer periods and an eight-person family plan. Until now, online play on Switch has been free to access.

While Nintendo is flaunting a series of online-enabled NES titles, there’s still no sign of the return of Virtual Console.

#NintendoSwitchOnline will launch in the second half of September. The service provides access to online play & Save Data Cloud backup in compatible games and a growing library of NES titles with added online play.https://t.co/74Hzxk9spt pic.twitter.com/JtNgmjnilE

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 10, 2018