Nintendo will begin charging users for online gaming on its popular Switch console from September, as part of a new subscription service that also includes a Netflix-style catalogue of old games.

Subscribers to the fittingly-named "Nintendo Switch Online" will be able to continue playing games like Mario Kart, Splatoon and future titles with and against others over the internet, and will also have the much-requested new ability to save game data to the cloud in case they break, lose or replace their Switch.

Subscribers also get access to a library of games originally published for the 35-year-old Nintendo Entertainment System. With 20 titles available at launch, plus more to be rolled out regularly, the NES games will be altered to allow online multiplayer. Friends will also be able to watch each other play live over the internet, or pass control of the game between one another for online retro gaming sessions. The games will also be available offline.

This is the first time Nintendo has asked users to sign up for a paid subscription service (outside of Japan), but it brings the company in line with Microsoft and Sony, which introduced paid elements to their online services in 2002 and 2010 respectively.

Nintendo is pricing its service aggressively, with discounts for users who sign up for the long haul or include their friends and family. In Australia, the Nintendo Switch Online subscription will cost $5.95 per month, $11.95 for three months or $29.95 for a full year.