To go alongside the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games coming to Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo is also releasing new controllers for its hybrid home/handheld console. Starting in October, Nintendo Switch Online members will have a chanced to purchase Switch-compatible N64 and Genesis gamepads. These controllers will sell for $50 each.
This is similar the Nintendo and Super Nintendo controllers that the company sold when it added those platforms to its subscription service. You’ll need an active $20-per-year membership to get access, but you would need that to access these games in the first place. So it makes sense to lock the controllers behind that paywall.
Unlike the Nintendo and Super Nintendo gamepads, however, the N64 and Genesis pads do not dock onto the Switch like Joy-Con. Instead, they are simply wireless versions of the original devices.
And yes, in case you were wondering, it is bizarre that Nintendo is selling a Sega Genesis controller. That’s something that wouldn’t have made any sense 30 years ago.