Nintendo’s new wireless NES controllers are a Switch Online exclusive

Announced during the latest Nintendo Direct on September 13, gamers will soon be able to purchase a pair of wireless NES controllers for the Nintendo Switch, allowing them to revisit the company's classic 8-bit titles as they were meant to be played. 

Much like the Switch's Joy-Con controllers, the wireless NES pads can be recharged by simply slotting them into the sides of your Switch console. 

Priced at $59.99 (AU$79.95, around £45) for a double pack, the NES controllers will be exclusive to members of the Nintendo Switch Online service, with only one purchase allowed per Nintendo account – and those on the service's one-week trial will not be eligible. 

The wireless NES controllers can be pre-ordered via Nintendo's Switch Online webpage from September 18 (September 19 in Australia) and have an expected ship date of December 2018. 

In Japan, the wireless controllers offered to Switch Online members will be based on the classic Famicom design, with the pads sporting an adzuki red, black and gold color scheme.

Starting this month, the Nintendo Switch Online service will be bringing classic NES titles to subscription holders, with October set to offer Solomon's Key, NES Open Tournament Golf and Super Dodge Ball, followed by Metroid, Mighty Bomb Jack and TwinBee in November and Wario's Woods, Ninja Gaiden and Adventures of Lolo in December. 

Check out our coverage of some of the other titles featured in the latest Nintendo Direct, which included Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon Let's Go, or watch the whole show below.

Stephen Lambrechts
Senior Journalist, Phones and Entertainment

Stephen primarily covers phones and entertainment for TechRadar's Australian team, and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming in both print and online for over a decade. He's obsessed with smartphones, televisions, consoles and gaming PCs, and has a deep-seated desire to consume all forms of media at the highest quality possible. 


He's also likely to talk a person’s ear off at the mere mention of Android, cats, retro sneaker releases, travelling and physical media, such as vinyl and boutique Blu-ray releases. Right now, he's most excited about QD-OLED technology, The Batman and Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga.