Mikey Campbell
Nintendo on Tuesday launched a hotly anticipated companion iOS app for the Switch console, offering owners access to online game services, social media integration, in-game voice chat and more.
The Nintendo Switch Online app enhances the Switch gaming experience by adding special in-game features and services to supporting titles.
Splatoon 2, for example, will take advantage of Switch Online by granting access to the SplatNet 2 lobby, where players can set up and invite other users to games, as well as check match results, stages and rankings. Importantly, the app enables in-game voice chat using a connected headset, a key feature that was missing from early Switch launch titles.
Interestingly, Nintendo says voice chat operates differently depending on the type of game users are playing. For example, cooperative games might include all players in a single room, while head-to-head competitive titles split participants into separate voice chat teams. The company also plans to market an audio accessory that combines input from an iPhone and the Switch into the same headset, so users can hear voice communications and gameplay simultaneously.
In addition to voice chat, users can invite friends to join games via social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Switch owners can download the app now and sign up using their existing Nintendo Account. The service will remain free until a $20 per year paid version launches some time in 2018.
Nintendo was initially slated to release Switch Online this Friday in time for the launch of Splatoon 2, and the company appears to be working out some server-side bugs. At the time of this writing, the app is largely non-functional and displays a message saying the service is not yet available.
Nintendo's Switch Online app is available as a free download from the iOS App Store.
AppleInsider Staff
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4 Comments
Decent app.
Most of it it looks good.
Some parts seem seem like the old Wii U designers worked on it.
Too bad the Nintendo Switch isn't available....
Not sure what I was expecting but so far it looks surprisingly good, in that it isn't some entirely custom UX that doesn't fit in on the iPhone. Really nothing you can do with the app yet though. I'm very much looking forward to Splatoon 2 in just a couple of days...
I'm glad they resisted adding in-game chat to the game itself but instead will provide it with this app. With a game like Splatoon it would be a nightmare for some people to have their teammates yelling and cursing at them, but squad/league players can really make use of voice chat and having a more integrated solution (as compared to something like Discord) with this app could be useful.
Not gonna do me any good if I can't walk into a store and buy a Nintendo Switch console. They are sold out everywhere. The only way I can find to get one is to buy some bad unpopular bundle that includes things I don't want or pay $100 premium (price gouging) over the suggested retail price of $299. This is the machine I would buy for Zelda alone. Yeah, it's not technically superior but the games are family friendly and actually fun to play.
I've dug out the old Wii U and dusted it off for now... Maybe by February the Switch will be easily purchased.