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Nintendo has released the Nintendo Switch Online app for Android and IOS, giving users the ability to voice chat for their online services such as Splatoon 2.

A Nintendo Switch must be registered to your Nintendo account for you to be able to sign into the app, as it uses your Nintendo ID to authenticate with.

Edit: It appears they have marked the service for "Server Maintenance", giving out error code: 2817-0700. It seems we will have to wait a little longer to actually use the app itself.


You can grab them here:

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.znca
IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nintendo-switch-online/id1234806557?mt=8

 

[Foxi4]

Let's hear some valid points that are formed correctly, and aren't opinionated pieces of shit!

Pros: Doesn't allow for voice chat with people across the world, reducing risk for children or other users to hear something inappropriate or have contact with users they shouldn't be.

How is that a pro? If you're concerned about children, there's this thing called parental controls that allows parents to disable certain functionality on devices their children use. Nintendo is not our mom and shouldn't worry about online interaction as it is not rated by PEGI/ESRB anyways. I'm tired of this excuse being used for Nintendo's caveman approach towards online services and the fact that the Switch was not designed to natively support microphones without a weird octopus-like contraption connecting the console to a smartphone is inexcusable and asinine. They're two decades behind the competition and if users need a smartphone just to chat, here's a thought - use Skype, you can download it for free and use it without having to buy their weird Rube Goldberg machine adapter. In fact, if you have a mixamp with two inputs, as many quality headsets do, you can actually connect both the Switch and any Skype-enabled device to your headset anyways. Nintendo releases a solution to a problem they themselves created and expect praise for it - they shouldn't get any, it's their fault that consumers are forced to inconvenience themselves.

 

[the_randomizer]

Speaking as a Nintendo fan (the games, not so much of the company and their uh, decisions), I have to say I'm deeply disappointed by the way and direction their online has been handled with the Switch. The Wii U is miles ahead in terms of functionality and practicality. The fact it's not even consolidated or streamlined, but also requiring a smartphone app? Freaking really? I'd just as soon wait for homebrew and allow all in one apps for this and for emulators. If the VC is going to be convoluted crap like this, I'd rather use homebrew emulators as well. Ugh. What the bloody hell, Nintendo?

 

[DrkBeam]

Great, is not even available in my country, I don't think this is going to change given the fact you cannot go online on the switch if the account is linked to an unsupported country, besides fire emblem echoes or Pokemon shuffle never came where I live, too much hassle to use it really, I'm not even sure if my cellphone would be supported for the application, such a sad thing the 360's os use only 32 mb of ram and it can even run music in the background as well as a modern online capabilities

 

[jt_1258]

Looking at the app permissions on android it has bluetooth permissions. An app does not need that permission in order for audio on the device to go through to a bluetooth speaker or headphones. Unless this is already being used for something else or they idiotically are trying to have there app actually connect to the headphones/speakers themselves. This could be used if they wanted to, to conect the phone to the switch. This allowing either to have the audio from the phone sent to the switch and/or the audio from the switch to be sent to the phone. Even if they had the phone count as another controller slot it would still help with the octopus of cables issue though it still sucks we would still have to do voice chat through the phone.

 

[whateverg1012]

Hope so too but don't really have much faith on Nintendo to improve it.

Just hope for hackers to fix it. Nintendo won't do anything.

 

[jt_1258]

Just hope for hackers to fix it. Nintendo won't do anything.

if they are weird enough to update a console they haven't updated in over a year that is dead, they are weird enough to actually do something good and make there app better, the only reason I give them even the smallest trace of a pass is that this is there first time with all this, we need to stay vocal and let them know what they need to fix and hopefully when the full service launches it's decent

 

[Retrojunkies]

rushed, shall we look at the quick cash grab that was the wii u profiting off the wii name
I feel the switch is a little less rushed as they actually took a dam moment to make something with an actually useful gimmick since they seem so keen on having one, I don't know about you but the portability makes this much more preferable since I'm not locked down to one spot with it, that is about the one redeming factor of it for me

not really, they just saw the Morphusx300 and thought TA DA, lets do this.

and again portability.

this means sweet fuck all when its lacking, and if this doesnt change FAST it will end up being the wii u again...... and sorry nintnedo fans also said what theyre saying now but back then with the wii u.

but this here just again proves innovation of the last decade.

 

[Bladexdsl]

Nintendo Switch / 19 Jul 2017
What Nintendo's Online Mobile App Can and Cannot Do

 

[ken95]

Personally I dont use voice chat at all so it does not bother me that much but yea I can agree that this setup is horrendous. But I wouldn't overreact like it's the worst thing ever. I would suggest to just give feedback on the cons of the app after downloading it.

 

[ATofix]

Personally I dont use voice chat at all so it does not bother me that much but yea I can agree that this setup is horrendous. But I wouldn't overreact like it's the worst thing ever. I would suggest to just give feedback on the cons of the app after downloading it.

I would do they same. And pray nintendo feels like adding voice chat to the switch without a app.

 

[xxNathanxx]

I logged in just to say I managed to get a second hand Switch with Mario Kart and Zelda for 200 euro and also that Nintendo never fails to amaze me with their incredible stupidity and I'd never pay for their online crap even if it actually worked. Anyone who defends anything about this ridiculously complicated way to simply talk to your friends is also uncritically dumb.

 

[Viri]

Spoiler

 

[DJ-Yoshiman]

See, there you go again, complaining but not actually specifying what you're complaining about or why. Would be nice if you could refute any of my points rather than just dismissing them as "damage control." I don't work for Nintendo, but blind hatred is just as stupid as blind loyalty.

So far all I've gathered is that most people here don't like the two seconds it takes to pull your phone out of your pocket. Tell me if there's anything else substantive here.

Offload battery drain from the Switch and instead load it onto my phone, which is more important for me to use through out the day and I already have to charge it by the end of the day before it dies. If the concept that it needs to have the screen stay on to continue voice operation is true, that's even worse.

Possible refute includes "charge it while you're gaming." I would not look forward to more cable management and inconveniences here. Now I have to keep my phone out with a charging cable connected, or in my pocket if I'm using a headset. I have one cable from my phone to the Switch or wall, one cable (headset) from the phone to my head, and if anything sudden comes up that I might need my phone for, I'm inconvenienced even more.

Orrrrr they could just have it in the system like other consoles have no issues with, no having to worry about all the previous mumbo jumbo.

Edit: @Viri above summed up some of my thoughts nicely with that picture ha ha

 

[Viri]

ooops lag

 

[Saiyan Lusitano]

Pros:

• Doesn't allow for voice chat with people across the world, reducing risk for children or other users to hear something inappropriate or have contact with users they shouldn't be.

If you're an incompetent parent that's not our fault.

See, there you go again, complaining but not actually specifying what you're complaining about or why. Would be nice if you could refute any of my points rather than just dismissing them as "damage control." I don't work for Nintendo, but blind hatred is just as stupid as blind loyalty.

So far all I've gathered is that most people here don't like the two seconds it takes to pull your phone out of your pocket. Tell me if there's anything else substantive here.

You don't work for Nintendo but you keep on making excuses as to why this app is good.

It's not. This is the only way for anyone to voice-chat and even then, you can't really do much of voice-chat as it only applies to those within your friend's list so good luck talking to any other than those who you've added as friends. THIS, this is basic stuff that shouldn't be limited on a damn app.

Just hope for hackers to fix it. Nintendo won't do anything.

Like they've fixed it always.

 

[Saiyan Lusitano]

Shokio made a video about this backwards online service by Nintendo.



Love this guy.

If I recall correctly, on the WiiU people could just voice-chat on Black Ops 2 just as if they were on 360/PS3 but there was hardly anyone online when I'd play it.

P.S. How do the Nintendo Defenders think PS/Xbox gamers would react if Microsoft/Sony pulled this shit?

 

[the_randomizer]

Shokio made a video about this backwards online service by Nintendo.



Love this guy.

If I recall correctly, on the WiiU people could just voice-chat on Black Ops 2 just as if they were on 360/PS3 but there was hardly anyone online when I'd play it.

P.S. How do the Nintendo Defenders think PS/Xbox gamers would react if Microsoft/Sony pulled this shit?

They would get the same backlash as Nintendo. I should clarify, love Nintendo's games, have done so since the 90's, but as a company, I refuse to support them in this half-assed attempt at the Switch online. I'd rather wait for the console to be hacked and with emulators. See that way, I can protest the VC and online by not paying for either.

 

[Bladexdsl]

just who's fucked up idea was this at nintendo anyway? i think it's time to clean house these old guys running it have all gone senile.

 

[Saiyan Lusitano]

just who's fucked up idea was this at nintendo anyway? i think it's time to clean house these old guys running it have all gone senile.

The apologists will defend this backwards online service so in overall Nintendo won't fix this disastrous issue they have at hand.

Say, did Nintendo ever fix the Private Messaging and Voice-Chat on WiiU? Nope.

 

[Xzi]

P.S. How do the Nintendo Defenders think PS/Xbox gamers would react if Microsoft/Sony pulled this shit?

Neither MS nor Sony give a damn about portable gaming, so it wouldn't happen. Or if it did, either one would charge double for the same service.

The biggest pros to a phone tie-in are access to voice chat without internet, and online multiplayer without internet if you just hotspot your phone. These things would be useless for stationary consoles, but are very useful for traveling with Switch. Of course there are cons to the app, it's just pointless to whine about them like a child rather than wait for changes and updates like all software goes through.