Both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 have received a major firmware update, bumping the systems to version 22.0.0. Though the changes made to the original Switch console are minimal, the Switch 2 got a surprising new addition in in Handheld Game Boost. For the price of higher power usage when in handheld mode, you're now able to have non-upgraded Switch games believe they're playing in docked mode when on the go. Through this you'll see a bump to the targeted resolution in many games, with many now making use of the Switch 2's 1080p display.

When making use of this feature, attached Joy Cons will be interpreted as a Pro Controller. Though this will be compatible with the majority of games, some notable titles like the Pokemon Let's Go games will not function properly due to a lack of support. At this time there is no per-game toggle, requiring you to head into your settings to disable the boost. This new option can be found at the bottom of the System tab in System Settings.

The full changelog for both systems can be found below:

Nintendo Switch 2:
Ver. 22.0.0 (Released March 16, 2026)

• Changed the on-screen text and animations when you load a virtual game card in the HOME Menu.
• Added the ability to save notes about friends on your Friend List. The note content is not displayed to friends.
• Added the ability to see and edit these notes from the Nintendo Switch App. The app must be on version 3.3.0 or higher to use this feature.
• The following features were added to support GameChat:
  • Added the ability to invite friends to GameChat rooms you’re participating in. Some friends may not be able to be invited, such as supervised accounts.
  • Friends that haven't finished GameChat initial setup can now be invited to GameChat. Some friends may not be able to be invited, such as supervised accounts or those who haven’t used a Nintendo Switch 2.
  • It may take a while for this change to be reflected after updating your console to system version 22.0.0.
  • Improvements were made to the quality of the game screen shared in a GameChat when expanded.
• Added the ability to rewind 10 seconds/advance 10 seconds with the ZL and ZR Buttons when watching a full screen video in News or Nintendo eShop.
• Added the option to add the following data to “Automatic Uploads” from Album.
• Clip Video, Video saved as a screenshot, and screenshot with added text.
• Added Portuguese (Portugal) and Russian to “GameChat Voice ⇔ Speech to Text” languages in Accessibility.
• Text-to-Speech, under Accessibility, can now read the text in Album and during first-time setup.
  • Please see Nintendo Switch 2 First-Time Setup and Connection for instructions on how to turn text-to-speech on in the first-time setup.
• Added the ability to see the breakdown of storage capacity by data type for the system memory and microSD Express card.
• Added the ability to perform an audio test when “Linear PCM 5.1 Surround” is selected for TV Sound in Audio.
• Changed the "Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea" region to "Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea/South East Asia" in Device.
• Added “Handheld Mode Boost” to Nintendo Switch Software Handling in System.
  • Handheld Mode Boost will cause compatible Switch software to run as if in TV Mode, so certain functionality may be affected. Please see the on-device description for more details.
• The following features were added to Airplane Mode:
  • When Airplane Mode is activated, the previously set preferences for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or NFC while in Airplane Mode will be saved and applied.
  • Added the ability to individually enable or disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or NFC during Airplane Mode from the Quick Settings.
• Added the ability to see a notification in the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smart device application when the Parental Controls PIN is input successfully on the console. This can also be set up to be a push notification to your smart device.
  • The app must be on version 2.4.0 or higher to use this functionality.
• General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience.

Nintendo Switch:
22.0.0 (Release date: March 17, 2026)

• We have adjusted the guidance and visuals when inserting a virtual game card in the HOME menu.
• We've added a feature to the "Friend List" on your My Page that allows you to save personal notes for each friend.
  • The contents of your notes will not be visible to your friends or other users.
• You can also view and edit notes in the "Friends" section of the Nintendo Switch App smartphone app.
  • You need to update the Nintendo Switch App to version 3.3.0 or higher.
• The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smartphone app now displays a message indicating that the parental control password has been successfully entered on the console.
  • You will need to update 'Nintendo Parental Controls for Switch' to version 2.4.0 or later (scheduled for release at a later date).
  • You can also receive a push notification on your smartphone when you successfully enter the PIN for the monitoring settings.
• We have fixed several issues and improved operational stability.

This is the first major update since the retirement of SciresM. As always, it is advised to wait before updating your Nintendo Switch as this new firmware has been reported to break Atmosphere.

Nintendo Switch Update Information
Nintendo Switch 2 Update Information

 

[Arithmatics]

oh no

 

[Necron]

I read this in another site, only for Switch 2

Added “Handheld Mode Boost” to Nintendo Switch Software Handling in System.

• Handheld Mode Boost will cause compatible Switch software to run as if in TV Mode, so certain functionality may be affected. Please see the on-device description for more details.

Like, that is big! many games will benefit from this and I think they would never do this. Playing FF12 would be a lot better now.

Source

 

[MrVtR]

I hope someone manages to update the CFW after SciresM's retirement, that would be great.

 

[Dionicio3]

Good luck for people running Atmosphere on their Switch! Honestly, the main reason I keep my modded Switch around is for save file editing and cart dumping, and I can technically still do both so I'm good

 

[Eye-V-Sore]

Whelp... I was really hoping we could have gotten to Tomodachi Life before thus happened. Someone please resurrect Atmos!

 

[fvig2001]

Just glad I bought my new Switch tablets last week because the seller updated it. Hopefully the transition team on Atmosphere is able to release eventually

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

Updated, thanks for the heads up .

 

[x65943]

Screenshot from a user out in the wild who accidentally updated:

 

[Nakamichi]

i know very, very little about the Switch 2, so excuse my ignornt question, but is the Switch 2 operating system based on the Switch 1 OS?
I would assume so given the backwards compatibility, but i cant be sure. xbox systems historically had BC, too and i believe the OS there was quite different.

If they are quite similar, that would give hackers a headstart. a good starting point in analyzing the system for weaknesses.

 

[x65943]

i know very, very little about the Switch 2, so excuse my ignornt question, but is the Switch 2 operating system based on the Switch 1 OS?
I would assume so given the backwards compatibility, but i cant be sure. xbox systems historically had BC, too and i believe the OS there was quite different.

If they are quite similar, that would give hackers a headstart. a good starting point in analyzing the system for weaknesses.

I'm sure there are similarities, but since the switch 2 is nearly a blackbox - I would suspect the full extent is not really known

 

[Nakamichi]

Screenshot from a user out in the wild who accidentally updated:
View attachment 562715

how many years has it been now since the switch was hacked?
i remember this happening super reliably since even the earliest days.
Someone, somewhere did not take precautions and updated right away, losing access to their games and homebrew for days on end.
Such a shame.

 

[DiscostewSM]

i know very, very little about the Switch 2, so excuse my ignornt question, but is the Switch 2 operating system based on the Switch 1 OS?
I would assume so given the backwards compatibility, but i cant be sure. xbox systems historically had BC, too and i believe the OS there was quite different.

If they are quite similar, that would give hackers a headstart. a good starting point in analyzing the system for weaknesses.

The thing is, according to hackers, Switch 1's HOS (Horizon OS) is incredibly secure, that (from a few years back) had it not been for the bootROM flaw from launch units, they may have still been looking for a crack in the wall to this day. Much of the work that extended to the newer Switch 1 SKUs (Lite, OLED, etc) all pretty much originate from the original entry point, where they were already inside and worked outward.

So even with Sw2's HOS having similarities with Sw1's HOS, the problem is that there hasn't been any real cracks to work with from the outside going in.

 

[moneychild]

So the Switch 2 got "General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience"
but the Switch 1 never got it...does that mean Nintendo has given up on stopping hackers?
Food for thought!

 

[Nakamichi]

@DiscostewSM i knew that, but im pretty sure it will happen anyway.
Anything built by a human can be destroyed by a human, after all.

Hackers are shockingly smart people. Im fairly certain no systems stay unhacked forever, might take a while, of course, but good things are worth waiting for... and im hoping for a more interesting switch 2 model anyway honestly ; 3

maybe oled or a cuter, smaller version or something. Maybe at a reduced price point, with more games available etc etc.

Oh hey, why is the Lazer Light Studios website gone?

 

[Vixi]

Handheld mode boost? I can finally play my Switch 1 games in 1080p handheld?

 

[ertaboy356b]

Let's see if this update will be the end of atmos as we know it. Also the Boost mode is a welcome addition, using it now.

Post automatically merged: Mar 17, 2026

Handheld mode boost? I can finally play my Switch 1 games in 1080p handheld?

If the game can do 1080p when docked, then yeah.

 

[DiscostewSM]

@DiscostewSM i knew that, but im pretty sure it will happen anyway.
Anything built by a human can be destroyed by a human, after all.

Hackers are shickingly smart people. Im fairly certain no systems stay unhacked forever, might take a while, of course, but good things are worth waiting for... and im hoping for a more interesting switch 2 model anyway honestly ; 3

maybe oled or a cuter, smaller version or something. Maybe at a reduced price point, with more games available etc etc.

Oh hey, why is the Lazer Light Studios website gone?

Not suggesting the Switch 2 won't ever be hacked, but Switch 1 had some massive vulnerabilities right from the start that drove the effort. Vulnerabilities that could never be patched out from launch units, ultimately making it a game of cat and mouse with each update. Switch 2 has nothing like that, so it's going to take a LOT more effort to get the ball rolling, if anyone is actually looking into it.

My website? It was used to report my development progress of Mega Man 2 PTC along with some Petit Computer tutorials on how I did some of the game's development. But that was around a decade ago. I think I ended up letting it expire because I had some life changes.

Handheld mode boost? I can finally play my Switch 1 games in 1080p handheld?

It'll play the games in portable mode as if it were set to docked mode.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I read this in another site, only for Switch 2



Like, that is big! many games will benefit from this and I think they would never do this. Playing FF12 would be a lot better now.

Source

Wow, that is awesome news even though I never play on handheld mode (don't like the quality of the screen).

 

[x65943]

Let's see if this update will be the end of atmos as we know it. Also the Boost mode is a welcome addition, using it now.

Post automatically merged: Mar 17, 2026

If the game can do 1080p when docked, then yeah.

SciresM has already said he won't be the one to fix this, and there is no clear successor at least as of now

as such, there is no guarantee even 1 month from now that there will be a workaround - we are in no man's land