Nintendo Switch Online app will lose one of its few features in July

Date:
Wed, 23 Jun 2021 13:05:58 +0000

Description:
Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo Switch Online app is losing some of its functionality, despite barely having any to begin with.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

The Nintendo Switch Online app is set to lose one of its few features in
July, which means theres even less use for it than before.

Nintendo has announced that it will discontinue the Splatoon 2 Online Lounge feature from the maligned smartphone app on July 28, 2021, which makes sense with Splatoon 3 on the horizon.

However, the Online Lounge lets you send invites to friends via a URL so they can join you in private or ranked matches. Your friends would receive a notification through the Nintendo Switch Online app so they could join and
use voice chat, which is still supported. 6 things Nintendo needs to fix in Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch vs Nintendo Switch Lite : is bigger really better? Nintendo Switch Pro : everything you need to know

Nintendos support page says that no other changes to game-specific services will be made to the app at this time, which means you should still be able to check your Splatoon 2 match results and make purchases from the games
clothing and equipment stores.

Still, the removal of a feature that lets you easily play with friends is disappointing, especially as Splatoon 2 makes it needlessly difficult to
match up with friends.

The Nintendo Switch doesnt include a native game invite or messaging feature, either, so the Nintendo Online app was supposed to help bring the Switchs online suite up to the standard of its competitors. Sadly, that hasnt been
the case.

Only a few games have received software-specific support since the app was released. Along with Splatoon 2, the only other games that have any
additional functionality through the app are Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the Nintendo Switch Online NES library, with the majority simply serving as a place for voice chat.

Speaking of which, weve never found the Nintendo Switch Online apps voice
chat to be all that great, especially compared to the likes of Discord and Xbox Live . Splatted

The Nintendo Switch Online app unfortunately represents another example of Nintendo dropping the ball when it comes to building a robust online infrastructure, which for a paying service in 2021 simply isnt good enough.

Its clear that Nintendo could have made the app into something far superior
to what we have today, with support all but non-existent on an app which has been downloaded millions of times. Well have to see if Nintendo does anything special with the app when Splatoon 3 comes out, but somehow we doubt it. Nintendo Switch 2 : what can we expect?



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/nintendo-switch-online-app-will-lose-one-of-its -few-features-in-july/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)