Summary
- Nintendo Switch 2 introduces GameChat, a Discord-style voice chat feature directly integrated into the console.
- GameChat utilizes console’s built-in microphone & offers screen-sharing capabilities for flexible multiplayer interactions.
- Switch 2 enhances multiplayer experience with GameShare feature, allowing local multiplayer with one game copy among friends.
Discord has become an essential tool for gamers who want to play multiplayer games in groups, helping players stay connected during gaming sessions. Both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S have Discord support, but Nintendo is going a different way with the Switch 2.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced, and among the additions we have here, we have tons of new multiplayer capabilities. The most notable one, however, is GameChat. The feature itself is accessed with the controller’s previously-mysterious C button, and essentially acts as a sort of Discord clone. It’s probably not as comprehensive of a messaging platform as Discord is, but it provides an in-game chat experience that reminds us a lot of it.
GameChat makes use of the Switch 2’s built-in microphone, allowing players to engage in voice communication with friends without needing external devices or separate apps. The microphone system incorporates background noise filtering technology, providing clearer audio quality during chats by minimizing ambient sounds. Beyond basic voice chat, GameChat also adds screen-sharing capabilities. Users will be able to broadcast their gameplay screen directly to friends participating in a group call. The feature itself is pretty flexible: participants in a GameChat session will not be required to be playing the same game. This allows for scenarios where individuals within a single call can play different titles while still communicating and optionally sharing their respective screens simultaneously. In other words, basically identical to how Discord’s voice chats work.
GameChat will also support video calls. However, this will require the purchase of a new, specifically designed Nintendo Switch 2 camera peripheral that connects to the console. The base console unit itself does not include a camera for video chat. And the GameChat feature supports parental controls, so if you’re a parent worrying about your child getting into that feature, it’s as simple as disabling the functionality through the parental controls app.
The original Nintendo Switch lacked native, system-level voice chat, forcing players to rely on a separate Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app for voice communication and only within compatible games like Splatoon 3 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Other consoles had way better voice chat support and even outright Discord support, so this is a place Nintendo was lacking a lot. Now, it’s not only present but a central part of the Nintendo Switch 2 gaming experience. It would be nice to have integration with Discord here as well, considering that’s the platform of choice for many gamers regardless of console affinity—and it would also allow for cross-system comunication. But this is way better than what we used to have.
It’s not the only multiplayer feature we have. There’s also a new GameShare feature that revives the very concept of the Nintendo DS’ Download Play. If you have a group of friends, all of them with multiple Switch 2 consoles, you can play a local multiplayer mode with just one copy of the game—all other consoles will download a temporary copy of the game from the host console. It’s pretty cool, and depending on the game—I, for one, loved playing Mario Kart DS with friends in school using this—it can be an amazing, engaging experience.
You’ll be able to check all of this out once the Switch 2 releases in June.
Source: The Verge
