Nintendo Switch finally gets a popular feature

You actually wonder why the Nintendo Switch hasn’t had this feature for years.

Nintendo has become an indispensable part of the (game) world. Before the PlayStation, Xbox and in a way the gaming PC, Nintendo was the video game console. At a certain point it became a competition, where Nintendo first had to rely mainly on their immensely popular portable game devices (Gameboy, DS etc) and later on the popular Wii. Not a bad portfolio in terms of sales figures. Until the Wii U couldn’t really break the bank and Nintendo was almost something of a laughing stock in the world of PlayStations, Xboxes and even mobile games.

Switch

The Nintendo Switch has to make up for it. That actually happens. It’s how the Wii U should have been but just better executed. It can become one big handheld, but the ‘joy-con’ controllers can also be detached to make it feel better as a controller. And if you find the screen, either an LCD screen or the new OLED screen, too small, you can send everything to your TV in a dock. A breath of fresh air in the console segment and many people swear by the thing.

New Switch feature

Is it all roses and moonshine then? No, not that. There is one feature of the Nintendo Switch that was missing. Not anymore. Nintendo announced on Twitter that in the latest update, the Switch will have access to Bluetooth audio. The Switch didn’t have that yet. It will work as usual: in the device settings you can scan for your Bluetooth devices and pair them that way. As someone in the Twitter thread said, you can finally use your AirPods with your Switch.

The latest #NintendoSwitch update is now available, including the ability to pair Bluetooth devices for audio output.

For more information, including restrictions on some features while using Bluetooth Audio, please visit the support page: https://t.co/vzAB6lZTDu pic.twitter.com/6J5xcDl5kU

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 15, 2021

(Too late?

Which by the way is also questioned on Twitter: Nintendo clearly announces that it is a software update for the Switch with Bluetooth functionality turned on. In other words, the hardware was already there and hasn’t changed much since the Switch launched in 2017. So why did it take so long?

Let’s keep it ‘better late than never’ and enjoy listening to your Nintendo Switch with your favorite Bluetooth headphones. It is not possible to talk back: it is only about audio.