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The latest update adds Bluetooth support to the Switch, solving one of Nintendo’s longest-running problems with its handheld ecosystem.
For all of its successes, the Nintendo Switch has many times been hamstrung by its repeating of some of Nintendo’s many mistakes concerning hardware. One of these biggest issues was support for Bluetooth, or the lack thereof, for the handheld/home console hybrid. That’s finally no longer the case with a long-awaited patch that allows Bluetooth capabilities to be used on the hybrid.
The newest hardware patch gives players the ability to use Bluetooth headsets, and it happens just as Nintendo is preparing for the release of an upgraded Switch. This is a move in the right direction for Nintendo as the console continues to chug along to immense sales numbers, even amid competitors releasing new consoles of their own. The change is a definite case of better-late-than-never, but it changes the game for the Switch.
Long In the Bluetooth
The Nintendo Switch launched all the way back in 2017, quickly helping Nintendo moves past the failure of the preceding Wii U console. Despite this, it was still criticized for lacking arguably “obvious” hardware features such as Bluetooth interfacing. This meant that the only way to use headphones or gaming headsets on the console was traditional wired hardware or unofficial support through USBs and other means.
A patch potentially foreshadowing more Bluetooth support was added to the console earlier this year, with the official announcement finally hitting the internet after a new patch. This will allow up to 10 Bluetooth devices to be synced and saved to the console at a time, namely those meant for auditory output. Unfortunately, Bluetooth microphones are still not compatible with the system, forcing players to still have to rely upon mobile phone apps and other ways of communicating with each other. While this reflects Nintendo’s more family-friendly and retro image, it does continue to fuel the fire of their biggest criticisms and fail to truly fix the issue of Bluetooth support.
How the Bluetooth Patch Fixes a Historical Nintendo Issue
Lack of audio options has been an issue with Nintendo “handhelds” for a while now, with many fans asking for Bluetooth connectivity as far back as the Nintendo 3DS launched. This was when Bluetooth headphones began to really become a common thing, and the fact that the only real name in traditional handheld gaming failed to support it was odd, to say the least. The only real solution for gamers without traditional headphones was to use adapters for Bluetooth devices that went into the 3DS’s audio jack. The DS line and the Nintendo Wi U would both reach their conclusions without official Bluetooth support, with the latter being a huge sticking point among critics who spoke at length about how Nintendo needed to get with the times. The early success of the Switch kept similar criticism from going too far, but the issue wasn’t unnoticed.
The Bluetooth patch arrives just as Nintendo is preparing for some particularly big releases that focus on audio, such as the hotly anticipated Metroid Dread, which is sure to supply a spooky atmosphere accentuated by its audio design. Of course, it does come too late for some gamers, after years of third parties selling Bluetooth adapters to enable the functionality for Switch. The fact that gamers had to buy other products to do something that’s built-in to other consoles meant that Nintendo was again leaving money on the table. Even if this money won’t go to Nintendo now that the Switch supports Bluetooth (in some limited capacity), it does keep others from making money while also making online multiplayer a little bit more accessible to gamers.
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