Nintendo Switch Will Have Miis But No Miiverse, Sharing Capabilities Detailed, Media Apps Absence Explained

This is basically a soft launch.

Posted By | On 20th, Jan. 2017

Even though Nintendo had an hour long presentation to lay out their plans for the upcoming Nintendo Switch last week, there is a lot about the upcoming system that remains unanswered. Predictably enough, most of those have to do with the system’s online and media capabilities.

In a Q&A with Kotaku, however, Nintendo attempted to clear the air on some of those questions. While they refused to discuss Virtual Console plans at all, and did not discuss how account migration would be handled from 3DS and Wii U, stating that information on those things will be shared at ‘a later date’, they did talk about several other minor things- for instance, they confirmed that the Switch will not be launching with any media app, such as Netflix, Hulu, or HBO, but that they are assessing when to bring those apps to the platform in the future.

They also confirmed the platform’s Share button and capabilities, noting that the button will enable players to share screenshots to social media platforms at launch, with video sharing capability to be added later in the year. They reiterated the absence of Miiverse, their social network and online community for the 3DS and Wii U, from Switch, confirming however that Miis will still be on the Switch. That said, they will be heavily de-emphasized- while players can choose them as their avatars, they don’t have to, and can instead go with something else as their avatar image too. Miis will also be tucked away in the System Settings menu, instead of getting their own separate app, and will get expanded creation options. That said, you will still be able to transfer your 3DS/Wii U Miis by using Amiibos.

None of this is really ideal- given that the Switch was already delayed into 2017, I don’t understand how all of this couldn’t be ready to launch. After the 3DS and Wii U launched with half baked functionality that was only iterated and built upon in the months and years afterwards, I would have thought that Nintendo would be eager to avoid the same missteps with the Switch, but here we are. Still, I guess the Switch will play games, and it even has some pretty good ones lined for the first year, so there is that going for it, I guess.


Tagged With: ,

Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

The Rogue Prince of Persia is Now Steam Deck Verified

The Rogue Prince of Persia is Now Steam Deck Verified

Evil Empire warns that Steam Deck players "may experience occasional drops in frame rate" in some sections of ...

Guilty Gear Strive – Queen Dizzy Revealed in New Gameplay Trailer

Guilty Gear Strive – Queen Dizzy Revealed in New Gameplay Trailer

Dizzy is available for Season Pass 4 owners on October 31st and remains as potent as ever with freezing, weapo...

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Has Sold Just 1 Million Units – Rumour

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Has Sold Just 1 Million Units – Rumour

It's claimed that Ubisoft expected the title to sell as well as the bestselling Metroidvanias out there, thoug...

A Rayman Remake is in Development – Rumour

A Rayman Remake is in Development – Rumour

Some of Prince of Persia: The Lost crown's recently disbanded dev team has moved to the project, which is in t...

Monster Hunter Wilds Trailer Showcases Oilwell Basin, Azuz, and New Monsters

Monster Hunter Wilds Trailer Showcases Oilwell Basin, Azuz, and New Monsters

Rompopolo and Ajakaran are two new threats, but there's also the Black Flame, a mysterious threat that awaits ...

PS5 Pro – 10 More Things You Need to Know Before You Purchase

PS5 Pro – 10 More Things You Need to Know Before You Purchase

Learn all the crucial details about Sony's upcoming mid-gen hardware refresh ahead of its imminent release.