During the very first official Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo dedicated a large chunk of time to showcasing the console's various unique and interesting features, including its mouse-like joy cons. It was a great illustration of just how far the design and purpose of the Switch and handhelds in general have come, as well as Nintendo's unceasing desire to cram as many gimmicks and quirks into its boldly designed and audacious technology. Suffice it to say, fans were not disappointed with the Switch 2's many bells and whistles.

Well, that is aside from one feature. Before the Direct, many were speculating what the Switch 2's mysterious C-Button could be for, and, fortunately, Nintendo gave an answer. It activates the console's Game Chat feature, which allows players to talk to one another. While seemingly innocuous at first, in one fell swoop, Nintendo revealed that this technology, at least under its stewardship, is not ready for public use, and it should have waited far longer before revealing it to everyone in a livestream already riddled with issues.

The Switch 2's Game Chat Function Is Basically Zoom

It Has Video Chat & Screen Sharing

The Nintendo Switch 2's Game Chat function is essentially a clone of video conferencing apps like Zoom as well as the popular platform Discord. At any point while playing, people can press the C-Button to bring up the Game Chat feature, and from there start video and audio calls with their friends. It can seemingly be used with any game, including the Switch 2's launch lineup, and also features screen sharing for those who need help with an in-game problem. This is how Nintendo is selling it, and, from a cursory glance, it's incredible technology.

None of its direct competitors have software quite like this. While the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S both allow s to access Discord directly on their platform, they don't have a unique in-built audio and video communication feature. Nintendo's Zoom-esque Game Chat feature is, therefore, fairly unique, especially with how it integrates with the game you're currently playing, displaying other s below the gameplay. Of course, it comes with a rather significant caveat: you need to buy an expensive camera peripheral in addition to buying the already expensive Nintendo Switch 2.

From the footage we've seen so far in both the original Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and additional adverts for it, the Game Chat feature is clearly not a finished product.

The camera connects to the Switch 2 via its secondary USB-C port and then can be used to either display everything it sees or put a cutout of just you in front of your gameplay, much like Zoom and Discord's virtual background feature. All of this, were it to work as intended, would be great and yet a further display of Nintendo's desire to better connect its players. However, from the footage we've seen so far in both the original Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and additional adverts for it, the Game Chat feature is clearly not a finished product.

Nintendo Shouldn't Have Revealed Game Chat Yet

It Looks Laggy And Unfinished

Every piece of footage showcasing the Game Chat feature for the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a laggy, blurry, low-res mess that seems more like a distraction than a useful feature. Of course, the main 's gameplay looks absolutely fine, albeit shrunk significantly to accommodate the other callers' footage at the bottom. However, whenever it cuts to anyone else's gameplay, it is running at 10 frames per second and is so low-res it can be hard to identify what it is they're even playing. Essentially, it's like everyone's connection to the call is constantly poor.

The biggest issue with this is that Nintendo's main use case for the screen-sharing feature is to get assistance from the other callers on how to complete an objective. In the Direct, the main expands their friend's gameplay to try and help, but it remains low-res and laggy, meaning that by the time they've come up with a solution, the other player's gameplay will have long since moved on. It's baffling, to say the least, one that didn't help to make the already incredibly disappointing Switch 2 Direct feel any less unpolished.

Of course, poor connections, low-quality images, and dropped calls are all a part of the online communication experience. However, this is the official promotion for this product, and Nintendo can't even get it right. It genuinely looked like footage from the inception of this technology, something that would have seemed impressive in the early 2000s but is now utterly laughable. The fact that Nintendo felt it was okay to include that as one of the Switch 2 Direct's biggest reveals is somewhat perplexing.

I Can't See The Point In Game Chat

It Gets In The Way

Even were you to disregard the glaring technical issues with the Nintendo Switch 2's Game Chat function, I'm struggling to see a use for it. Being on a call shrinks the main 's screen significantly to accommodate the other boxes at the bottom, which would make playing on a distant TV, a small monitor, or even in handheld mode a frustrating endeavor. In all the promotional footage for this feature, there's never once a shot of it running on a handheld version of the Switch 2, which feels somewhat telling of how bad that experience is likely to be.

Additionally, during online games, the low-framerate footage of other players is going to be distracting and unhelpful. For example, they showcase a group of people playing Splatoon 3, but you wouldn't be able to rely on your teammates' gameplay to see where to attack or what's happening, as their tiny, low-res, laggy gameplay wouldn't reveal anything. All of this makes me wonder what the point of screen sharing is in the first place. Even having everyone share their camera feed rather than gameplay seems redundant during a gaming session, as you're unlikely to pay attention to them over the gameplay.

I don't want to be overly critical of a feature we haven't been able to properly test ourselves yet. However, considering how terrible Nintendo's online functionality typically is - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was unplayable online for a considerable amount of time - I have little faith that this could work out. It is entirely optional, which is great, and Nintendo will likely be able to improve the experience over time. Nevertheless, it would have been so much better had Nintendo held off on revealing the Nintendo Switch 2's Game Chat feature until it was completely ready.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube