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[KingSnake]

Edit 2: English post on Splatoon US tumblr

We've received a report that Splatoon 2 will be compatible with an upcoming app for smart devices that enhances online play. This app will link with the game and allow you to set a play appointment with your friends and teammates invited through your social media accounts. It also lets you match up with them directly in the game and voice chat with them too.
For example, during a Private Battle, you can voice chat with all of the connected friends when you divide into teams, but once teams are set, voice chat is switched to communication only between teammates in the same team. Also, you cannot communicate with random Inklings you don't know.

_____

The Japanese Splatoon twitter account posted some info about how the online functionalities will work in Splatoon 2:

https://twitter.com/SplatoonJP/status/826766508487380993
https://twitter.com/SplatoonJP/status/826766755523547138

Thanks KtSlime for the translation:

It's kind of a rough translation (with some liberties) but here you go.

Splatoon 2 (will use) the "Online Lobby and Voice Chat" Smartphone app for Nintendo Switch.
This app, linking with the game, is the (tool) to do matching in the game, and meeting up with friends invited by SNS and (friend list?), it even does voice chat.

Voice chat is also linked to the game.

For instance, in a private match, you can chat with all rendezvousing members before splitting into teams, and then the conversation changes to only speaking to those on the same team.

Now you can't converse with someone you don't know.

Random matchmaking will probably work without the smartphone app.

Edit: added another translation

『スプラトゥーン2』は、Nintendo Switchのスマートフォン向け「オンラインロビー＆ボイスチャット」アプリに対応する。
このアプリはゲームと連動しており、フレンドやSNSで招待した仲間と待ち合わせて、そのままゲームでマッチングし、ボイスチャットもできる仕組みだ。

Splatoon 2 works in conjunction with the Switch's "online lobby and voice chat" app. The app, working in conjunction with the game, allows players to add people in their friends' list or from social media and make use of voice chat and matching features.

ボイスチャットもゲームと連動している。 例えば、プライベートマッチでは、チーム分けする前は待ち合わせた仲間全員と会話ができるが、チーム分け後は同じチーム内だけの会話に切り替わる。 なお、見知らぬ誰かと会話することはできない。

The voice chat's functionality is also linked to the game itself. For example, when starting a private match, everyone is involved in the same chat but as soon as you are split into teams you're separated into your team's private chat. You cannot chat with anyone that you do not know.

/rushjob

Hopefully the language here is a little easier to follow.

 

[Enter The 36 Chambers]

What

 

[Spring-Loaded]

I can't be mad when seeing the adorable illustration

 

[Santiako]

That's just terrible. I don't get the need for a smartphone at all.

 

[Doop]

I want that squid phone.

 

[Alpha_eX]

That image is confusing as hell.

 

[Frostman]

Wellthereitis.gif

 

[Branduil]

Hey Nintendo,

I have an idea.

What if the app

was on

the Switch.

WHOA! Mind-blowing idea, right? Then we could do lobbies without having to hold a phone in our other hand like a moron.

 

[Yonafunu]

ey but that phone is dope tho


seriously though, who the fuck thought this was a good idea

 

[Backfoggen]

God damn it

 

[Oregano]

Still dumb as fuck.

Who wants this?

 

[The Last One]

What a mess.

 

[zeromcd73]

What

.

Art cute tho

 

[Admodieus]

Only Nintendo would make a portable console that docks to wall power but require draining your phone's battery to play online.

 

[Serenitynow]

Do PS and Xbox lobbies do that? Split up who can hear you in the party depending on what team you are on?

 

[KingSnake]

That image is confusing as hell.

It's not confusing. Everybody has a Splatphone and uses it for voice chat and matchmaking with friends in Splatoon 2.

 

[Courage]

Now you can't converse with someone you don't know.

If this is their reasoning, it's the most convoluted way to go about doing this. Why not enable in-game voice chat only for people on your friends list?

 

[SomedayTheFire]

is SNS meant to be SMS? yikes if so.

also how do you listen to the game's music then.

 

[Okami Haundo]

So... it seems like the worst fears of many (including OP) are now confirmed. I don't use voice chat on my Xbox One right now, so I definitely won't use this strange system. I'm really hoping that the pricing is reasonable and the game discounts add up. Otherwise I might just have to avoid the paid online entirely and use my Switch as a Single/Local-multiplayer machine.

Do PS and Xbox lobbies do that? Split up who can hear you in the party depending on what team you are on?

Lol no. Party chat does not get locked down based on a game. Xbox and PS leave restrictions like that to the developers of a given game. Even then, you're usually only locked down from being on different teams if you're in an in-game party, not a system-level one. Otherwise, this scenario only occurs when you're using public chat.

 

[yoonshik]

Cute, but stupid.

 

[WrenchNinja]

So it really is THAT stupid

 

[Alpha_eX]

Hey Nintendo,

I have an idea.

What if the app

was on

the Switch.

WHOA! Mind-blowing idea, right? Then we could do lobbies without having to hold a phone in our other hand like a moron.

That'd mean less resources (memory/processing) for the game and more to the OS.

 

[Fireblend]

Splatoon 1 didn't have voice chat at all, right?

As someone who hates voice chat this doesn't bother me at all, but I can see how people who're used to it could see this as being more bothersome than anything else.

 

[Kurt]

It's a big step towards compared to concurrents.
I'm not a person that like's voicechat.

But chatting writing test message isn't something particle you can do with a controller.
So using your mobile device for this is smart.
Also following online info while on the go, using smartphone as connecting hub to play online while outside : damn thing about the possibilities.

I'm sure that there will also be options to play online without owning a smartphone

 

[Clefargle]

Good that voice chat is on both console and app. Hopefully people stop complaining about this specific thing now because it doesn't appear tied to the app. Just the matchmaking?

 

[Enter The 36 Chambers]

If this is their reasoning, it's the most convoluted way to go about doing this. Why not enable in-game voice chat only for people on your friends list?

Xbox 360 has this basic functioning privacy setting.

Some games even did it at software level. Voice chat with friends only, team only, or everyone.

What a fucking joke

 

[TunaLover]

Squid graphs are complex

 

[cw_sasuke]

is SNS meant to be SMS? yikes if so.

also how do you listen to the game's music then.

Social Network Services...usually...but who knows with Nintendo lol.

 

[jonno394]

Only Nintendo would make a portable console that docks to wall power but require draining your phone's battery to play online.

It doesn't require a phone to play online though.......

 

[friskykillface]

Mess, what a mess.

What happens if you put iPhone headphones into the headphone jack of the switch ? Or you can't put headphones in the switch? Lol WAT

That image says to me that you can't play and talk at the same time unless you use speaker chat or have that blutooth dongle in your ear, and those things suck

 

[Moonlight]

that squid phone is fucking radical

lack of voice chat without using your smartphone is not

 

[Branduil]

That'd mean less resources (memory/processing) for the game and more to the OS.

There's no way that a well-implemented voice chat feature could take up that much processing.

 

[UncleSporky]

Hey Nintendo,

I have an idea.

What if the app

was on

the Switch.

WHOA! Mind-blowing idea, right? Then we could do lobbies without having to hold a phone in our other hand like a moron.

Where do you plug in the headset.

 

[Oregano]

Cute, but stupid.

Nintendo expects people to have 8 arms confirmed.

That'd mean less resources (memory/processing) for the game and more to the OS.

Oh no not a whole 32Mbs of RAM!

 

[Ogawa-san]

I can see what they meant with "elegant solution". I can hold my phone and Switch at the same time, that's what my tentacles are for.

 

[superNESjoe]

This is really dumb. The only time I have my phone around me when playing a game is if I'm actively talking with somebody via text or something.

Basically, I only have my phone near me when playing if I'm also using my phone for something. Interrupting what I'm doing on my phone, or having to go get it from another room, just to play online is so obnoxious.

 

[Maintenance]

That'd mean less resources (memory/processing) for the game and more to the OS.

Geez, I wonder how the original Xbox managed to do that then.

 

[emb]

Sounds pretty much like what was originally expected when they mentioned the app.

So stupid. I don't see why anyone would want the extra device dependency.

 

[Shiggy]

Meanwhile at Nintendo:

We'll make online gaming great again. We'll create a messaging app for smartphones which even features the ability to make calls. And we'll make users pay for it!

 

[Geg]

Looking at the Japanese tweet, I don't see anything that says this is the only way to play with friends like the translation kind of implies

 

[Slayven]

Wow, jumping through so many unneeded hoops

 

[Alpha_eX]

There's no way that a well-implemented voice chat feature could take up that much processing.

Are you a technical engineer?

 

[vivekTO]

Lets wait for proper sources!!

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Social Network Services...usually...but who knows with Nintendo lol.

ahhh right. makes much more sense. thanks.

 

[Anteo]

I mean.. and app that *also* allows you to talk and check the friend list would be interesting, but being the main thing... come on.

 

[KingSnake]

Good that voice chat is on both console and app. Hopefully people stop complaining about this specific thing now because it doesn't appear tied to the app. Just the matchmaking?

Voice chat is done through the smartphone app. It's linked to the game in the sense that it's contextual.

 

[Maintenance]

There's no way that a well-implemented voice chat feature could take up that much processing.

OG XB did it and it had 64MB of ram total.

 

[Fireblend]

is SNS meant to be SMS? yikes if so.

also how do you listen to the game's music then.

Pretty sure they mean sharing a link on Facebook/whatever to open the app on your phone with the lobby you created. The invites will probably have a custom URI that can be associated and interpreted by the app.

 

[RichiRamjag]

So fucking dumb. That app shouldn't be the main fucking way to play with a friend. I've got a phone, but say I get my son a switch, I'm not gonna be fucking around with multiple phones just to get a match together. Wtf is Nintendo thinking? They need to drop this app shit asap. I don't see how this idea got past anyone.

I don't give a damn about voice chat, but you really better be able to setup games with pals without an app.

 

[tkscz]

I have a better idea

*continues using Steam chat like he's done with the Wii U*