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[OCD Guy]

They would have, as long as Switch online was free.

That's an interesting point. I wonder if Nintendo had gone down that route of free online play with no voice chat, and then a subscription for cloud saves, and monthly games etc would have had a far more positive reaction.

You'd still get people complain about no voice chat of course but no matter what a company does they'll never please everyone....

 

[GregLombardi]

First version, hundredth version, it doesn't matter. The very concept of needing to use a phone is flawed.

I disagree. But the way they are using a phone appears to be flawed, that is for sure.

 

[nycgamer4ever]

Stop the shitposts, turn them into feedback:

Then you can shitpost again.

Should have been "The ability to use voice chat and party chat directly on the switch itself."

 

[atmuh]

as brutal as the voice stuff is I'm surprised more of the hate isn't directed at the fact that you can't queue up together for anything. that's the worst part of all of this for me

 

[AstroNut325]

Should have been "The ability to use voice chat and party chat directly on the switch itself."

This. How is that not the complaint going to Nintendo?

 

[cclittle]

as brutal as the voice stuff is I'm surprised more of the hate isn't directed at the fact that you can't queue up together for anything. that's the worst part of all of this for me

Yeah this is secretly the biggest problem for Splatoon specifically, at least.

 

[Bioshocker]

I thought they were getting help this time around.

 

[Okami Haundo]

This. How is that not the complaint going to Nintendo?

Plenty of people are making their voice heard about that too! There's no limit on the amount of feedback you can give via the app, so it's possible to ask for both. That way they at least know what improvements we want for the app if they aren't going to backpedal on the implementation.

 

[shiftplays]

as brutal as the voice stuff is I'm surprised more of the hate isn't directed at the fact that you can't queue up together for anything. that's the worst part of all of this for me

Nintendo is cleverly protecting players without friends who cannot group up. If these players had to go up against pre-made groups, they would lose more often and have less fun.

Spoiler

/s

 

[The Futurist]

Only Nintendo could fuck up something this simple this badly.

We've had console level voice chat for more than 15 years.

Fuck Nintendo and fuck anyone that tries to defend this shit for even a second.

Even Microsoft with Windows 10 has made chatting between PC and console seamless. The Xbox app on PC works perfectly the same party system that exists on Xbox consoles.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Reggie will and has.

Reggie has no idea. This guy said on record that there'll be no more friend codes. NCL doesn't like to tell him or any western arms anything.

#bulkygamerheadsets

 

[Wowfunhappy]

But the problem is that this doesn't do much aside from creating fake smoke and mirrors. Pedophiles can still solicit children on here and it's just as easy for people to exchange contact information etc. by writing it down on a piece of paper. Hell, they could even use another tablet/phone/computer. All this is doing is making the user experience god awful for everyone involved in some half assed attempt at policing.

Yes, but a parent will actually think about these kinds of things before giving their child a phone. A game player is a toy and thus "safe".

Also, if something does happen, Nintendo isn't responsible.

 

[atmuh]

Yes, but a parent will actually think about these kinds of things before giving their child a phone. A game player is a toy and thus "safe".

Also, if something does happen, Nintendo isn't responsible.

a lot of parents don't think twice before getting kids that are very young a smartphone

 

[moltonasty]

I thought they were getting help this time around.

The gaming industry looking at the current state of Switch online:

 

[Rookhelm]

so you can't even queue up to the same game with one of your friends? (Splatoon, specifically)

 

[atmuh]

so you can't even queue up to the same game with one of your friends? (Splatoon, specifically)

maybe in ranked but definitely not in turf war (unranked), which is what I'd prefer most of the time

 

[Okami Haundo]

Yes, but a parent will actually think about these kinds of things before giving their child a phone. A game player is a toy and thus "safe".

Also, if something does happen, Nintendo isn't responsible.

I wish people would stop trying to bring parental controls into this argument. Doesn't the Parental Controls app for Switch already allow you to limit voice chat?

Edit: Found it!

 

[Night Angel]

People are now so desperate to find a reason Nintendo fucked this up so badly that they're claiming it's to protect kids on a console that already has parental controls that eliminate chat features for kids whose parents are concerned about that.

Guys, maybe they're just idiots who don't know what they're doing with online. They have always been behind, this behavior is not new.

 

[Skittzo0413]

I thought they were getting help this time around.

This is very like DeNA's help. They were brought on for mobile apps and to help with Nintendo's online services, so I can't believe they didn't do the majority of work for this.

 

[HardRojo]

Seems like this was designed with avoiding potential pedophile incidents like what happened with Swapnote as the main priority rather than a good user experience.

All this shit shouldn't be necessary for this though. Parental controls should take care of this:

Nintendo App
Voice chat: Disabled

Done lol.

Edit: Oh! So you can already do something like this. Then why the fuck is this convoluted crap necessary? This is even worse lol. Nintendo come the fuck on, seriously.

 

[flkraven]

People are now so desperate to find a reason Nintendo fucked this up so badly that they're claiming it's to protect kids on a console that already has parental controls that eliminate chat features for kids whose parents are concerned about that.

Guys, maybe they're just idiots who don't know what they're doing with online. They have always been behind, this behavior is not new.

Protecting the defenseless kids is the excuse for everything. It's the same reason why Sony won't allow Minecraft crossplay apparently.

 

[Gregtis]

so you can't even queue up to the same game with one of your friends? (Splatoon, specifically)

There are a few things you can do with 1 friend:
- play Salmon Run (if it is available at the time, we don't really know how common it will be)
- join their Turf War lobby from the friend list. No guarantee you are on the same team.
- play ranked modes in League Battle, where you will always be on the same team. To play League Battle you need to first get to level 10 in Turf War, then obtain rank B- in a ranked mode.

 

[Okami Haundo]

Protecting the defenseless kids is the excuse for everything. It's the same reason why Sony won't allow Minecraft crossplay apparently.

Maybe protecting the kids is the reason why we can't multitask while chatting! If parents won't keep them from sexting then Nintendo will!

 

[Skittzo0413]

Protecting the defenseless kids is the excuse for everything. It's the same reason why Sony won't allow Minecraft crossplay apparently.

For the record I'm pretty sure Nintendo has not said anything like this officially. Who knows if it's their main reason for this debacle (I kinda doubt it is) but it certainly hasn't been said on the record.


On another note I'm curious if we should start a thread with official information regarding what can and can't be done without the app. Because right now it seems like the only things you cannot do without the app are voice chat (unless you use another app/phone) and inviting friends to a lobby. Everything else, including joining friends' rooms seems to be doable on the Switch itself.

 

[Steiner]

Copy / pasting this from another thread because I need to know if something like this would work in theory:

I had this idea yesterday, and I think it could really work: Proprietary Bluetooth signal broadcaster and Smart Straps.

Hear me out. What if Nintendo sold a $20 set of Joy-Con straps that came with a little Bluetooth receiver / broadcaster that you plugged into the headphone jack of the console. It would be something cute, like a tiny Mario holding a coin, and the coin would glow a soft blue or yellow (or maybe not, doesn't matter).

Then you'd have a normal set of Joy-Con straps, but on one of them there is a headphone jack at the bottom, and the strap itself has a built-in antenna to receive the Bluetooth data from your console.

If using a pro controller you could just sync your phone to the signal and plug in there, and the app would be upgraded to include some audio control options you could adjust on the fly along with the other app functionality whether you're plugged into the phone itself or the Smart Straps.

Would something like this work?

 

[Geddy]

Good thing I don't care about multiplayer on the switch XD

Are you really that self-centered that you don't care about other people having fun who DO play multiplayer games on the Switch? Grow up and realize that there are other people in the world who think differently then you, and more people playing the console you like, even in multiplayer mode, means the more support goes to creating games you DO play.

 

[Skittzo0413]

Copy / pasting this from another thread because I need to know if something like this would work in theory:

I had this idea yesterday, and I think it could really work: Proprietary Bluetooth signal broadcaster and Smart Straps.

Hear me out. What if Nintendo sold a $20 set of Joy-Con straps that came with a little Bluetooth receiver / broadcaster that you plugged into the headphone jack of the console. It would be something cute, like a tiny Mario holding a coin, and the coin would glow a soft blue or yellow (or maybe not, doesn't matter).

Then you'd have a normal set of Joy-Con straps, but on one of them there is a headphone jack at the bottom, and the strap itself has a built-in antenna to receive the Bluetooth data from your console.

If using a pro controller you could just sync your phone to the signal and plug in there, and the app would be upgraded to include some audio control options you could adjust on the fly along with the other app functionality whether you're plugged into the phone itself or the Smart Straps.

Would something like this work?

I can see two problems with this. First, this would make you unable to use the feature if you're using the joycon grip. Second, the Switch already has this bluetooth capability built in, so extra hardware is absolutely unnecessary.

 

[Okami Haundo]

Copy / pasting this from another thread because I need to know if something like this would work in theory:

I had this idea yesterday, and I think it could really work: Proprietary Bluetooth signal broadcaster and Smart Straps.

Hear me out. What if Nintendo sold a $20 set of Joy-Con straps that came with a little Bluetooth receiver / broadcaster that you plugged into the headphone jack of the console. It would be something cute, like a tiny Mario holding a coin, and the coin would glow a soft blue or yellow (or maybe not, doesn't matter).

Then you'd have a normal set of Joy-Con straps, but on one of them there is a headphone jack at the bottom, and the strap itself has a built-in antenna to receive the Bluetooth data from your console.

If using a pro controller you could just sync your phone to the signal and plug in there, and the app would be upgraded to include some audio control options you could adjust on the fly along with the other app functionality whether you're plugged into the phone itself or the Smart Straps.

Would something like this work?

The Switch already supports bluetooth, we just can't use it for headsets for some reason. It's possible that they felt/found it interferes with the controllers, but that's just a random guess. Not sure if a separate bluetooth transmitter would fix that honestly, but I don't know enough about the tech.

I feel like most would be happy if they just let in-game voice chat work within the game itself. Make the online app about cross-game party chat with some other neat features.

Are you really that self-centered that you don't care about other people having fun who DO play multiplayer games on the Switch? Grow up and realize that there are other people in the world who think differently then you, and more people playing the console you like, even in multiplayer mode, means the more support goes to creating games you DO play.

You've gotta take a chill pill man. Equating that post with "fuck everyone who wants a good version of this" is quite the leap. I'm in the same boat as the user you replied to, but I still want Nintendo to fix this.

 

[fabricated backlash]

This thing is getting shreaded in all major gaming publications....so yeah...

Would be crazy if not. As an additional service it would be fine if designed well, bit it's not even that.

As the only solution it's pathetic.

 

[Matrix XII]

Nintendo just has no idea what they are doing when it comes to online play or voice chat. To even think this would be viable should frighten people about where their thinking is at. The Switch is the first console since the NES that I haven't purchased either at launch or within a couple months. I will get a Switch at some point if they revise the hardware or implement patches that fixes these issues. Good luck to all who are persevering through this mess.

 

[moeman]

Yes, but a parent will actually think about these kinds of things before giving their child a phone. A game player is a toy and thus "safe".

Also, if something does happen, Nintendo isn't responsible.

Nintendo isn't responsible either way. That's why those long agreements nobody reads exist. Again, they can give their child the phone but if a pedophile really wanted to contact a child outside of the voice app they can easily do so by exchanging information and writing it down on a piece of paper or using another device concurrently to add them on social media etc. This does little to curb the effects of predatory practices if someone sick enough to engage in those would do so.

All this does is become a giant nuisance to the vast majority of people who want to use this as a communication tool with friends in the name of stopping a greatly over exaggerated boogeyman.

 

[Steiner]

I can see two problems with this. First, this would make you unable to use the feature if you're using the joycon grip. Second, the Switch already has this bluetooth capability built in, so extra hardware is absolutely unnecessary.

Yeah I figured if you were using the grip / pro controller you would just plug into your phone, which would connect to the Bluetooth broadcast. I just figured a smart strap would be a neat way to get a headphone jack in the controller without neglecting the millions of standard Joy-Con that are already in peoples' homes.

 

[Sorcerer Supreme]

I've used Discord for Mario Kart 8 DX and while it's great, it's not remotely intuitive for the average user. Setting up a private server with roles and different channels is not a simplistic process.

I want Nintendo to refine their idea and fix this.

I'm not angry about it. I'm disappointed. And that's worse.

except you don't need to set up a server for group calls anymore.

 

[Broken Hope]

This answer might make half sense if the only console option people had was Nintendo. But people do have a variety of other options to consider besides the mere fact that a box can run games. On top of the negatives the Switch has, just like all consoles do, their online situation can absolutely be enough to turn people and their online gaming friends away.



It's just basic stat tracking, something that has been done countless times before for years. Some second screen apps even make changes during gameplay and bypass the need to navigate menus. Splat Net's setup doesn't even reach that level of functionality. Being forced to create a room on the Switch actually makes me question the need for the online app, rather than calling everything but the voice chat experience incredible.

Don’t expect objective, unbiased comments about Nintendo from Joe, he and Marc are Nintendo’s biggest fanboys on here.

 

[phanphare]

This thing is getting shreaded in all major gaming publications....so yeah...

good.....

gooood......

Should have been "The ability to use voice chat and party chat directly on the switch itself."

that was my feedback, hopefully they get a lot more like that

 

[CronoShot]

My mind is blown that a company as big as Nintendo apparently doesn't have the resources in 2017 to make online voice chat, a feature that worked flawlessly on the original Xbox, be not complete fucking garbage.

Why on earth can we not just plug in a regular ass headset? Was the Switch not designed with this intention? Is it simply not possible with the hardware?

I'm genuinely baffled.

 

[moltonasty]

Nintendo just has no idea what they are doing when it comes to online play or voice chat. To even think this would be viable should frighten people about where their thinking is at. The Switch is the first console since the NES that I haven't purchased either at launch or within a couple months. I will get a Switch at some point if they revise the hardware or implement patches that fixes these issues. Good luck to all who are persevering through this mess.

The Switch is an amazing console despite Nintendo having no clue how to do online play. I just use the other consoles and PC I own for my online fix.

I love the Switch but it's basically single player and local multiplayer only for me. I do play some Mario Kart 8 online, but I won't bother using the app for anything as it's a complete disaster.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

My mind is blown that a company as big as Nintendo apparently doesn't have the resources in 2017 to make online voice chat, a feature that worked flawlessly on the original Xbox, be not complete fucking garbage.

Why on earth can we not just plug in a regular ass headset? Was the Switch not designed with this intention? Is it simply not possible with the hardware?

I'm genuinely baffled.

It's 100% possible on the hardware alone, the system has a headphone/mic jack.

They just partnered with a mobile company instead of traditional online infrastructure company for the service, and it fucked them over big time.

 

[Skittzo0413]

Yeah I figured if you were using the grip / pro controller you would just plug into your phone, which would connect to the Bluetooth broadcast. I just figured a smart strap would be a neat way to get a headphone jack in the controller without neglecting the millions of standard Joy-Con that are already in peoples' homes.

It's not a bad idea in theory (especially if the dongle isn't needed which it shouldn't be), but I wonder how much battery that would drain from the joycons. And also how many people play with split joycons rather than the grip or pro controller.

My mind is blown that a company as big as Nintendo apparently doesn't have the resources in 2017 to make online voice chat, a feature that worked flawlessly on the original Xbox, be not complete fucking garbage.

Why on earth can we not just plug in a regular ass headset? Was the Switch not designed with this intention? Is it simply not possible with the hardware?

I'm genuinely baffled.

I mean, they had a much better voice chat solution implemented in the Wii U, and hell even the DS. So it's not that they aren't able to do better, they just wanted to do it this insane way for some ridiculous reason.

And this Switch hardware is 100% capable of doing traditional voice chat, they just chose not to implement it on a software/OS level. God knows why.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Yes, but a parent will actually think about these kinds of things before giving their child a phone. A game player is a toy and thus "safe".

Also, if something does happen, Nintendo isn't responsible.

I wish people would stop trying to bring parental controls into this argument. Doesn't the Parental Controls app for Switch already allow you to limit voice chat?

Edit: Found it!

Parental controls won't do any good if the child is the one setting up the device. Which the parent will allow them to do because it's a "safe" toy.

(Yes, I understand some parents are hands off with cell phones as well—but there is more of an understanding around the capabilities of a phone. And "child arranges to meet with stranger via a cell phone and [insert horrible event]" probably wouldn't set the press on fire these days.)

Nintendo isn't responsible either way. That's why those long agreements nobody reads exist. Again, they can give their child the phone but if a pedophile really wanted to contact a child outside of the voice app they can easily do so by exchanging information and writing it down on a piece of paper or using another device concurrently to add them on social media etc. This does little to curb the effects of predatory practices if someone sick enough to engage in those would do so.

All this does is become a giant nuisance to the vast majority of people who want to use this as a communication tool with friends in the name of stopping a greatly over exaggerated boogeyman.

Nintendo isn't legally responsible, but the news headlines wouldn't help their brand image.

Again, let's all remember the fact that two girls actually arranged a sex meetup with a middle aged man via Swapnote. It actually happened, and the story got attention in Japan. And Swapnote wasn't exactly a smooth communication platform to begin with.

 

[KingSnake]

So are third parties going to need to design their own space in this app if they want multiplayer games that require chatting on the switch? Good luck with that...

The biggest test will be Fifa 18. They could have the voice chat in game already, but what device they could use? As bluetooth headsets seem to not be compatible with Switch and we haven't seen anybody using the audio jack for input yet.

One big question about third parties and the app is if the app allows the login to the third parties accounts, like Origin for EA.

 

[KingSnake]

Parental controls won't do any good if the child is the one setting up the device. Which the parent will allow them to do because it's a "safe" toy.

The parent control app is on the smartphone, not on the "safe" toy, so there is no logic in your statement. If they could access the smartphone, they can access also the Switch Online app.

 

[Adam Prime]

Nintendo knows you're going to use Discord anyway, so no need for them to "waste their time" on voice chat.

That's my conspiracy theory.

 

[atmuh]

Nintendo knows you're going to use Discord anyway, so no need for them to "waste their time" on voice chat.

That's my conspiracy theory.

but grouping up and queuing....

 

[K.Jack]

How soon does that fool Reggie Fils-Aime come out doing his Bojangles song and dance on how great all of these hindrances features are for gamers?

 

[Wowfunhappy]

The parent control app is on the smartphone, not on the "safe" toy, so there is no logic in your statement. If they could access the smartphone, they can access also the Switch Online app.

My mistake—but I'm not sure how that changes the original point. By offloading voice chat to a phone, children can only communicate via a dedicated communication device that a parent is more likely to understand the capabilities of.

Edit: I'm not saying this makes having to use a phone any less crappy for adult Switch owners, nor am I defending the terribly shoddy app Nintendo has created. I do however believe this is why Nintendo decided to go with an app, and that the decision has merits for them as a company, if not for us as consumers.

 

[Synth]

My mistake—but I'm not sure how that changes the original point. By offloading voice chat to a phone, children can only communicate via a dedicated communication device that a parent is more likely to understand the capabilities of.

Then allow the parent to use the phone to configure what the child is allowed to do on the console. But actually chatting should work via the console regardless.

If the child doesn't also own the phone, then you're also suggesting that the parent has to relinquish their phone to the child at all times the child is chatting online. It's a dumb setup either way.

 

[msdstc]

Nintendo knows you're going to use Discord anyway, so no need for them to "waste their time" on voice chat.

That's my conspiracy theory.

They didn't want to waste time on voice chat, so they hired and paid a company to design the world's most convoluted gaming chat system.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Then allow the parent to use the phone to configure what the child is allowed to do on the console. But actually chatting should work via the console regardless.

This is actually a decent idea, although of course it would still require everyone—adults and children—to download and verify a mobile phone app before they could use voice chat.

 

[Synth]

This is actually a decent idea, although of course it would still require everyone—adults and children—to download and verify a mobile phone app before they could use voice chat.

Yup, which would be mildly annoying. But as a one-and-done process I'd be fine with it. Requiring a phone perpetually though.... hell naw.