Nintendo has launched its much-anticipated online app for Switch owners on iOS and Android. The Nintendo Switch Online app was expected to debut alongside Splatoon 2 on July 21, but it appears the Japanese company wants users to get familiar with the app before the popular game hits the console.
What the Nintendo Switch Online app does
The Nintendo Switch Online app will allow users to chat with their Switch friends and invite others to play using several social platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. The app, which for now is limited only to Splatoon 2, will offer players game-specific information.
For voice chat, gamers will need to have their phone plugged into headphones, and the chat will disconnect if they take a phone call or switch to another app. Gamers will also be able to use the app to access the SplatNet 2 portal, which shows the game stats and gear that’s available to buy. Using the SplatNet 2 portal, gamers will be able to invite other players to league battles, Splatfest battles, Salmon runs and private battles.
The folks at Eurogamer said they downloaded the app and tried to sign in, but it failed. It seems Nintendo is still configuring the servers, but we can be sure that it will be ready by the time Splatoon 2 launches. So there is not much that you do with the app currently, as Splatoon 2 won’t be released until Friday. For this year, the service is free, but starting next year, Nintendo will be charging $19.99 yearly. This fee will also allow you to access some classic Nintendo games.
The Nintendo Switch Online app supports iOS 9.0 or later and Android 4.4 or newer. The app supports the following languages: German, Dutch, English, French, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian and Spanish. To learn more about the app, just head to the Nintendo Switch Online App FAQ page
What’s new about Splatoon 2?
Splatoon 2 marks the return of multiplayer modes, such as Turf Wars and a completely new wave-based survival mode called Salmon Run. In Salmon Run, which supports up to four players, gamers will have to defeat waves of enemies and bosses while collecting Power Eggs.
Apart from this, the game had one surprise (but no owners will want it), which was recently seen during the Splatoon 2 Splatfest over the weekend. The game sends a warning message to Switch owners who often rage-quit the game. The message says that such players will be temporarily blocked for quitting during online matches.
“Your previous online play session didn’t end naturally, which is PREEEEETTY suspicious. If this keeps happening, we’re gonna have to block you from playing online for a while. Make sure your internet isn’t busted and try again,” the message read.
The latest Splatfest also allowed players to try a selection of Splatoon 2‘s new weapon combinations, which included the Splat Bomb and Sting Ray, Curling Bomb and Splashdown, Burst Bomb and Tenta Missiles, Tentatek Splattershot, and Splat Bomb and Inkjet.
