Nintendo On Why Switch 2 GameChat Looks So Bad

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home April 9, 2025 25 Views 4 Min Read
Nintendo On Why Switch 2 GameChat Looks So Bad



Summary

  • Nintendo introduced GameChat for the Switch 2, resembling Discord, but worse.
  • Not only do you need to pay for the console, game, camera, and Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but you get a stuttering video at the end of it.
  • GameChat’s low frame rate is because the devs didn’t want it to affect gameplay.

Nintendo had us all guessing what the mysterious ‘C’ button on the Switch 2 would do. We finally learned what it does during the recent direct – it enables GameChat, Nintendo’s own version of Discord. You can share your screen, chat with friends, and even see each other if you buy the camera. However, things only got worse the more we learned about it.

Switch 2 player pointing at the screen while holding a Pro controller.

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Firstly, you’ll need to shell out $449.99 for the console itself, and then a whopping $80 for Mario Kart World or another first party game. Then, you need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to even use the button. And, if all of that is still okay with you, you’ll be able to see your friends via a stuttering mess of a stream only if you buy the camera.

Why Nintendo Game Chat Looks So Bad

In an interview with GameSpot, Nintendo explained just why the framerate of GameChat’s video feature is so bad. Switch 2 hardware director Takuhiro Dohta explained that while Nintendo wanted you to be face to face with your friends, the devs also had to make sure that the GameChat feature in no way messed with the game itself.

“In order to explain this well, I think it might first help to explain about the resources the system has,” he explained, via a translator. “So obviously, chat is meant to run and work simultaneously and coincide with the game you’re playing. But we also think it’s critical that it doesn’t get in the way of the game that’s running right now. And so we wanted to definitely make sure we do was to make sure that running game chat alongside the game doesn’t result in the game experience or quality being reduced at all in any way.”

Mario shouting in front of the Switch 2 and its attached camera.

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Technical director Tetsuya Sasaki chimed in to say that in order to keep the gameplay experience similar for all players, the decision was made for GameChat to use as little of the Switch 2’s system resources as possible.

He elaborated, saying, “the other aspect of this is that we want to make sure that there is enough power reserved for the games themselves. And so we have a smaller area to play around in within to make sure that all these varying aspects to fit into, things like network environment connectivity. And so we landed on within this margin that we have to work within, this is a good even experience that we can provide.”

So, it seems that Nintendo tried to ensure GameChat puts as little strain on the console and network as possible. The result of that is watching your friends in incredibly low frames while using the feature.

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