Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Nintendo Switch Online app launches with 'Splatoon 2' support

By

Marie under and umbrella.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Nintendo Switch Online won’t turn into a paid subscription service until early 2018, but a smartphone app with limited functionality was originally planned to launch alongside Splatoon 2 on July 21. Instead, Nintendo has decided to release it for free download today, July 19, on both iOS and Android devices.

Once the Nintendo Switch receives additional multiplayer games, presumably around the time the Switch Online service becomes paid, the app should support numerous exclusive games, but it is currently limited to Splatoon 2 and its “SplatNet” service. From SplatNet, you can check on the current and future stages across the regular, ranked, and league modes, as well as your statistics in recent matches. You can also see your performance across particular stages as well as how much experience you’ve earned with particular weapons, and there is exclusive gear available to order.

Recommended Videos

What you can’t currently do in the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app is chat with a friend who isn’t playing Splatoon 2. Entering chat requires both players to be online and in the game, and a mobile notification alerts them that a lobby is available to join. You can also send invitations to friends via your favorite social networks.

Related

The Nintendo Switch Online app doesn’t function in the same manner as the Xbox or PlayStation apps do — there is no way to add friends via the app, nor can you see what your current friends are playing. There is also no way to purchase additional content directly through the app.

While the app is free for now, it will become part of the paid Switch Online service beginning in 2018. Subscribing to this service, which will set you back $20 per year, will be the only way to participate in online play for the majority of games on the system. It will also grant access to a library of classic NES Games including Super Mario Bros. 3, Dr. Mario, and Balloon Fight. Though the service was originally going to swap out games each month, Nintendo has decided to take the Netflix approach and allow players to choose from a larger selection of titles at any time — the service will also offer discounts on certain digital games in the Switch eShop.

The app could do a lot worse than Splatoon 2 for its sole supported game. We liked Nintendo’s goofy multiplayer shooter quite a bit, calling it a “must-own multiplayer bonanza.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Mother 3 is finally on Nintendo Switch … but only in Japan
Clause standing b y a bench in Mother 3.

Mother 3, the highly requested cult-classic RPG for the Game Boy Advance, is set to appear today on the Nintendo Switch Online service. But there's a catch: It's only available in Japan.

North Americans were first introduced to the Mother series under the name Earthbound on the SNES in 1995. As was common at the time, the game was renamed for the West in an attempt to avoid confusion. In 2006, a third entry was released in Japan for the GBA simply called Mother 3, but it has never had an official translation for Western audiences. Both Mother 2, aka Earthbound, and the original Mother, renamed Earthbound Beginnings, have been added to Nintendo Switch Online, but there has never been any indication that the third game would receive the same treatment.

Read more
Honkai: Star Rail 2.0’s interstellar whodunnit mystery is its best chapter yet
Firefly white-haired girl talking to Trailblazer tall gray-haired girl in Honkai: Star Rail Penacony viewpoint

When I boot up Honkai: Star Rail to try its 2.0 update, I immediately take off to its new planet, Penacony, the Land of Dreams. As soon as I check into my hotel room, an introductory chapter passes me between pretty, charming people who seem to ask me the same question at every turn: Are you sure you want to trust me?

It’s a question that ties in with the recurring theme of destiny Star Rail sows in its prologue and strengthens it with narrative and gameplay told over the course of Penacony’s entry arc. While Honkai: Star Rail's side quests historically don't change the fates of playable characters, they can for less significant ones. Its 2.0 update takes that one step further.

Read more
An AI company may have just leaked the Nintendo Switch 2’s name and release month
An image of the Nintendo Switch - OLED Model Mario Red Edition.

As part of the ongoing wave of AI-related news at CES 2024, Altec Lansing revealed an artificial intelligence-powered successor to GameShark called AI Shark. More interestingly, the press release regarding this software claims that the Nintendo Switch 2 will launch in September 2024.

"Formerly known as GameShark, AI Shark is set to redefine the gaming landscape with its revolutionary AI-enhanced technology," Altec Lansing explains in a press release. "The innovative gaming software is set to mark a significant leap forward in the gaming experience, bringing enhanced gameplay for beginner-level users. The official launch is planned to coincide with the Nintendo Switch 2 in September 2024."

Read more