Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Computing
  4. Web
  5. News

Lost your Joy-Con? Nintendo’s new Switch firmware will help you find it

Add as a preferred source on Google

Nintendo has released firmware version 3.0 for the Nintendo Switch, adding a number of new features, including one that helps find Joy-Cons that have slipped down the side of the couch. It also helps you bring over old friends from your 3DS and Wii U systems, and lets you connect a USB keyboard to make text communication far easier.

Since the Nintendo Switch first debuted in March, Nintendo has released a number of firmware updates that have improved stability and enhanced the user experience. This latest version, 3.0, goes well beyond that, though, and adds a number of exciting and much-requested features.

Recommended Videos

USB keyboard support is a big one, making it much easier to type to friends or search on the Nintendo store, but it’s far from the only one. You can now remotely enable the Joy-Con vibration feature, making it easy to find them if lost and you can now change the user icon on the Home Menu, with a selection of six new Splatoon 2 characters to choose from, as well as the original options.

Other changes include the ability to adjust the system volume from the quick settings menu, the option to drop the maximum volume for headphone or speakers connected to the audio jack, and a choice of advanced screen color effects, letting you invert what’s on screen, or switch to grayscale.

Further improving its online service, Nintendo has also made it possible to import your friends from lists on the 3DS and Wii U. After applying this latest update, you’ll also receive new notifications when your friends go online, making it easier to connect with them for joint gaming experiences.

To top it all off, this firmware update adds the option to subscribe to certain game feeds and news sources, helping you stay up to date with the latest happenings with your favorite, or most anticipated games.

Your Switch should download the latest firmware update itself, but if it doesn’t, try restarting the system. You can also check which version you’re running in the settings menu, as well as trigger a manual update from there.

If you’re having any other problems with your Switch, check out our handy guide for some of the most common fixes.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale covers how to guides, best-of lists, and explainers to help everyone understand the hottest new hardware and…
AI and vibe coding have unleashed a flood of new games, but not necessarily better ones
181,000 mobile games were launched in six months but big publishers still dominate.
Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

If your app store feels packed with new games lately, AI is the reason behind it. Research company ATTN Economy found that 181,000 mobile games launched in the six months to May 2026, up 118% on iOS and 73% on Android compared to the same period last year.

Much of that surge comes down to vibe-coding, a growing trend where people with little to no programming knowledge can use AI tools to build and ship games without actually coding. The barrier to entry has never been lower, but the rewards are still going to the same people they always have.

Read more
The no-disc release for GTA 6 could be hiding a deeper problem and that makes me a bit anxious
GTA 6 may launch without a real disc because Rockstar could still be finishing the game
Grand Theft Auto VI GTA 6 Featured

As a gamer and a games collector, it is frustrating that GTA 6, arguably the most anticipated game of all time, is not getting a proper disc release at launch. The boxed copy will reportedly contain only a download code, which defeats much of the point of buying physical in the first place.

It also does not help that Rockstar has already annoyed some fans by locking certain in-game shops, vehicles, storage locations, and other bonuses behind the more expensive Ultimate Edition. For a game as massive as GTA 6, both decisions feel like the kind of moves players were hoping Rockstar would avoid.

Read more
Sony’s next PlayStation could break free of the living room and I think it’s worth the risk
Component prices may be soaring, but Sony has more reasons than ever to take portable gaming seriously.
Sony PlayStation Handheld PS render image

Sony may have just dropped its biggest hint yet that a true PlayStation handheld is on the way. In a recently published Q&A with investors, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino said the company's next-generation PlayStation strategy will deliver a seamless gaming experience that extends "beyond the living room." While he never explicitly mentioned a handheld, the comments have once again fueled speculation that Sony is preparing to return to the portable gaming space with the PS6 generation.

Sony finally said what everyone was thinking

Read more