The Nintendo Switch 2’s new GameChat feature has a hidden restriction that prevents players from screen sharing select games. During testing, Digital Trends discovered that the app will block broadcasting of specific games while the app is open. So far we’ve seen that in action with Lumines Remastered, though it’s not clear what causes the restriction to trigger.
GameChat is a new feature that’s exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. It essentially puts Zoom inside of the console. With the press of a button, players can activate a video feed through a web camera and share their live gameplay footage with everyone in the party chat. While the shared gameplay video broadcasts at a choppy framerate, the feature largely does what it says — but there’s a catch.
During a GameChat session, I opened up Lumines Remastered. Rather than showing the other users in chat my screen, a black screen popped up noting that gameplay sharing for that title was restricted. That restriction remained as long as the app was running. That means that if I popped out to the home menu, that footage would still be blocked until I closed the app.
As of now, it’s unclear what exactly triggers the restriction. My first guess was that it had something to do with licensed music, but another user was able to share their screen while playing Burnout Paradise, a game that features plenty of licensed tunes. I also had no trouble sharing Fitness Boxing 3, which features covers of popular songs like Bad Guy. According to a statement from Nintendo, developers have the option to disable screen sharing on their games.
“Nintendo Switch 2 GameChat screen sharing is at the discretion of the game’s developer,” Nintendo tells Digital Trends. “While it is enabled at the system level for all games it can be disabled by the game’s developer for any reason.”
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5. We are currently working on a full review of the system, but in the meantime, you can read our recent impressions of the system and Mario Kart World.
