The newest update for the Nintendo Switch is a surprisingly solid one, adding (or at least half-assing) a bunch of features that owners have been crying out for since the console’s launch earlier this year.
First up is the ability to record video. All you do is hold down the screen capture button instead of pressing it and the Switch will capture the last 30 seconds of gameplay. Which … won’t be terribly useful for recording longer stuff like boss fights, but will at least let you capture individual moments.
Once recorded, “you can trim the beginning and end of each clip, and post to Facebook and Twitter”.
It’s important to note that this isn’t a system-wide feature: you can only record gameplay from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, and Splatoon 2 (at the moment).
Next is an option to transfer your save data (something you couldn’t previously do) which can only be done by moving a profile from one Switch to another. Here’s how Nintendo describes the process:
- Both a source console and a target console are required to transfer user information and save data.
- Both consoles must also be updated to system menu version 4.0.0 or higher and connected to the Internet.
- A Nintendo Account must be linked to the user account you wish to transfer on the source console, and cannot be linked to a user account on the target console.
- The target console cannot have more than seven users at the time of the migration (there must be room for one more user on the target console).
- There must be sufficient free space on the target console’s internal memory to receive the data that will be migrated there.
- Once the process is complete, the user information, the associated save data, and the software purchased with the user account that is transferred will no longer be available on the source console.
Again, the implementation isn’t quite what people might have been hoping for, but it’s better than nothing.
There are also some new profile pics from Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild, and the ability to pre-load some games from the eshop to save you time if you (come on guys) preorder a game.
The full changelog can be viewed at Nintendo’s site.
Comments
19 responses to “New Nintendo Switch Update Adds Video Recording, Save Transfers”
…. where Nintendo of Japan will immediately DMCA strike your account down.
… where Nintendo of Japan will immediately issue a DMCA copyright strike against your account!
Their bots are turned to gameplay footage especially music and sound… 30 seconds nnay be too long cause they issue strikes on 10 and 15 seconds of footage.
I will absolutely preorder Super Mario Odyssey if the option is made available, haha.
Pre-ordering Odyssey at EB Games gets you the red mario hat as an extra.
There are two Mario hats. One you can buy that looks pretty awesome but is $35. The one you get with the game looks worse. I am stuck halfway between getting it almost $20 cheaper at Big W or getting it with the hat because my kids will love it. I think I’ll go and have a look at one first.
Pre-order it at EB then on release day get them to price match to the price at Big W. As long as the versions are the same they will price match and still honour pre order stuff.
Well, my local EB does, I know different places interpret their policies differently.
If you price match I am 99.9% sure they will strip out the hat.
I’m going all digital on Switch (I live in a rural area with no game store and releases usually don’t arrive in time by post).
Thanks though!
I’ve already preordered Super Mario Odyssey not from the Nintendo eshop but from EB Games in store. So I’m all pumped up for Super Mario Odyssey coming out next week and I’ll be getting those Super Mario Odyssey amiibos to help me on my globetrotting 3D adventure with Mario and Cappy.
Wow, if you are a bot, that’s very coherent.
Great, so we can now transfer saves to another console. WTF is the point of that for the majority of users?
Swapping your saves between the tasty limited edition consoles?
Like the 3ds.
When your source console breaks you just use your time machine to go back and transfer its data to the target console!
I assume the thinking is that many households with one switch will invest in a second with Mario and Christmas coming up very soon and the kids/significant other wanting to retain their saves when they get their own machine
So you can upgrade to the new model next year and not lose your stuff.
It’s actually a feature I have been looking for. My nieces & nephews have been playing hours of Breath of the Wild on my Switch since it launched, but they will possibly / probably be getting their own Switch soon, and they have been lamenting the fact that they would lose all of their save data and have to start again.
… Of course, by the sounds of this update, the transfer would only work if they had their own individual Nintendo accounts, so… yeah, thanks again for overcomplicating things that should be really straightforward, Nintendo. -_-
Must admit the save function is great to hear. Not what we needed, but something that’s useful.
As for the people saying the clips will be taken down. If they are posted to FB/Twitter from the Switch and not re-uploaded, then I believe they aren’t targeted as normally it says where it’s been uploaded from. Sony does a similar thing when you post its footage, the post says uploaded from PSN (or something similar). So most likely all posts will be fine.
Nintendo doesn’t even take clips down outside of extreme circumstances.
They WILL take the monetisation.
It’s a massive difference.
I only mentioned taking down since everyone was mentioning it.
I doubt Youtubers will be using this for anything that would be monetized. The clips are only 30 seconds, are way lower then a capture card could make and so far it only supports 5 games. I don’t know any big Youtubers (or similar platform creators) who use the PS4 or Xbox One capture methods for videos (except streaming) that would be monetized because the feature is mostly for the average person to capture a cool moment or record a small clip to send a friend. Which is what Nintendo is hoping for its use of the feature.