Nintendo Console Finally Gets Game Streaming App.
The world’s largest game streaming service Twitch is now finally available on Nintendo Switch consoles, though you will only be able to watch content rather than stream it.
Nintendo of America announced via tweet that the app can now be downloaded (free) from the gaming company’s online eShop and run from any of its current consoles: the Switch OLED, the Switch Lite, and the standard Switch model.
While the basic content on Twitch was initially video streams of users playing games, other media such as Nintendo Direct ads, live sporting events, and even talk shows will be ready to stream on Switch.
Along with the inability to stream your own stream, the Switch implementation of the Twitch app also comes with a few other limitations. The experience is greatly simplified, with a home, navigation, and search tab that encompasses the entire interface.
There is also no option to view or interact with the streaming chats directly on your Switch, instead, you will need to access them via your smartphone or similar device. Fortunately, you can scan a QR code from Switch’s Twitch app to quickly navigate to the correct stream and chat on your phone.
Likewise, the account and help sections typically found in the Twitch app are in the same boat as the chat functionality; you will need to access them through your phone and you can scan a QR code to do so.
Better late than never
While the news that Twitch will be added to Nintendo consoles is definitely a sign of progress, it is certainly not groundbreaking when you compare the limited integration of the Switch with its rival consoles.
Both Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X were released with support for the app, in both viewing and streaming capabilities, and the PS5 even has a dedicated ‘Create’ button on its DualSense controller to allow quick access. to the players to broadcast their broadcast.
Nintendo isn’t known for being on the cutting edge (or even close to it) when it comes to supporting existing standards. Just two months ago, the Nintendo Switch got Bluetooth audio, allowing the four-year-old console to finally support wireless headphones. Unfortunately, this implementation was unstable and plagued with latency and sound quality issues.
The console also does not support a number of popular apps that are almost ubiquitous on other such devices – Netflix, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video are absent.
Hopefully, Nintendo’s implementation of Twitch could be expanded in the future to support streaming game streams, although given its fairly blocked platform and inability to run multiple games or apps in parallel (to the PS5 and XSX), it won’t. we are holding our breath.