If you've been eagerly awaiting more information about Nintendo's Switch sequel, you finally got it.
On Wednesday, we found out how much the Switch 2 costs ($449; yikes), got a ton of info on games, and yes, the Joy-Cons do attach magnetically and can be used as a mouse. Looks like it's time to relive my Mario Paint days in earnest.
And on top of all that, we finally got word about the Switch 2's mystery "C" button, which is exactly what I thought it wouldn't be: a chat feature.
Usually, a chat feature wouldn't get me excited for the future of a console, but Nintendo isn't just bringing your run-of-the-mill social features to the Switch; it's attempting to reinvent them altogether.
And with a little luck, those features could make the Switch 2 the most Mario Party-friendly console ever.
C stands for "chat," but also "camera"
When the idea of a chat feature was thrown out, I said that the concept was downright un-Nintendo-like, but naturally, Nintendo is adding its own twist.
At Nintendo's Direct showcase on Wednesday, Nintendo showcased how the C button actually relates to a feature called GameChat, adding a Discord-like chat functionality to playing Switch games online.
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In a preview, Nintendo showcased how GameChat not only allows you to party chat with multiple friends at once but also lets you view their screens while you play.
It also uses an in-console microphone to capture your audio so theoretically, you don't even need a headset to use the Switch 2's chat feature.
On top of that, you don't even have to be playing the same game to use GameChat, so if I'm playing Mario Kart and you're playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, we can have one unified (but very different) experience.
None of this is groundbreaking per se, but once you add in the new camera accessory that Nintendo announced for the Switch 2, things start to get a little more interesting.
Nintendo wants its new chat feature to be able to broadcast not only your voice but also your whole face to friends. Again, video calls aren't exactly new, but integration into a console (especially as a social feature) certainly is — that is, if you're not counting Xbox's bygone Kinect, I guess.
On the surface, a camera might not be the number one feature or accessory that people were asking for, but Nintendo has a way of giving you what you didn't know you wanted.
And I'm convinced that Nintendo's camera accessory isn't destined to become another Kinect, it's poised to change party games as we know them.
Why Nintendo GameChat might be bigger than you think
I know what you're thinking: big whoop, Nintendo finally has a chat feature.
I know what you're thinking: big whoop, Nintendo finally has a chat feature.
And on one hand, that's justified. Nintendo is woefully late to the game here, seeing as how online gaming has been a thing for, um, a little while now.
On the other hand, however, the way Nintendo is going about its chat feature might actually change the game more than you think.
Hear me out.
While Nintendo has certainly expanded its repertoire over the past few years, games like Mario Party, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros. are still its bread and butter.
And here's the thing about those games: they're much, much, much, more fun when you play them with other people. Back in my day, that meant sitting next to your friends on the couch and burying them in Mario Party stars until they rage quit.
Nintendo Switch 2 GameChat feature
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Now, the social aspect of gaming is much more online, which is great for convenience but makes the magic of playing party games just a little less magical.
I've played plenty of Super Smash Bros. online, and as fun as it is to challenge myself by taking on other great players, there's still something missing — it's my friends.
With GameChat, however, Nintendo is combining what could be the best of both worlds: the convenience of playing online with the intimacy of being able to see and hear your friends.
At the end of the day, there's nothing that can fully replicate playing games in the same room as another person, but GameChat could theoretically come closer than just about any integrated solution that I've seen yet.
And while social chat features might be very un-Nintendo, this is somehow a very Nintendo way to introduce them to the Switch.
Party games, of course, never really went away, but for a millennial like me, it's obvious that some of that magic has been lost over the years. If GameChat works the way it's supposed to, I'm convinced we're in for a golden age of Mario Party mayhem, IRL be damned.
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