Splatoon 2's Event and eSports Credentials Boosted by LAN Play and Spectator View

eSports hype! Splatoon is a really neat shooter. I think it could really freshen up the eSports scene!

Another one of those 'what a brilliant Idea if I can find 7 people with Switches and Splatoon 2 to play'.

Saying that, if Nintendo add AI controlled contestants, I know 2 more people who would be up for a game with me.

Nice one, Ninty!

Well I don't know about u guys but I would rather play than watch. Yep let's buy a expensive machine and £50 game and have loads of fun just watching. Well done Ninty very innovative

@NintySnesMan You can watch, or join with up to 7 others locally. Only spectate of you have 1 of 2 systems not in play.

@NintySnesMan Spectator modes in multiplayer shooters is actually standard, although it's more common in PC ones. And for a shooter to be good for eSports, it needs a spectator mode for the people doing the commentary.

@NintySnesMan chill out man it's just to facilitate streaming events.

@MrGawain I think the implication is that this is more for the competitive scene than a small group of friends, and for that purpose this is ideal. I'm really excited about the possibilities for Pokémon and Smash Bros with this. The spectator mode in particular will be fantastic, even grassroot tournaments can display the finals on a large TV/stream with that capability.

I can tell you from experience that it's not much fun crowding around two small-screened original 3DS's (with their brightness on lowest settings to preserve battery) to try and follow a Pokémon tournament final.

@NintySnesMan The spectator mode is for competitive events so you can have 2 screens dedicated to a sportscaster like spectator to demonstrate live gameplay for an audience.

Good. I remember it being a really requested thing back in Splatoon 1.

@Spyke
Tbh mate if I was going to be a spectator then I would go watch a Rugby or Football game I certainly wouldn't waste my time having a gamegasm watching ppl shooting each other. No disrespect mate but it ain't me for sure but each to their own

Is LAN just to eliminate lag? On top of that, won't each switch have to also be bought with a separate adapter?

I don't think Splatoon would catch on as an esport except for maybe Japan.

@Grawlog How do you connect 10 consoles to a LAN adaptor? Is there a Hub that you need to get?

@NintySnesMan He was just explaining the reason behind it. He didn't say anything about you having to like it.

One day, old farts will finally recognize eSports as a legitimate part of gaming!

Sounds good. It can only help

Gahh, even if this was leaked in a sense, I still totally stoked for this news!
I really love competitive Splatoon; and if this increase the potential for a higher eSport relevance, then I'm 1000% behind it!
I really hope this title takes off even more then the first one (even if the first is one of my fave games literally ever)

@Grawlog I hope they connect automatically without too much grief lol.
The switches are quite cheap so that's good!

@Link118
Yep I know that and no disrespect to him. I was just explaining that it wasn't my thing. There was no malice there on my behalf it's just the way us northern folk speak lol

Allowing 1-2 others to view and commentate and/or stream to a larger screen or even online would potentially be great for the esports community!

"Introducing a brand new feature for the NS: a multiplayer connection setup that PC gaming has been doing for almost 30 years! The past is the future, folks! Get N or get Out!"

Jokes aside, the GameCube was also equipped to do this, as proven by Mario Kart: Double Dash! and Warp Pipe. One thing that's unfortunate here, though, is that it requires the core device to be docked.

This is great! I hope they do it for a few other games too like Mario kart

@NintySnesMan so you'd rather they didn't put the option to spectate in? What's your point? Or are you just moaning for attention?

Having this option really opens up the switch to more competitive esports. Shrewd move Nintendo.

@NintySnesMan Since you brought up the Rugby/Football comparison, why bother watching other people play? It's more fun to actually play the game yourself, right? It doesn't matter that other people might be better at it than you. Don't be lazy, get up and start moving!

Wow, Nintendo REALLY wants Splatoon 2 to become an eSport. This is good stuff!

@Yorumi I agree the dock, at least, should have had an ethernet port, but if you are going to setup a tournament this isn't exactly insurmountable.

In general I like making the base system as simple and inexpensive to make as sort of the core operations so you aren't paying for parts you don't need. Especially important in a hybrid system that is already going to be supporting use cases you might not use as much, but sure feels like Ethernet port wouldn't add much cost or difficulty as the dock is a mostly empty thing apparently.

Still, I'm guessing the percentage of people that use an ethernet cable to hook up their consoles is really small. I do, though. Already too many devices hogging the wifi.

The news here for me is not setting up a LAN connection, it's the local play without needing Wireless.

That's crucial. So if I bring my Switch to work, and my coworker brings his, we can play Splatoon 2 right there on the spot, each of us with our own Switch. No internet needed.

That's what's up.

"Splatoon 1.5", huh?

I dont understand the people that complain about everything Nintendo does. Maybe you all just need to head over to PushSquare.

I really hope Splatoon 2 becomes more competitive and e-sportsy and stuff. Splatoon 1 was really neat and was close to having a "meta" and all that fluff.

Don't care too much about these features, but if the community is hyped for this, that's always a good sign!

I'm not a competitive gamer normally but this is epic! Really great move on their part. I hope this takes off and we see it stake a claim in the esports scene. Even if its just Nintendo made events.

@NintySnesMan but you did insinuate that you only have a game gas when watching beefy men grapple each other (and a ball)...
Rugby is certainly not my thing. However some eSport competitions do have massive prize pools and players can earn a very good wage.

Spectator view is a cool option. I always like that in Counter Strike. Anytime you died you could just sit and watch the other players and learn from them.

Considering how succesful portable systems are over in Japan and how popular Splatoon is in Japan with recent tournament footage showing how competitive Japanese players are with this game... this is all good news for the potential future success of the game in that country. When kids start showing up at school with the switch and copy of Splatoon 2 and showing non-players how cool it is, the system should sell through that kind of fre advertising out in the wild better than commercial could do the system justice. Those new featured additions are just icing on the cake because it'll make tournaments that much easier to set up.

@NintySnesMan
Nice try at converting a positive into a negative. Your consolation prize is waiting at the door.

I'm very excited to see the potential this would have at big nerd gatherings, but even more so for the potential outside Splatoon. Other games could benefit from such a setup, even not-esportsy ones.

I do wonder though whether this spectator mode could be usable online, or if some less-than-8 group of players could LAN up and still go online, like a group of 5 doing Turf War with three randos that may come and go, or a squad of 4 going against another squad.

definitely thinking of trying to get a team together now.If i can only train my nephew to be any good at Splatoon haha.It's an old feature that i would love to see return.The Wii U and Black ops 2s Lan capabilities were absolutely fantastic, no bugger bought the wii U tho, or had it long enough to tinker with all the features.

@NintySnesMan
Ah but you do waste your time coming to a nintendo forum and trolling. Whatever you gets you fully erect.

@NintySnesMan
Nice backtracking. It's hard to troll when the news is generally positive, right?

The mode in Smash U where you could spectate and place bets on who you thought would win an online match was surprisingly fun. I'd love to see something like that return for Splatoon 2.

I loved the original Splatoon, but 2 just seems like everything the first should have been. More accessable and functional in every way. So stoked!

@Yorumi The NS has USB 3.0 Ethernet adapter compatibility. That's fair enough, since at least 1 Gbps CAT 5e connections can be facilitated easily. It will unfortunately be bottlenecked in half if they use 10 Gbps CAT 6 connections, but 5 Gbps is probably still more than the NS would ever use, anyways.

@NintySnesMan Watch and see what tricks the pros use for you to learn from the best?

@aaronsullivan Wired connections are always superior to wireless. Far less interference, far less lag, and harder to break into. Always the better option whereever possible. Up to 10 Gbps CAT 6 > up to 500 Mbps Wireless AC.

I'm not a fan of eSports, but that's a very smart feature for the eSports scene.

Nintendo you need to make blizzard bring overwatch to the switch!

Never had an interest in watching an eSport (or sport in general). However, I'm going to give it a go with an open mind, who knows, maybe I'll find a new thing I love?

Off topic a bit: I'm generally a solo gamer, is this game still fun on your own?

@Grawlog Great! thank you for the info!

@Yorumi On closer inspection of the graphic, it looks like this "LAN feature" is only going to use wireless connections between each NS, much like the DS and 3DS use. It won't support Ethernet adaptors going to a switch (not the Nintendo Switch, lol... see why the name is stupid?), then to a router. (Edit: got confused by the graphic- why would they imply an internet connection from the machines as being a wrong option for LAN? It obviously shouldn't connect to the internet...)

Well... That's not good. This means there's potentially going to be wireless dropout and lag issues, since wired connections apparently won't be an option. The DS and 3DS did fairly well given their limitations, but they didn't meet tournament standards. From a traditional perspective, it doesn't look like the NS will, either. Nintendo must really be pushing this hard...

@PlywoodStick Actually, you can connect a USB LAN adapter to the switch, I and most people will use the Wii one.

@PlywoodStick
Tbh I am to old for a young man's game. I still go to the gym though unlike all the Ninty fanboys on here like bigwhoady who gets his rocks of watching ppl squirt paint because he can't find his little whoady I don't like watching others play video games and that becomes a big problem to you fickle fanboys. Broaden your horizons not just your arse cheeks. Nothing worse than the Ninty fantasy fanboys on this site. Always whinging at anybody that might like Sony aswell as Ninty.

@NintySnesMan Oh, okay lol I just wasn't sure. I thought he was doing a nice thing on explaining it. Didn't want him getting any ill will because of it.

@Priceless_Spork great premise for a psychological thriller. guy can't find other players, nabs them off the street. plays bizarre local 8 player splatoon where all the other guys let him win and score the most. the completionist, dashie, the game theorist, olney, jane douglas, ellen rose, jess mcdonell & naomi kyle play the first round of victims.

@YouSeemFRAZZLED i think that they openly promote rooftop wifi parties only, with a prerequisite level of hipness, coolness, attractiveness, and fashionability.

@PlywoodStick in a close proximity to one another there is going to be no drop out unless you have way way too many wifi devices in the area. And they would have to EB close - this isn't connecting to a router so bandwidth isn't an issue to and from the devices.

As for not being serious for being on wireless - I'm using wireless internet here and getting latency From 18 to 34ms which is perfectly fine for any competitive gaming. Less always helps, but we are no longer in the days where wireless sucks - it can keep up with what's required for online games.

I think when splatoon 2 launches is time for me to get a switch it looks awesome, I just hope it is not the only game worth paying for the online service.

Cool stuff! I've never played Splatoon but I remember having a ton of fun doing LAN play with Metroid Prime: Hunters on the original DS. Any multiplayer enabled FPS on a handheld really benefits from having a LAN play option.

@3MonthBeef BOOM.

People love a good whine.

Absolutely it will no doubt help in Splatoon being competitive.

@Priceless_Spork
That's the problem with these fanboys if you don't like something and that something is related to Nintendo they all start crying. There is no fun for me or you watching ppl play it's not our thing. They take that and get personal. There are a few on here who attack just cause we don't like everything Ninty do. I wouldn't normally name drop but Bigwhoady and Donkeykongbigboy are the worst fanboy offenders I have read many articles and many of there comments trying to character assassinate many different ppl because they don't agree with everything Ninty. I don't take fanboys seriously they r the biggest joke in gaming..
OK back in the day when 2player was the rage and yourself and 4 mates playing it was crap watching and waiting for a go so I certainly wouldn't stream and watch people playing.

@NintySnesMan
Let the fanboys cry. I will voice my opinion not caring if they like it or not, keeping my posts within the rules of this forum.

The fact that grown men (and women) can get so emotional over something that is basically "some silicon in a piece of plastic" is however quite worrying.. but at the same time amusing.

@Hotfusion
Yep it won't stop me voicing my opinion. I am just a ordinary guy that plays Sony and Ninty games rather than watching ppl play. No big deal really but for some this is not the case.. Ah fanboys don't u just love them.. Don't get me wrong many fanboys on here respect opinions and have good debates then u get the Fantasy Fanboys that r just rude nasty and overall not nice ppl. You only have to look at their past comments on a variety of articles to see a pattern forming

@NintySnesMan I don't think the people replying were necessarily fanboys, that's an easy way to shrug off their comments. Honestly I think a lot were responding to your very first comment which appeared hostile in how it read. However I am sure you just meant "not really my thing but will be great for those who do want it" right? Anyway, I think toward the end the way you were commenting makes it sound like you think people are doing something wrong by watching esports. I think that if people want to watch it that is their choice and there is nothing wrong with it, in the same way that someone who watches rugby instead of playing it is also fine. Anyway, sony fan here, looking forward to the switch, not intending any hard feelings, just trying to explain why I think people overreacted.

@JaxonH "So if I bring my Switch to work, and my coworker brings his"

I'd be curious to know just how common of a scenario this is going to be once Switch is out in the wild, especially in the West. I personally can't see it being a regular occurrence for most Switch owners after the newness of the novelty wears off, but that's just me.

My own work situation will be s good barometer of this. Many 20 something gamers at my job with money to spend and a few have Switches pre ordered

@gatorboi352
Probably not that common. But, whatever. I know at least one co-worker buying one, and I'm fairly confident this guy Anthony, a quality engineer, might get one once he sees mine. He was talking about getting a 3DS, and then a GameCube for all the games he played in college. Told him he could get a Wii U and mod it, but that I can't really recommend that given the system is on its last leg. Told him about Switch maybe getting GameCube VC. If that happens he'll almost certainly get one. Then again he may get one anyways, just given his interest in Zelda after seeing the trailer.

Guy came up to me and says, have you seen this new Zelda game? I'm like dude, I'm a huge Nintendo fan and gamer. OF COURSE I've seen the trailer lol. I'm counting the days to release in fact!

So ya, there will be anywhere from 1-3 others with one at my work (1 for sure, 2 others maybe). Good thing about Switch though is the split Joycons. Even if no one else has one, very few people would turn down a controller handed to them in an offer to play a round of Mario Kart. They may not go buy one, but at least people can play on the spot anytime. Couldn't do that with 3DS.

@Coderie
Well said mate. I was meaning it wasn't my thing. I don't have a problem other ppl watching games it's each to there own. I know not everybody is a fanboy on here and some of them that are fanboys r not rude. I stand by what I say when a few of them are very rude not just personally at me but other users aswell. I have read many comments on here on different articles and its always these same ppl being rude with their opinions and other ppl opinion don't count. I don't care if they have a go at me some of them have good points but the nasty ones r just joke fanboys. Pll can read what they want from my first comment I was just saying what it meant to me and if others don't agree then that's OK with me. Anyhow thanks for reading between the lines and seeing it for what it was. which was just a guy not into watching games he would rather play

Was very pleased with this news.

We eSports now! I hope Nintendo really invests in this.

The downside: eSports has made Overwatch super toxic at the amateur level with low-ranked meta-whores yelling at each other from the selection screen.

Splatoon 1 also relied on it's matchmaking to balance teams (split snipers, etc.) which wasn't always effective over multiple matches with a full lobby.
Being able to switch weapons mid-match would ruin the game imo, but a weapon select option once you see your team or even just quick A or B loadout when you see a sniper and 3 rollers would do wonders for solo queue.

¡Viva Inkopolis!

@NintySnesMan It's for eSports and Twitch streams dumdum.

Edit: saw all the blowback. You poor bastard. Seriously though, with something like Splatoon and shooters, fighters, MOBAs, etc., it's not like a Let's Play mentality. It's about gaining insight from watching others play, tactics and strategies, how teams communicate, etc. Just like watching sports don't preclude you from playing them, this is about cultivating an enthusiastic player base and community.

@gatorboi352 Switch at work is the killer app. Nibelsnarfing about with 2 joycon MARIOKART on breaks with people, then hopefully get them to pony up and do some proper multiplayer.

@Spiders
I don't mind the blowback. It's part of this site. I know what it is mate but it's not for me. I didn't say anything about LAN cause I'm cool with that. Respects to your constructive criticism unlike some

Is the spectator view only for local Private Battles, or also for online Private Battles?

@PlywoodStick Believe me I'm aware of the superiority of a wired network. Every connection I can wire is wired with Cat 6 (usually unnecessarily because cat 5e is good enough). It's just that I'm guessing the vast majority of people can't/won't be bothered.

My Switch will be wired. At the start I'll probably just plug in the ethernet adapter I've been using for the Wii U into the Switch (just like I moved it over from the Wii to the Wii U).