Friend Codes Are Back on Nintendo Switch, But There Are Other Options

Why are Nintendo still using friend codes? I just don't get why they wouldn't address this issue when developing the new account system.

But didn't Reggie say they weren't going to use them?

They are always steps back behind ... never learn

Like I said friend codes is its main option. You can only add someone you've played online with or add a local user. If you want to add someone you've met on the Internet, it's back to friend codes.

It's incredibly archaic and inconvenient. Even I didn't expect this. A new low for Nintendo.

@FragRed Its a glorified phone number.

And as noted, the app for this seems to feature social media adding, and since you likely have the friends you play with on that media anyway...its not biggy.

And as noted, this is an option. An option. One of many. Stop losing your damn minds. You have choice. And choice is better than being told.

The Wii U didn't use friend codes. It's sad that they are back on the Switch.

NINTENDOOMED!!!

Oh wait, it's just an option with other, easier ways to do it?

NINTENSTILLDOOMED!!!!!

@BLP_Software Why couldn't they add that app feature into the system's UI? Why give sites more ammunition to fire at Nintendo?

@Yasume
If even you didn't expect it then it must be bad. 😏

@ThomasBW84 I'm picturing an 8 year old Thomas on a doorstep, holding his SNES dejectedly after he's just had a bunch of Sega boneheads slam the door in his face.

On PSN i only add people I've played online with so I really won't be bothered by friend codes like in the Wii and DS days and if I really want to add a friend of mine on Switch I'll just ask his FC on whatsapp or facebook or whatever.

It's unnecessary, yes, but it's really not that hard.

A bit annoying, but not a deal breaker, especially since there are other options.

So I have to add their code and they have to add my code back to activate it ? Like the 3DS ? Omg horrible

Why they can't copy Xbox and PS4 by just adding the username and you have to accept or ignore it ? It's so easy

It's okay Nintendo to copy and follow Xbox and Sony because they are doing perfect and just fine

i don't get what issue people have with friend codes. if you add someone by email or friend code..what's the difference?!

So....why can't we juat search for people through their Nintendo ID?

@BLP_Software Yeah, now if only they had the option to add people by username. The other options don't cut it for me and friendcodes are so annoying, hard to believe they're actually going back to it.

@Wouwter @FragRed

I want you guys to answer me something. What's annoying about a sequence of 12 numbers?

On Wii U you could search for user IDs. Why aren't you showing this Nintendo? How STUPID do you have to be to regress your online network??

@BLP_Software In what way is a random sequence of twelve numbers better than a username? And is it really that hard to add both options?

@Mega_Yarn_Poochy
You mean Ninstilldoomed.
#neologisms4life

Urgh. Optional or not this just looks bad.

Y'all are overreacting.

@Wouwter They are comparable. I feel having only 10 numbers as opposed to 26+ letters is more efficient. Faster to type in many respects.

I agree both wouldve been nice, but I also dont see the problem with friend codes that people have. The acting like ots ghe worst thing ever and unusable or a hassle.

Look kids. Its 12 digits. I know everyone wants everything to be super easy and lazy but thats not how the universe works. If you are really getting up in arms about this little 12 digit code existing, well life is going to beat you all over the head repeatedly in very quick succession.

National Insurance number - string of letters and numbers
Driving License - String of letters and numbers
Bank card details - Longer than a friend code
Phone numbers

The list goes on. If you have an allegeric reaction to a string of 12 numbers I suggest living off the grid because governments love them.

what? What? WHAT?!?! Pre-order cancelled /s

Folks are seriously still crying about friend codes lol. Do this many people wig out when they see a phone number?

"Omg...numbers?! Why cant I just save your name on my phone and call that?? Pre-order cancelled."

@BLP_Software I can't even remember my own friendcode, let alone someone else's. It's so much easier to remember a user id. I can't believe Nintendo is still stuck in the past like this, especially after acting like they changed for the better.

Truly embarrassing.. this company will never understand what online gamers want.

Oh and you know both parties will have to add each friend code. There will be no friend invite if somebody adds you but you don't add them.

Friend codes in 2017 lol..

I'm sorry, but this is a total regression, even from Wii U. Sad, really.

Come on Nintendo.
The one thing, the ONE thing the Wii U did so well, nobody could throw a hissy fit over.
I'm not angry with you son...
I'm just... disappointed...

@Shikinouta I think Nintendo took the Wii U hate hard.

Did anyone complain about Miis? Nope. But they barely exist now. They internet has banged on and on about how the system is terrible and they just said screw it, write it off entirely.

And after how it got thrown at them over and over I cant blame them for just dropping everything.

@Wouwter A sequence of numbers is surprisingly easy to remember.

And you don't need to remember. You need it once. Theirs doesn't matter to you apart from once. And yours is snug in a nice swift OS. Not going to kill you is it?

Besides, sequences of numbers are standardised across the globe. No language barrier, no offense. Everything has an identification.

And if I can be honest, given whats been going on with my PSN lately, I'm glad I wont be added to spam groups via friend code every single day.

@manu0 so I take it you don't other consoles. On PS4 I can say to buddy at work add me my username is kobashi 100.

With Nintendo I have to memrorise a damn 12 digit number. That's simply never gonna happen.

Sigh. Why Nintendo, why? What's wrong with letting us add users by their username like on the Wii U.

If you ask me, I think this is a temporary thing. Down the line when the paid services comes around, friend codes will be replaced by a username search instead.
I hope this is the case and I hope Nintendo is going to adresse this in the near future. But if this stands, I will be very disappointed. But for now, its okay. Since its no online game to play

This is shaping up to look more and more like a 3DS.

@kobashi100 i have all the other consoles. most people have usernames with number combinations that I can't remember. there's literally no difference to friend codes.

@kobashi100 At work I can tell my buddy to pull out his NS, we can search for local users, and add eachother.

Who knows what the voice chat app will be capable of.

@crimsontadpoles Everything about the Wii U was bad. That was loudest, noisiest, most frequent feedback they got.

A friend code is what is known as a private key, a unique identifier that defines something in a database, as your user name can be easily changed as often as the wind blows this system is an okay compromise.

@Smash_kirby I wasn't going to go into the whole database thing (Thankfully as no one here would get it) but yes.

Guess why Sony wont let you change your PSN name? That's your database ID. Change that and wah wah it goes to hell.

@manu0 so you don't think that both parties having to add the friend codes is harder work then just being able to invite someone. Why can't person a send an invite to person b. Persons b gets notification and selects yes or no?

On Sony and MS consoles it's seamless. Nintendo make it hard work.

Edit. My mistake. Looks like Nintendo for one thing right.

Taken from GAF

So I gave someone else my Friend Code and had them send a request over. Once you receive the request, you get a notification with their Username and Icon. You then have the option to Become Friends, Decline Request, or Block. If you Become Friends, the connection is done. It doesn't look like you both have to trade codes.

@BLP_Software No, Sony doesn't do it because it is Sony. You can change your name in Japan.

@kobashi100 how do you know that's not the case? maybe just one user has to add and then it appears in the invite list for the other? there's a "received friend requests" option!

@kobashi100 If you call this hard work don't add your bank details to anything. Or fill in tax forms. Or get a job. Or driving license.

Life is full of numbers people. You know what you do? You get the hell over it and move on.

@Smash_kirby Oh well there goes half my nice things to say about Sony today then. I thought they had a legit reason but nope

@ThomasBW84 SNES boneheads! I meant SNES boneheads, obviously - D'oh!

I knew that cos I read your lovely Zelda piece, I just got it muddled

Maybe this friend code isn't what we're gotten used to last 2 generations. Maybe it's going to have a new format, but we shall see.

@BLP_Software "taxes are hard so it's ok if it's bad"

@Rocossa What I don't get is why a sequence of 12 digits is the end of the world. In essence it IS a username, because that can also be a sequence of 12 digits. It just...humans confuse me.

@BLP_Software people are dumb. there's literally no difference between a friend code and a user name that may or may not contain an unmemorable sequence of digits.

@BinaryFragger So, there are no verifiable lies in that article. Reggie said there are no friend codes within what they are working on. The fact that they appear now doesn't contradict that at all. Him not having knowledge of it or it being added later after he said this doesn't mean he lied or even flip-flopped. As a representative of Nintendo if he made a promise there would be no friend codes (he didn't in that article) that would be a broken promise, but still not a lie. If there was some evidence that it was in place and Reggie knew about it, then we could start talking about lies.

Also, the Switch is NOT replacing the 3DS. Do you think Nintendo is going to pull them off the shelves tomorrow? Not happening. Stop manufacturing 3DS? Nope. Stop releasing games for it this year. Nope. Switch is launching. 3DS is not replaced. Will 3DS stop selling eventually? Of course. Will Nintendo replace it with Switch compatible hardware? Maybe. I hope so, actually. I'm guessing it won't be just the Switch as it is now, but even if it WAS, the Switch is not replacing the 3DS for the foreseeable future which is all they can answer to.

Would you rather have Nintendo say, "well, we said it's not replacing the Switch and you mistook it to mean EVER so I guess we'll make the decision to not release the best option for gamers and our company and make a device that makes no sense for anyone because it's more important to stick to a basic outline of plans made without timely information than to make the right decision later."

Wouldn't want to badger a company into behaving like that myself.

dammit how many times must I cancel my preorder?

@manu0 Most of my friends are thankfully sensible with that, but a few aren't. And honestly if I can remember a 16 digit bank number with a 3 digit CV2 after use, I can remember a 12-digit FC.

@BLP_Software i can remember my credit card number just fine..but there's really no reason to remember someone's friend code because you only need it once LOL

@manu0 Oh absolutely. Ill need them once and boom, done.

As I have aid repeatedly over the lead up to Switch, reality is going to be cruel to some people.

Want a portable PS4? You could, if you want your hands to burn.
FCs too much trouble? Don't go outside.
Kickstand feels like it can break? Well duh, its a good design decision.

Hardly a drama... there is lots of options there right now and I'm sure username searches will be added with the online update.

I know user names are easier- but common? We remember 10 digit phone numbers for multiple people. We can't remember one 12 digit for your own use?

Keep complaining, this could easily be fixed in an update

@BLP_Software By that logic the Switch should do a background check on all of us before we play, to make sure we aren't criminals that could use the Switch for shady deeds. After all, they do background checks irl

@Janne94 I'm not saying the Switch should emulate real life. But ID numbers are a very large part of life, and by the logic of people complaining, life is very very hard for them.

Unless it's "separate friend code procedure per game" like it seemed to be on DS, I don't see what's the big deal.

@BLP_Software But should the Switch be emulating any part of real life that isn't necessary? FCs are just an annoyance that aren't needed at all

@BLP_Software Yeah, I've had spam on PSN, too. If that's Nintendo Account's way of preventing this stuff, by all means.

It's aggravating but, at the end of the day it gets the job done. And once they're in there, they're in there.

Once that app releases though, if you can add via Twitter that'd be awesome.

of note
Seems you don't actually need to exchange friend codes, only one person needs to send an invite and the other can accept. So it's less cumbersome than I expected

@BLP_Software Give me any good reasons for friend codes over Gamertags or IDs. Your Nintendo ID is unique to you, why not just use that?

"If you call this hard work don't add your bank details to anything. Or fill in tax forms. Or get a job. Or driving license. [...] The list goes on. If you have an allegeric reaction to a string of 12 numbers I suggest living off the grid because governments love them."

Yeah, fantastic argument. Except those things are quite essential to living your life in modern society. A games console is just a luxury entertainment device and there is no need to make it more inconvenient than it needs to be because "hey your tax forms also require lots of numbers, what's the problem hurr durr."

"And you don't need to remember. You need it once. Theirs doesn't matter to you apart from once. And yours is snug in a nice swift OS. Not going to kill you is it?"

You'll need it every time you want someone else to add you as a friend unless you happened to play against them recently, right? Let's say you're hanging out with a mate and he tells you to add him as a friend on Switch later. Which one is easier to remember: 'Hey add me on Switch, I'm owdohg' or 'Hey add me on Switch, I'm 391049325962'? It's a matter of convenience, and when we're talking about something as frivolous as a video games console, convenience should be prioritized. Believe it or not, gamertags or IDs are far easier to remember and more convenient than a completely randomized string of 12 numbers.

"As I have aid repeatedly over the lead up to Switch, reality is going to be cruel to some people.
FCs too much trouble? Don't go outside."

Riiiiight. Because a distaste for archaic friend codes instead of usernames represents an inability to cope with the rigours of real life? That totally makes sense.

"It just...humans confuse me."

I'm starting to feel like I should post your comments to /r/iamverysmart.

@BLP_Software @Smash_kirby Shouldn't the whole point of NNID (or MyNintendo accounts now, I guess) be to handle the authentication and security details in the background once it's first time setup is complete, so users don't have to worry about this stuff? What is the advantage to not being able to search by user name for other remote users you haven't played with, like every other modern online gaming account system does? Hell, there are MMO's from the early 2000s that let users do that...

@PlywoodStick There is no advantage. Nintendo stubbornly refuses to update their archaic and inconvenient system. BLP_Software doesn't have a case, he just wants everybody to stop criticizing the great and almighty Lord Nintendo.

@owdohg you can add friends on both Miitomo and Super Mario Run.

@owdohg Lol, Lord Nintendo... Somehow, that makes me imagine a pantheon of deceased Nintendo executives who have become godlike deities... For example, Iwata can bring divine revelations from Nintenhalla, directly to you!

ahem

Anyways, my guess is that ultimately the point of friend codes on NS is to prevent voice chat and other communication with randoms. In other words, they're worried about the children. (Even if they way they go about it doesn't make any logical sense.)

@ThomasBW84 @JaxonH 's #68 comment should really be mentioned in the body of the article, if that's really the case. Might want to put it in bold and bigger font.

There's a big difference between having both people adding each others friend codes vs one adding a friend code, which results in a sent invite that someone can accept.

@BinaryFragger Didn't you read The Ninten Commandments!?

5: Thou shalt not question The Regginator, lest thou be struck down by yon laser eyes.

I just can't understand why this is the main option to add people when the Wii U did a better job by adding/searching users by their IDs

@aaronsullivan http://www.siliconera.com/2017/01/16/nintendo-switch-wont-friend-codes-reggie-steady-pacing-content/

"There are no friend codes within what we're doing."

The semantics of whether he lied or broke a promise doesn't matter. What matters is he broke his word. If he really didn't know about this, all he had to do was say, "We will reveal more details later," or something to that effect.

@BLP_Software yeah because its not like saying to someone bro add me. Username kickazz12 is a whole lot easier then add me on 57821... Oh damn I forgot it, sorry dude.

The Nintendo defence Force will defend Nintendo to the very end. This company can do no wrong lol

@owdohg I aint upset if someone criticises Nintendo. I'm only affiliated to my own businesses so...you know, no skin off my back.

What I don't get is yes, while it may be an inconvenience to some, its not the end of the world worst thing ever.

And youd like some any reason for a handed out ID code over a searchable tag?

PSN endless spam chats. I keep being asked about free PSN cards. Why? My name is searchable.

Friend codes are not the most ideal thing, but if they exist, its not the end of the universe. You get used to it. You get over it. You move on. Everything ever created has some inconvenience and if this is viewed as one of those well, so be it. No point calling the end of the world.

As for my comments about comparisons to real world ID numbers, what is the Nintendo Account? Its a database right? So is everything else with ID keys.

Honestly? Is this a step back from Wii U? Yes. Is it a bad thing? You can still add friends and there are other options included, that's a mileage thing. Is it a deal breaker like people state? No, not really. You do it and move on with your day.

And if you wish to file me away on Reddit somewhere or whatever you intend to do as some form of shaming, by all means buddy. I actually don't give a toss. I state my stance. You state yours. Behold discussion occurs. And that's nice and healthy. You have your reasons for not liking this development and I have mine for finding it just meh.

If you really think my overly sarcastic tone is worthy of shaming me for, then please, by all means. Earlier comments were intended to be sarcastic remarks about how some people (Unlike yourself, you just seem displeased) take this revelation as the biggest affront to their lives. Hence the joke about them not being able to function around strings of numbers.

I know my sense of humour is incredibly dry, and if you feel the need to shame me for it, then by all means do so, I really couldn't care. I just felt for the benefit of the discussion, as you had some valid counterpoints to my view of indifference, that I should fully explain my side.

But as I said, shame away. And Merry Switchmas to you

oh my freaking lord WHY?!

Nintendo lied. Big surprise.

Anyway, I like the option to add people you friended in Miitomo.

@kobashi100 This company can do a lot wrong.

Is this a step back? Sure thing it is. Not going to deny it. But is it terrible and the worst thing ever? No. Not having friends at all would be. So its a not ideal but usable situation, at least that's my stance.

And I'm not going to defend Nintendo mate. I wont defend em in court if it ever came to it. I just like being the middleground and understanding why something happened, and how it affects people and honestly this is no big deal. Its just something you do and move on.

As I said, could it be better? Yes. Will it be better in future? Maybe. Cant tell you on that.

If I'm a Nintendo Defender...I really should like more of their games...but I don't. Still think Mario 64 is one of the worst things Ive ever played in my life. But if I'm defending them then so be it I guess. I don't really care.

LOL The comments oh my!

Why are friend codes a big deal? You type in the code, BOOM, you've added your friend. I'm fine with that, as long as I can connect my friend

Why do people care so much? Why is adding someone with a 12 digit friend code SO much worse than typing in their name? Yeah, it's outdated and kind of annoying, but get over yourselves. Adding someone with a friend code only takes the tiniest bit more effort than adding them with their username. There are other options for adding people anyway.

Twitter and Facebook, no thanks. What gross abuses of human decency. We need a "Search From NintendoLife Members" option.

Make it happen!

Seriously though, yeah, Reggie should not have said they're not doing Friend Codes when they in fact are doing friend codes, so Reggie being kept in the dark but speaking anyway remains a problem. But beyond that I don't get the dislike for friend codes. So your account has a "phone number" just like your phone does. And you give it to people for them to "call" you. Just like on your phone. There's nothing uniquely Nintendo about the idea, good old Alex G. Bell started the concept rolling in the 19th century....

This is the internet....someone said it perfectly above. How is "3232-389934" harder to give to someone than "ImB377erThanU"?

It's a global online service and you can add friends from places that use a different alphabet. Numbers are universal. And numbers only have 10 physical/virtual keys to enter with an arrow cursor rather than the hundreds across multiple keyboards required for all possible user names. Would you guys seriously rather have to find the right keyboard to enter "カンブリアームズ" than a numeric friend code?

@PlywoodStick Has nothing to do with randoms, since you can still search by anyone you've played with. So you can still add randoms you've encountered in a game to your friends list, same as WiiU (I've had random invites from random Japanese players in Splatoon for reasons I can't comprehend other than that I beat them. The problem is their invite was in Katakana...... )

Wait, ... this has to be a joke,

Search for Local Users
Search for Users You've Played With
Search with Friend Code
'Friend Suggestions' from Miitomo and Super Mario Run

This literally means, I cant just add people? I cant do what every freaking device on the planet allows me? I have to follow the stripped-down-akward-anti-social connection path to play .. again ... yep, perfect. Why you dont call it 1-2-DOA. Makes sense why the online features were not even activated before or free to review before launch... AWFUL

.. this will end up worse than the Wii U if they really think they can ignore everything.... awful.. simply awful.... I honestly thought it was a no-brainer this time to allow everyone to connect in any way they want and just play online with random people. Surreal decision Nintendo, happy selling that.

@BinaryFragger AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!¡¡¡

Oh... False alarm, he took it out on one of his minions again...

@SanderEvers Can't do that man, how will I let people know how outraged I am?

@manu0 It's not at all the same. Perhaps all your friends use 12 digit code as their usernames. But for most they will be not just names that are relevant to the individual but names that they use across all gaming platforms.

Are you really saying something like "Regginator292" for your friend Reggie is just as difficult for you to remember as "2543-9713-4924"? I highly doubt you can honestly say that.

Plus using gamer tags means you can actually search. If you can't remember the random digits at the end of a friend's gamer tag you can still search for "Regginator" and it will show you the options. What are you supposed to do with a friend code?

@owdohg You might want to correct that ever so slightly. A gamer tag in the Battle.net sense IS a friend code (battle.net also accepts email addresses which by default must be unique as the email service providers make a check when you create one. They can also be a completely random jumble of numbers and characters as working in insurance has shown me). It's a series of numbers that identifies the user.

The problem here isn't so much the existence of friend codes as it is the IMPLEMENTATION of them.

@Ogbert Also, if you're talking about gamertags, I can tell you if I searched for users on Steam with the name "Iamgod" I would get over 1000 hits. It is the unfortunate problem that arises when you allow people to have choice.

What's harder to understand than Nintendo using FC in 2017? People defending this archaic method.

@BLP_Software Nobody said or acted like it was the end of the world, yet you've used that term 5 times in this single comment section. Incredible.

Within the sphere of this Nintendo site, videogames are all that matter. It is utterly ridiculous to start justifying Nintendo's baffling decisions by comparing them to actual real-life issues that hold importance. If we were ruled by your logic, all discussion would grind to a halt because everybody knows that in the grand scheme of life, videogames don't matter. But within the sphere of this website, and for the purpose of discussion in this comment section, videogames are the only thing that matter. That's the way it must be for any quality discussion to be upheld. Otherwise, we get bogged down by people like you who insist on dragging all manner of irrelevant real-life issues into the mix and the conversation gets derailed.

On the eve of a new console's release, we have learned that Nintendo have reverted to their widely detested archaic system (from 2006!) of adding friends within their online ecosystem, with a few minor updates.

I defy you to come up with any reasonable justification or defence of friend codes. Don't tell me we should just suck it up and deal with it. Tell me why they are a better option than Gamertags or Network IDs. If your only justification is that it prevents spam, there are other ways to minimize spam without completely scrapping the system and forcing inconvenience onto the consumer. Such a drastic action displays ineptitude and lack of creativity on Nintendo's part, and your support of it represents the same for you. This is 2017 and we're using an archaic system - that was already outdated back in 2006 - with minor updates.

@BLP_Software They're probably mad because they can't shake off that post traumatic stress disorder of typing passwords on the nes.

It's all so people will get the subscription service. You won't need friend codes then.

Jeez people take a chill pill. From what I have read you can also add any of your friends on Facebook

This is how friend codes should have always worked. You type in a number, it sends them a request and they accept or decline. MSN could do over 10 years ago. Now imagine you had to both add each others email back then...mess.

@ghodwo I cant give a reason. But its not a bad thing if it exists as an option. It happens and you just deal with it. In my eyes, this is their reaction to the Wii U, which was universally panned in a loud manner. Drop it all and start again.

Look. Is it inferior. YES. I am not refuting that point. But is it a bad thing that you have to do this to add a friend. No. Also nice reversed account name. Ill direct you to @KirbyTheVampire who worded it far better than I ever can, as to why this is not a big deal.

That is the point I am trying to get across. It is not a problem. It is just one extra step. One.

@Captain_Toad Apparently I'm now to be shamed so...hey ho hum.

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but look at this sentence from the page where you create/edit your User ID...

"Please do not reveal it to other people."

There seems to me that there's no point to the User IDs outside of managing your account or logging into various Nintendo software. Maybe this will change for the subscription service.

@PlywoodStick If you put it in context of the interview I think he's talking about the app specifically.

@Ernest_The_Crab at least you actually can search though. Only a few of my online gaming friends have gamer tags that bring up tons of results like that, most bring up one or two options and seeing them is more than enough to remember "oh yeah it was Trinnster53 not Trinnster1286". Or I can look at their profile and see "oh yeah they said they were playing Titanfall2 recently so that must be them!"

But most of the time I don't even need to search because I know my friends are always called "Shiggy09" or whatever on everything. Except Switch where I will have to remember they'd are now called "2451-1677-7190".

Honestly even names that have a lot of characters replaced with digits or caps are easier to communicate. Saying "my username is "I am your doom" all one word, with zeros instead of o's and your spelled u, r". Is much, much easier to remember than "my username is one, three, double seven, three, two, three, zero, double three, seven, four".

We'll all work around it. It's not the worst thing of course. But it make Sure nintendo look really bad and again not a proper contender in the gaming market to those outside their core market. That's the main issue.

I know way more people with a 3DS than a WiiU. Nobody plays online on the 3DS because friending is a mess. I regularly play Splatoon and MarioKart on WiiU online because we all added each other using our standard gamer tags as soon as we got the system. They want to charge for online they need to make it super easy for folk to get online.

@BLP_Software This is the internet here where people only read like the headline or the first few sentences of an article and immediately rush to conclusions

@NEStalgia Maybe I'm just biased... I've been used to searching for people I haven't played with and don't know since Battle.net 1.0 and StarCraft, back in 2000. Then Final Fantasy XI in 2003, then XB Live, etc...

I could understand friend codes for Wii/DS, though, since Nintendo was new to online infrastructures. In this case, using friend codes in 2017 feels like a compromise of favoring security (probably) over convenience (definitely).

@Captain_Toad Woah, woah, woah! Be careful where you post that thing! Trigger warning!

@PlywoodStick I guess you've been...

puts on shades

...Chrono Triggered!

Okay that was terrible.

@BLP_Software Completely agreed with all that you have said. It's absolutely ridiculous how people get all worked up about such a non-issue, but then again: what did you expect?

It does make me laugh to an extent, imagining all these whiners cuss and swear every time they have to add a new contact to their smart phone because they will not just have to enter a name, but will also have to add an entire 10 or 12 digit phone number as well... Oh, the horror...

@Wolfgabe @ThanosReXXX But hey. I'm due for shaming right? For pointing out that its not bad? Right? Riiight?

Yeah it can be better but, you just get over it because its no biggy.

"Friend Codes Are Back on Nintendo Switch, But There Are Other Options
So calm down..."

Lol. Hardly.

What??

@BLP_Software

...I'VE BEEN CHRONO TRIGGERED FOR THE PAST 22 YEARS...

@PlywoodStick I still need to play that game. Heard its great. Its another on my "One day" list.

Friend codes? Yeah, that kinda sucks.

@PlywoodStick What do you mean by searching for people you haven't played with and don't know? Like just searching for random good sounding names? Or people you know IRL or online?

I grumble when I have to enter a friend code on 3DS, too, it's a little annoying grabbing the numeric, BUT it doesn't really seem any worse than entering a name unless it happens to be an easy name or one I already memorized. And, especially without a touch screen, it's way easier than navigating an on-screen keyboard. A numberpad isn't bad to navigate with a d-pad (or 4-way pad in this case) And since people (especially Japanese players) love adding symbols and emoji to their usernames you end up going through 4 different keyboards just to search for the character you're missing Maybe usernames would be easier if they enforced the restrictions that exist in the email protocol (where ONLY ASCII standard characters are valid. No Unicode, no non-Phonetc characters.) Good luck selling THAT in Japan (just ask Microsoft how that's going )

@Ogbert "Saying "my username is "I am your doom" all one word, with zeros instead of o's and your spelled u, r". Is much, much easier to remember than "my username is one, three, double seven, three, two, three, zero, double three, seven, four"."

Is this seriously how young people are actually wired these days? How is running a translation table of how to re-endcode and assemble a string, in your head in any way easier than reciting a string of numbers as has been standard for pretty much all business communications for over a century from phones to faxes to credit card and check numbers and employee IDs and tax numbers?

The only time I've found user names to be any easier than numbers is when adding people I know from a forum like this where I have their name memorized because I see it every day and I know their tag is the same. OTOH half the people I've added from forums have a DIFFERENT NNID than their forum handle.

Sounds like a mix of 3ds and wiiu friend functionality. Works for me.

@BLP_Software "its not a bad thing if it exists as an option. It happens and you just deal with it."

It's not just a backup option. Remarkably, it's the most convenient method of adding a mate. Your other options are to physically bring your Switches together, or download Nintendo's smartphone games and add your friend through that. Needlessly obtuse. Needlessly archaic.

"In my eyes, this is their reaction to the Wii U, which was universally panned in a loud manner. Drop it all and start again."

Your assumption that they blackmarked every aspect of the Wii U's design shows how little credit you give to the people making the decisions at NIntendo. It's not surprising. You've been conditioned and taught to expect this level of obtuse and inept design from Nintendo over so many years that you now excuse it and attempt to justify it. The most useful response to this news is to lambaste Nintendo for using such a convoluted system, to implore them to change and to improve their product. But no, you'd rather excuse it by making bizarre references to bank statements and drivers licences and tax returns, and telling us to shut up and deal with it. Also, the subtext of your comment seems to be that this latest cock-up from Nintendo is actually our fault because we "panned" the Wii U, which prompted Nintendo to revert to a crappy old system. I won't go any further on that point because I may be wrong in my assumption, but if that's really what you're saying, your argument is even more laughable.

"Look. Is it inferior. YES. I am not refuting that point. But is it a bad thing that you have to do this to add a friend. No."

It absolutely is a bad thing within the sphere of videogames, especially when there are better alternatives offered by the competition. What are you smoking? We're talking about the newest console, the cutting edge of technology in videogames - yet we're stuck using an archaic interface from 2006. How is that not a bad thing deserving of intense criticism? We want it to be the best it can be. We want it to have the best friend system on the market. There are no reasons it can't be better than this. Likewise, saying 'It could be worse, we could have no friend system at all', is such an inane and irrelevant point that it bears no worth mentioning whatsoever. I'm stunned that you even felt the need to say it, but such grasping at straws is inevitable when you have no real argument to present.

"It is not a problem. It is just one extra step. One."

Seamlessness is the goal in all technology. Adding an extra layer or "one extra step", when there is no need for it, and forcing it onto the user represents a level of ineptitude that is inexcusable. Nintendo still haven't learned from their mistakes. And as long as there are thousands of people just like you who will so vehemently defend Nintendo and excuse their incompetence in exchange for your 300euro, they will never learn.

This should be a feature but its not, we should really be able to mass add everyone we have on our 3DS and Wii U friendlist's.

@BLP_Software The problem is it makes the perception of the Switch worse. It'll make people think "Nintendo can't do online properly" or that it's "childish" or "archaic". It may seem small to you but that's not necessarily the case for the general public. Not to mention how much harder friend codes can be to remember.

Happy to read there are other options.*breaths intensely

@PlywoodStick It's not semantics in my opinion. It's not a lie or a broken promise by anything I can see. It's an assumption made by readers of an out of context quote that it could never happen but what he said. "There are no friend codes within what we're doing" suggests a present tense summary of what he knew then.

Being realistic, Reggie is probably ticked off that they happened because he knew the potential backlash. It's not like it was his decision as the matching and online functionality needs to be a worldwide decision for the most part.

Anyway, I have criticisms with areas Reggie probably does have control over and is messing up, like NES mini estimates and others (Wii U marketing in NA), but the guy isn't calling the shots on the deeper things. He's more a messenger and marketer. I always imagine his game face he had to put on when Nintendo started showing him Metroid Prime Federation Force and Blast Ball.

@aaronsullivan Not as bad as the Amiibo Festival face..... At least FF had some merit....

Don't worry guys, Nintendo has changed. 🙃

@BinaryFragger Yup. Reggie was transformed into Nintendo's greasy corporate pimp. I don't trust anything he says, I no longer value anything he labels his personal opinion because chances are good it's not and I really just never want him to speak publicly again. He just vomits corporate b.s. It's offensive.

@jimi I prefer 867-5309

@rjejr will get that one.

Well, I think IGN or wherever it was reported this in such a way that it really did seem like a bigger issue.

@impurekind IGN in a nutshell.

...I was about to be furious. Thank goodness it's not the only way.

What a failure. It would have been fine if it was possible to search for User IDs but this is just plain stupid.

Hey I've got a strange theory, maybe the friend codes are a temporary thing until they get the online service up and running. It was just not too long ago Reggie said no to friend codes on Switch, and the Wii U let you search by username. Either someone messed up at HQ or they'll change it later.

@impurekind This doesn't surprise me.

@Bolt90 agreed, honestly if this the worst problem with the switch, things are going well.

I, for the life of me, do not understand this. The Wii U actually took a step forward with this, so why are we going backwards?

That's disappointing. Defintely a step back from the Wii U's system of being able to add friends by their Nintendo Account ID. The other options of adding people are appreciated though. Hopefully the friend codes are phased out in a future update and replaced with Switch/Nintendo IDs.

@impurekind Are you trying to tell me IGN hyperbolically exaggerated negative news about Nintendo. No. I refuse to believe it. Lalalalalalala I can't hear you!!

@MoonKnight7 Maybe they'll add NAID lookup on the smartphone app which can then be used by the console. We don't yet know what the app does. I still say the numbers are easier than trying to type the darned emoji for "startled happy cat with music notes"

@BLP_Software R U making fun of my age again?

I stayed out of this thread, just watching you battle w/ everyone else in here was wearing me out, no need to get involved.

@rjejr I gave up being the middleground. No room for logic is there. And I wasnt making fun of ya. You know I respect your age. Its just that we have jokes young ones wont get

Seems like mandatory friend code usage is just temporary.

http://nintendoeverything.com/adding-friends-on-switch-to-be-expanded-in-the-future-social-media-nnid-in-game-interface/

“Several methods can be used to add friends as quickly and easily as possible: · By linking Nintendo Switch to your Nintendo Account, your friends from Miitomo and Super Mario Run will appear as friend candidates so you can easily send them a friend request. Also, we are planning it so that friends from social networking services will be listed as candidates, too.

In the future, you will be able to send a friend request to friends associated with your NNID (Wii U/Miiverse) and Nintendo 3DS.

In some games you will be able to use an in-game interface to send friend requests.

You can send friend requests to those who have played with you recently.

You can establish a friend through local wireless communication.

You can also send a friend request by using a friend code.”

@BLP_Software Well, I wouldn't be able to be friends w/ anyone who didn't know that phone number, regardless of their age.

@rjejr If a game has a phone you must at least try it.

@Wolfgabe "This is the internet here where people only read like the headline or the first few sentences of an article and immediately rush to conclusions"

And get incensed by sarcasm/banter that went completely over their heads...

Personally I don't care enough to get mad, but the people who keep saying "it is one of many options, stop whining" just don't get the point. The point isn't that you can do other things. You shouldn't be able to use friend codes, as a better system (NNID/USERID/Nickname anyone?) should've replaced it. The other options are mediocre as well. None of my friends would ever set foot in Super Mario Run/Miitomo. They aren't close enough for adding each other locally either.

Friend codes are bad, and should've been laid off. Either way, I'll add my friends via those pesky codes, and be done with it.

@BLP_Software I'm pretty sure that's Jenny's friend code. Now its stuck in my head.

@BLP_Software If you ever get around to playing it, and use some way of being able to apply patches, I recommend the Level Zero mod. That might sound like a crazy difficulty mod, but it's actually a really good rebalance mod, it just removes level grinding (not that it was necessary to begin with...) Makes equipment and techs much more important, though.

@PlywoodStick I really need to try CT soon this year. Ill do it regularly first then try patches. A lot of "great games" ive never played oddly.

@MrHero I want an account called Jenny with that code dammit.

I just want a Daisy profile picture.

This sounds simple enough, as it's just one request and only goes one way like a phone number. You can just make a Facebook post with your friend code and get people to add you then accept any requests you want. It's better than both parties requiring it like on the 3DS, and WAY better than every game having a unique friend code that had to be verified both ways on the old DS.

Well thinking of the 3ds and how much the Switch is portable etc. Seems like it would be rather safer out on the streets ? Nintendo is still a Parent Company after all. As long as we have options ~

@Moon "But didn't Reggie say..."

😂😂😂 Oh, good sir. Come have a seat, let me get you up to speed on Reggie.

Perception is reality. Perception shapes the narrative. Never forget this as we all monitor the Switch going forward.

New to Nintendo, but I have heard the dread "friend code". Just to make sure I understand, so they have a code each person has to give out in order to play with someone? If that's how his works, it's the stupidest system ever

@BLP_Software The point I was trying to make, which seemingly a majority here are, is that it's so incredibly arbitrary for Nintendo to throw away a system that worked well and came as a relief to many. If your theory is correct and Nintendo is wanted to start from square one, which could be correct for all we know (I'm not trying to shut down the discussion), and ape some of the features of their more popular consoles like the Wii and the DS, it would just be asinine on Nintendo's part to include a deprecated system that was panned across the board. The friend code system was not what made those systems great and commercially successful. 😛

Obviously, this is not the only way to add people to your friend's list and Nintendo adding the option to add friends from social media accounts is a welcome improvement, it's just another move from Nintendo that shows a certain amount of willing ignorance in the realm of online gaming.

It's going to be interesting to see how this pans out for the Switch in the long term regardless.