The Nintendo Switch Online app has positives, like Splatnet 2, but it's fair to say that the voice chat component has drawn a mixed-to-negative response. It does actually work, but it's a far from optimal scenario and has a number of quirks and drawbacks.
It's arguably an indictment of the functionality that companies are stepping in to offer alternatives that support wireless headsets. As it stands officially licensed accessories deliver a mix of wires, so the UNIOM Wireless Adapter aims to mitigate that with its own solution.
It's a Kickstarter pitch that has failed to truly take off in its earliest days - we'd suggest the somewhat low-key video isn't helping matters. On top of that, we suspect most are using familiar alternatives such as Discord due to limitations with Nintendo's app.
The existence of crowdfunding campaigns like this highlight, along with all of the social media chat and YouTube videos, the rough start for the official Switch app. Improvements are certainly needed.
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments 41
Anything is better than what we have now. I wish these guys luck but I fear they aren't going to hit that goal at all.
Everyone but Nintendo aims to make Switch voice chat easier. They've given companies plenty of scope to improve various aspects, be it the dock, battery life, voice chat, memory storage, etc.
Campaign video has a few red flags... proceed with caution.
Not at that price tho.
Can you group up in the nso app, minimalise it and then talk using skype? Or do you have to keep the app open to group up to?
They really didn't make it look any easier....
Nintendo's solution in this is frankly rubbish and that's far more polite then it deserves. Mixed audio requires yet another peripheral (seriously this is by far the most expensive console I've ever bought) but this still won't work when docked. It'll drain my phone battery, I'll be disconnected every 10 minutes as my phone screen turns off, I'll be disconnected every time we change games, I'll be disconnected if I want to use my phone for anything else and I have to jump through hoops to set it up in the first place.
At the moment when playing the likes of Rocket League all I have to do is plug any old headset into the controller in my hand and create a party. We can talk whether in game or not and I can mix the audio how I wish and this has been around for years.
I really do love my Switch but at the moment Nintendo just have a habit of putting very annoying features where they don't belong, whether it be this or those annoying aids in Mario Kart 8 which I constantly have to turn off, oh and Splatoon 2 not having split screen multiplayer despite it being a major selling point of the console
sigh Not really sure what is left to say here other than ... this should most definitely not be necessary at all.
Also, my biggest complain with the app is not voice chat related anymore, but the fact that there seems to be no group queuing/ matchmaking which ... kinda breaks Splatoon multiplayer for me. I kinda had my fair share of playing with randoms against random on the WiiU.
I hadn't even considered that Splatoon could possibly lacking a 'feature' (just calling it a feature makes me almost wanna throw up in my mouth) like that. I can't recall the last time I played a team-based AAA shooter online, which lacked such functionality.
Definitely surreal and ... just ... sigh
At this rate to solve any problem we need external items. Bluetooth headset? Buy a transmitter. Wanna play GTA? Buy a streaming app. Having issues with the dock? Buy a separate dock adapter. Want less hassle with voice chat? Buy this. Seriously Nintendo? Then what are you giving us?
I just don't understand how Nintendo can be this ignorant about the whole situation.
Got my splatoon 2 today, really disappointed that I can't go online with my freinds and co ordinate a turf war with voice chat.!
@carlos82 ironic how for so many years Nintendo has refused online multiplayer and now suddenly they're refusing local multiplayer. Would it have been that hard? Or even two players sharing a console online like with Arms? >.>
@ImagineerNik they can't be ignorant. They consciously chose to do voice chat in a way that's more complicated just to be different. They have to had known what they were doing. >.>
@ShadJV Exactly, one of the main reasons I bought the Switch was for local multiplayer to play with my stepson, yet a game which is based upon multiplayer doesn't support it? Its a good job Mario Kart 8 is so good
It'd be swell if Nintendo actually explained themselves. It's aggravating to see them do things and for them to not explain their reasons.
That video does not really explain anything.
Watched the vid. Still not sure how it works as they never show any actual object actually working. Vid was like a soliloquy for a plan from a James Bond villain, just waiting to be foiled.
Nintendo messed up very, very, very bad on this voice chat matter. I'll just use Skype, Whatsapp or whatever the friends - that I don't have on Switch yet - decide to use. I won't be doing this monkey business Nintendo came up with.
@Drommajin nuff said
Why are you giving a platform to these scammers. They have no product, they claim it requires a custom OS which they don't have and they require $100k. On top of all of that they are saying they can go from no prototype to full commercial product by November 2017. You would have to be a special level of dense to give them your money. Just download Discord join a nice Switch group, problem solved
@NickOfTime90
What the heck is DeNA working on then. I thought they were supposed to helping Nintendo with online and mobile apps.
It seems like DeNA aren't really doing anything to improve Nintendo's situation.
Hey Nintendo. Take a look at this comment section (and pretty much every single other one about this issue) and make some changes.
I acknowledge the need for drastic measures, but this kickstarter isn't it. They don't even show anything working and they want $100,000.
"We're already hard at work on the prototypes..."
Yeah, so like, they don't even have working prototypes yet which is why the tech details in the video are limited to whiteboard drawings. I think I'm just gonna pass, this one will never materialize.
I can't honestly see anyone bothering with that insanely convoluted user-unfriendly setup Nintendo has going on. It's so complicated and haphazardly implemented its not even funny anymore.
no thanks i'm good
I would like to have an headset with two bluetooth connections on it.
Then a bluetooth transmitter on the Switch.
So we can have one BT to phone, other to Switch.
Nintendo is doing everything in their power to remain as hands off as possible. It's unfortunately, pathetic
@onery
Not only did you point out that the campaign had red flags, but you told us what those red flags are! Your detailed comment has saved us all.
@MyLegGuy thanks for the sarcasm... but fair point. I dropped that comment after a cursory view of the video and feeling that it just didn't sit right with me. Had I taken the time to properly sit down and write out my thoughts on the video (after several rewatches), perhaps I would've been able to come up with reasons for my disquiet. I did want to put my concern out in some form, but at the time I was occupied with something else that took away my attentions and I didn't have a whole lot of time to revisit this topic until now.
That said, other commenters have pinpointed issues that match with my concerns so to drop a correction or clarification to my comment would be to repeat what has already been said.
Nintendo is quickly squandering all the good-will and positive press they garnered since launch with this terrible voice-chat implementation.
I tried to watch the video but my IPad randomly played a song from my music app. Good thing I was wearing headphones.
Just buy the optional $80 ARMS cord recoil unit. Wrap and retract your wires with ease.
Never do a kickstarter with that dreadful Ukulele plinky plonky background music . . .
@onery what kind of red flags, all of this is completely doable with today's technology at a relatively cheap price too (although their price will probably be kinda high).
@Moon https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unum/uniom-wireless-adapter-for-nintendo-switch/posts/1942917 this is the creator's response. Now I've never made a business but this guy sounds like he actually wants to constantly produce these, so it sort of makes sense for the goal to be expensive I guess.
Even the PS2 had better voice chat than this...
Essentially what i just do now with my Steelseries Siberia 840 ....
Instead of the hori solution...you could just do something for free that some people can do immediately, without a dumb application. If you are like me and you have your computer and monitor right next to your switch (though I don't have one, tested with Wii U), you can plug in your switch into any monitor/TV that has an audio output. Then take a common 3.5mm male to male audio cord and plug it into your computer's in-line input near the back motherboard. Your audio is now available through your computer, though you might need to enable it in Control Panel>Sound>Recording for Windows 10 users. Finally, use Skype or Discord and mix your audio as you wish.
Then you only have 1 extra cable. Another solution is to get an HDMI splitter and then an HDMI input to RCA output converter (or one with an audio out), then convert the rest to 3.5 mm and plug it in.
OR, if you want to be cheap, you can make your own HORI solution by connecting a 10k resistor to each audio output (switch audio and voice chat audio), combine them together, and then plug your headset into the end of that connection. However, this would look messy, require you to have the correct audio connectors, and would still use the dumb app.
Fix it with fire, I personally havent tried it but the video i watched on it claimed voice chat cannot even be used in team mode so whats the point of even bothering to make it somewhat better?
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