Nintendo has posted two new job listings for its Kyoto-based headquarters, both of which are searching for new talent to work on the user interface and menus of its gaming platforms.
While having similar responsibilities, the two jobs on offer are for a 'director/planner' and an engineer. Both roles are designed to assist the development of the built-in software on Nintendo's consoles, with the Switch's Home menu, Settings page, Profile page, Album, and News pages all specifically mentioned as examples of the type of work that will be carried out.
Nintendo says that - as this part of the system is seen and used by all customers - the on-screen interface must be "intuitive". While the director role asks for someone who is passionate about Nintendo as a company, the engineer role is open to those from any background and isn't limited to candidates who have worked on game systems in the past. Having said that, a decent chunk of relevant experience is still required.
Of course, it's possible that these roles are simply to replace staff who may have left, or even just to support the current staff with their work, but it could also hint at the beginnings of a new vision for the console's operating system. For those unhappy with the Switch's current layout, and especially those hoping for more home menu features or a smarter eShop design, this could be very good news indeed. With more staff working away at the console's more basic features, perhaps we'll soon see a bit of a revamp?
Would you like to see some changes in the Switch's menus? Do you have any ideas that would make things more user-friendly? Share your thoughts with us down below.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 42
Would be nice if Switch U/I have some nice design like on 3DS.
Applicant must have a stable and understanding personality.
What worries me is that they're hiring for this now. Should've hired for it before launch, sometime after, basically not a year and a half after release.
OMG! We are going to get some... UI stability!!!
Is it necessary for the Switch to show all games you own physically? Surely, the cartridge that is present is enough.
@Folkloner
I was thinking the same thing.
The only thing this tells me is pretty much that a interface overhaul is not happening any time soon.
Would be nice to have a more detailed play activity. A place where you can see all games played and sort by duration etc. As it is you only get to see your own last 10 played games which is fine when seeing what friends are playing, I think the user should be able to see more of their own stats.
Id like to see the "Mii Maker" be dug out of Settings and onto the home screen somehow.
The Ability to pin games to the front of the games list.
Add the Ability to search for updates for all games at once as Ive had to search all my games one by one for updates manually (Not sure why, I have auto updates on)
Just a few things I can think of, not to mention the obvious eShop revamp etc.
@19Robb92 Likewise. If anything, i feel completely ambivalent about this news as on the one hand i'm happy to 'know' an overhaul is in the works, but on the hand, amazed and disappointed that it seemingly [a] hasn't started yet, or [b] has stalled and they felt they needed help.
The other possibility is that the reason they're hiring for such specific roles is because their plans for the overhaul have grown more ambitious than they once were.
Not that i hold out much hope of the latter given this is Nintendo we are talking about.
Don't care about themes or anything flashy, I just want to be able to organise my games. Please let me put all of the ACA NEOGEO games into one folder!
If they're just looking to hiring a harsh person who tells them to NOT add dumb stuff like floating 3D objects in the background, or functionality that slows the interface down, I'd love that job!
More likely it's for some of the new stuff they're adding.
@Folkloner exaxtly what I was thinking.
I’d love to see folders on the Switch - my game collection is expanding a lot quicker than I had planned, and I now have to sort through too many icons to find older/less played games. Themes would be nice, too, as would the ability to see the total play time for each game.
These are all things the 3DS can do, so hopefully it wouldn’t be too difficult to implement them on the Switch...
My biggest wish for Switch is for it to be possible to plug a hard drive into the dock and have the ability to easily transfer games between the HDD and the consoles SD. Sick of having to archive games and then fully download them again if I ever wish to play them. Also sick of receiving updates so large I have to archive 1 or more games to make room for the update, only for the file size to be practically the same as it was before.
I don't really understand why this isn't already an option?
Does this mean that there's been no work done yet? They've only just started?
Maybe they’re hiring as a ‘fresh eyes’ look at what they have done before releasing an update
I think it UI is perfectly fine as it is.
I hope, they don't chang too much. I like the simplicity of the Switch's home menu. Your games are taking front row, like it should be.👍
@Folkloner
You don't have to worry because the jobs are not directly for the Switch but for a new system. The Switch will benefit of it too...
Mark my words.
@Anti-Matter I would be nice if 3ds had nice design like the switch. 😉
But they could honestly both learn a lot from each other
I mean, even moving the "View All Games" button to the front rather than all the way to the right would help. As well as letting one sort games alphabetically once there.
Do not change what is already perfect!
Please please let it be. I can understand what Nintendo wanted to do as compared to the Wii U but we need a change...
I was really hoping that a new interface would be something to roll out with Switch Online in September... I guess this kinda kills that idea. Come on, Nintendo...
Hopefully whoever is hired will focus on giving the menu an option to show columns in addition to the default row we get already rather than having to click on view all games. I'd like to Archive games and be able to go to an archive section to see them rather than them stay on my main menu til they fall off. Hopefully they will work on a proper browser too. So much work to do I could go on and on
I’d like a 3ds style. Themes to customise it the way we want. Folders to keep games and stuff in one place and unlimited space on the home screen. Have pages like the Wii/U did if necessary. Just makes it more cleaner and unique.
I really like the Switch UI. It's faster than ALL previous Nintendo OSes, adding unneeded features will only slow it down.
@Moon The current menu is created by the hardware team. Maybe they'll restructure that team to work on the Switch's eventual successor and want a smaller team to handle the Switch OS.
I don't particularly like the OS on the Switch. Well, the HOME menu and the other features inside it. (The eShop is fine, honestly) I think it could be more modern and less "developer tools" esque. Hopefully they can fill these postions and that we get a new design.
It's about time man! The current interface is hella bare bones. Just make themes and a better way to organize games. The eShop and News channel is a whole other beast to update. Maybe sorting in the photos app. The settings app is fine.
If they are only just now hiring, we wont see it anytime soon... And why would they need to hire new people just for that? How hard is it to make a UI when you have people who can make some of the best games on the market? You mean to tell me their current programmers couldn't make a dozen different UI in an afternoon?
But yeah, the Switch OS is painfully overdue for a revamp. When it first came out I thought it was a placeholder, a simple early release version and the "rest" of the features, like folders, personal sorting, an activity log, themes, and the like, would be rolled out over the first year...
Please please don’t ruined it. The OS is a basic but it’s silky smooth. When I’m on my Switch I’m mostly gaming which I’d much rather be doing than waiting for the OS to load thinking about gaming. A few tweaks here and there sure like folders but don’t ruin it!!
No wonder the User Interface is so simple haven't been upgraded with newer firmware... Nintendo has no one to do it!
I’m pretty much fine with how the UI is at the moment. Just would like the eshop to be a tad better. Give a star system for the crap ton of indie games they got. It’s extremely difficult to shuffle through the pile of dog crap to find the gem
The switch interface is great, sophisticated and elegant.
The interface needs a makeover for sure, and come on Nintendo, I know you want the Switch to be all about gaming, but I want Netflix and Crunchyroll pronto! I don`t wanna have to drag my Notebook with me everywhere I go anymore. Speaking of which, the Netflix app should let you download movies or Tv Shows to your Switch to watch offline.
Damnit they don't already have someone working on this? What kind of a multi-billion dollar company is this? I was really hoping they'd roll out a new UI with paid online. At this rate it's gonna be 10 years before we get FOLDERS!!! I swear I'm going to throw my Switch in the trash if we don't get folders soon. Not really... but come one!
I would highly appreciate an overhaul of the switch interface! I think it lacks in design and structure and I also think it’s about time YouTube comes on the switch as well! The store needs a redesign and could be more accessible and appealing as well. Some more personalization options like themes for example are missing as well! But as it is it’s still functional although I think there’s much room for improvement! Maybe the new engineers will bring some new fresh spirit with them and we see some new features added soon - fingers crossed ^^
I think they should add in some UI customization options for those who want it. IMO I'm sure it'll come eventually since plenty have asked for it.
I don't have a Switch yet, but I absolutely love having themes on my 3DS.
What disappoints me is that I thought they have been working on updating it for some time.
So it’s sad to hear they possibly haven’t started yet.
I thought they’d have themes and sounds on the way to buy and for free or to buy with gold coins.
Along with folders
I would like the NSO classic titles to be located in a separate icon on the home screen. An orange bar underneath the list of games similar to how the parental settings are located above the games would be nice.
Almost two years in and they're stil not working on this? Yikes.
All I want is folders.
Tap here to load 42 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...