We still don't have Netflix on the Nintendo Switch, but now we're one step closer to being able to use it as a viewing platform as well as a game one, because Twitch just launched on the Nintendo Switch eShop.
The streaming platform is already on other consoles, like the PS4, PS5, and all the various Xboxes, but now the Switch is joining in, over four years after launch.
Here's the eShop description:
"Watch livestream gaming videos, Esports and any IRL broadcast on your Nintendo Switch device!
Sports are here. Tune into your favorites: basketball, baseball, soccer, football, swimming, wrestling, hockey, pool, and much more through talk shows, league channels, Fantasy, and ESports."
And a warning:
"Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which contributes to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see http://priv-policy.imrworldwide.com/priv/mobile/us/en/optout.html for more information"
The app is a 31 MB download. Also, it doesn't look like you can use chat, or view chat, unless you're not actually watching the stream, and you can't stream games from the Switch, either. While watching a stream, the only options are to pause, hide the UI, or close the stream.
There's an option to authorise your account to use chat on your mobile phone while you watch, though.
The stream quality seems okay, although we had a few issues where it would jump back a couple of seconds and replay it, and it seems to auto-adjust the quality, too.
Here's what it looks like to use:
And shortly afterwards, it crashed:
Well. Maybe the Switch is not the best place to watch Twitch just yet, then.
Which streamers will you be watching on Switch Twitch? Let us know in the comments.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 72
Time to give 'em the ol' Twitch and Switch!
It would be cool if the Switch app could allow native streaming like Playstation does, but I'm sure it doesn't.
Finally. Now can we get Netflix, Prime and Disney+ ?
Oh boy, more ways to get toxicity on my switch!
So now you can watch folk play games instead of playing them yourself.
(joke folks)
Vinesauce on switch is the only part of this that matters
Oh, yaaay! Since Twitch isn't even on Roku, the only way I could comfortably watch from my TV was to screen-share it from my phone, which could be very choppy. This is great, but we still really need a Netflix app as well as other streaming services.
Downloading this immediately so I can watch DeeBeeGeek's Twilight Princess stream. He's an awesome Irish content creator who's a lapsed Nintendo fan, going back and catching up on the 20+ years of Nintendo games he missed out on while he was playing Sega and PlayStation. Super wholesome guy with a great personality. Go sub to him now.
That’s one less streaming platform that needs to be harassed. Just need to harass HBO Max, Paramount Plus, Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
Nintendo Twitch
@mariomaster96 *Nintendo Stwitch.
ftfy
A Surprising Released, but a Welcome one for sure
Finally it's here!
Appreciate I'm in the minority, but watching other people play games at length doesn't interest me. If I'm going to watch something for more than 5 minutes I'd prefer a film or an episode of something. Will be very interested if the likes of Disney+, Prime or Netflix make their way to the Switch.
Wait what? Finally....
I had my hopes you could stream your Switch games. Well, I will stick to the PC
I mean...I...kinda have Apple TV, rather just watch everything on there and use my switch for, well...you know...games.
It's really cool, because my Galaxy Note 9 screen is not standart while it's 6,4 inches it screen for watching ends up smaller then Switch's 6,2 inches, so yeah and not mention OLED is 7 inches, so.
I do not think we are ever going to get Netflix. When Netflix leaked the Zelda animated series, that ended the relationship with Netflix and Nintendo, I am happy with Hulu, one movie and TV streaming service is good for me. We will probably get porn hub, before we ever get netflix.
Never understood the appeal of Twitch, but more streaming options can't be a bad thing
I’ll watch streams on the Retro channel, just the oldies for me. And sometimes the food channel if someone’s cooking up something tasty
I guess it's better than nothing. I'm not surprised that you can't stream games from it though; the Switch can barely run a lot of games as it is without devoting extra memory to an app in the process. I often wish Nintendo would give their "innovation" a rest for a while and make a system that can actually compete on a technical level with the competition.
@JokerCK you know what, I’m just realizing Nintendo will probably never allow Netflix on Switch because Netflix will soon be a gaming competitor via streaming
Awesome, and just in time for tonight's new episode of Critical Role!
Bob Ross for Nintendo Switch!!!
@Not_Soos Yep got into watching him when he started playing BOTW...great accent, full of beans and the sayings he comes out with reminds me of my mates in Tipperary...probably the only things I'd watch would be him and Limmy.
@ItsOKToBeOK I could have sworn that ages ago while Reggie was still at Nintendo that he said it wasn't up to them, it was up to Netflix to release the app - unless I imagined it. Who knows...BBC iPlayer came out on the Wii U.
@Funneefox
Not the first time Vinesauce has been on Switch.
"SPONGYVINE" when playing Bloodstained Ritual of the Night.
"DEDICATION" when playing Marble It Up.
Fun little Vinesauce skins.
Can we stop mentioning Netflix?
Seriously.
Does that mean we can start getting the Streaming events Twitch does? Like when you need to connect a game to it, That would be great as I missed so much stuff do to that.
Now enable us to stream our games on the Switch!
All the tv-related Twitch apps I've seen in the past are pretty bad with horrible lag and no way to chat, but it's still nice to have a way to watch Twitch on a big screen. If you are using handheld, probably easier to just watch Twitch on your phone.
I tend to watch YouTube on Switch when I'm in hotels so glad they are generally adding more things like that.
should of done live chat like Youtube app does it have the chat show on screen while watching
So Amazon spend a lot of money to put a limited Twitch onto the Nintendo Switch, but still hasn't bothered to put their flagship Prime service on there (even though they support just about everything under the sun, including the Wii U).
@Pod Netflix is kind of like the themes/folders complaints. It has been widely requested since near day 1 on Switch. Plus Netflix is available on almost every major device including playstation/xbox and was even on older Nintendo consoles so it is honestly odd it is not on Switch.
@JohnnyC That's perfectly normal and probably what streamers do lol.
Without chat functionality I'll stick with the PS4 and mobile apps. Mobile browsers no longer seem to work with Twitch, unfortunately.
@Joeynator3000 Whoops. Big mistake on Nintendo's part. Joey has other ways of watching Twitch, so may as well delete this from the eShop.
@YusseiWarrior3000 , it was a joke, meaning just how far Nintendo would go before letting Netflix come to switch, you know how stubborn they can be on somethings.
Holy crap this is an ugly mess of a way to use twitch. I haven't had any delay or disconnect issues from what I tried.
Well at least I have another way to watch the 24/7 Simpsons and other show/movie channels I suppose.
Netflix is getting into gaming so it makes sense for them not supporting Switch. Anyways I heard that Netflix gaming offering isn't really cloud gaming, Netflix just use their app as the middle man for playing mobile games as you still had to download them from the Google Play store. More info here:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/02/netflix-games-are-coming-to-all-members-on-android-starting-this-week/
Long story short, all games for Netflix are basically just free to play games from the Google Play Store which you could already play without Netflix so it's really up to you if you want the Netflix name attached to the games you play.
@FishyS
It's obviously a choice that it isn't allowed on there though, and it's not like it's the only streaming service around anymore.
So can we at least also mention Disney+ and HBO when we mention Netflix?
Um meh... 😕I'm actually just fine having it solely as a games console.
@CharlieGirl It definitely doesn’t seem like it. Honestly, I don’t think the switch has the processing power to make that work seamlessly.
Not gonna get much use out of this without the option to stream from the app, but I understand why that's probably out of the realm of possibility
You can't stream from the Switch? A shame. It's a hard pass then.
@Pod a few people did ask for Prime, Disney, and HBO also; Netflix just happens to be the largest service and one that was on Nintendo before so it is brought up more often as a placeholder. I think everyone would agree all the biggest streaming services should be on Switch. Disney+ especially would make a lot of sense since the Disney-related Hulu service is already on Switch as well as various Disney games.
That being said, YouTube and Twitch have a lot of Nintendo content and Pokemon TV obviously makes sense.. right now Hulu and Funimation are the only outliers on Switch-- for whatever reason they have 2 medium sized streaming services but not most of the largest.
Hm not for me. I don't install youtube on Switch either. What exactly is the point?
Doesnt seem to work with all channels. Got an "This channel is not playable on this device at this time" for one of my favorite streamers. I wonder what the streamer has to (or can) change to fix this.
@not_soos Oh hey, another DeeBeeGeek fan! I started watching him when he played Breath of the Wild, and it’s been great to follow his journey playing modern Nintendo games for the first time. Also, he’s one of the most positive and non-toxic Twitch streamers I’ve found.
@Moroboshi876 it's for watching streams it was never meant for streaming games on the system, lol
Kinda surprising that Twitch has come to the Switch before something like Netflix or Disney+. I guess it is more gaming-related though.
The app isn't as good as on other devices, you can only have either a chat or a video stream open at one time and it seems a bit janky, in docked mode at least. It must be somehow pushing the Switch to its limits.
@Paddle1 It's likely janky because, similar to Pokemon TV and unlike YouTube, the app opens up the Switch browser which opens up a site, rather than Twitch actually being integrated into the app
You can actually access said site here: http://switch.tv.twitch.tv
@tee-cup Ah that's interesting. It did seem like it was opening something in a browser.
Always good to see more apps come to Switch. I'd really like HBO Max on there.
@CodyMKW Yes, I can read. I'm just saying it sucks.
@FishyS Personally, I would NOT agree that the streaming services should be on Switch. I also don't particularly want Excel or Google Docs on my Switch. The services simply aren't game related.
That said, I understand why some users want streaming services. But, I'm not going to also pretend I don't understand why Nintendo DOESN'T want them on there.
It's all time and battery power away from gaming. Nintendo make their living primarily from selling videogames. The more people think specifically of games whenever they see or hold their Switch, the better for Nintendo.
Because of this, I'm fully assuming that Nintendo are strong-arming all services to pay Nintendo for being on Switch. Afterall, they are the ones that stand to benefit from being on there. Nintendo wins next to nothing. So when the big players, being HBO, Prime, Disney+ and Netflix, all think of themselves as highly lucrative services, and aren't willing to pay Nintendo? Well then they aren't allowed to the party.
So what's the point of having it on the Switch if you can't stream yourself? It could have allowed for seamless streaming of Switch games without the need for extra hardware (like a capture device), so people really dropped the ball on this one.
@AstroTheGamosian
The point is that people like watching Twitch though.
It's not like you can utilize YouTube live on Switch either.
But I know what you mean. Streaming directly from the Switch would feel very luxurious. That is a LOT of bandwidth and battery power that would be consumed at the same time as you're running a game, however, so I don't think it could happen even if Nintendo wanted to offer the option.
Awesome, a version of twitch that doesn't allow streaming, although it never could due to the consoles inadequate processing power.
@Pod Absolutely no way switch can stream and run games, sadly.
@YANDMAN
If a game was designed ground-up for streaming now, it would be possible.
Or, if Nintendo had secretly been fencing off about 30% of the chipset's power up until this moment, only to facilitate streaming four and a half years into the system's life, then all games could do it!
But that would've been pretty silly.
Okay the only problem I have with twitch is their ads and the frequency of them to be honest. I wish they had that prime perk that gets rid of the twitch ads still but instead I have to block it with my firewall because of stupid amazon. However for some reason the ads do not get blocked with this port of twitch which is a huge shame. It does get blocked with fire tv stick version and it even supports keyboard and mouse and chat as well while the switch does not. Use that one instead if you use pihole or a firewall type of adblocker until this gets fixed.
@Pod Plausible reasoning; I wonder if it's true. We all know Nintendo makes clear decisions sometimes and other times..less so.
Nintendo does make a ton of money off of people watching streams on Twitch and YouTube and then buying games so it does make some sense it has those on Switch.
As for powerpoint, video streaming and gaming are the only 2 things I want on my tv while relaxing on my couch personally. pre-Switch I didn't own a Roku because everything I needed was on a Nintendo device, but now I have to go back and forth and so am 'farther away' from gaming in some sense. So staying on-brand may be Nintendo's thought process, but it has some negatives. Similarly if I only have luggage space for one device on an airplane I am sometimes more likely to bring something I can watch a movie on even though I would really prefer to be able to game also. Of course the opposite also holds and if someone brings Switch instead of a different device they have 'no choice' but to game.
It would be interesting to know if Nintendo actually did a study of whether having non-gaming apps on their devices affects the amount of overall gaming done (or affects hardware sales..if I had burnt out my Switch watching Netflix I definitely would have bought another XD)
@FishyS
I'm fairly sure Nintendo has raw numbers on how much time people spent watching Netflix on Wii and Wii U, instead of playing games. And numbers on how well the other services they allowed on there translated to interest in their games.
@Pod It's silly that it's so underpowered full stop. I love it, but I just cannot wait for a revision.
@YANDMAN
I'm inclined to believe Nintendo won't do a more powerful chipset until they have an entirely new idea for a system in the first place. Furukawa said just the other day that "Switch is here to stay" and I'm going to assume that means Switch at its current power level. ^_^;;
@Pod They absolutely 100% will, they have to if they wish to survive. The fact they have said it is here to stay immediately tells you this will happen. In its current iteration the switch can survive for another year absolute tops, developers have rung its neck far beyond its purpose already and it will eventually begin to lose support from third party's. The only reason the oled exists is due to chip shortages making a new revision impossible and now the oled too is falling to the same fate. A system that was already two years out of date at launch cannot survive indefinitely and your a fool if you believe it can.
@YANDMAN
I choose to be a fool in this regard.
Mostly because Nintendo historically hasn't given me much of any reason to believe otherwise.
@Pod Well they'll either make one, or break the company, and they're obviously not going to do that.
@YANDMAN
We'll see about all that.
As I said, I do believe a stronger system will arrive.
But not until it isn't as such a "Nintendo Switch" anymore.
@Pod Nintendo said the switch is here to stay, there is your answer.
@YANDMAN
And yours as well.
@Pod Stop being dim.
@YANDMAN
I could say the same to you.
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