By Reinier Macatangay
Figuring out how voice chat will work on the upcoming Switch console is not simple at the moment. Nintendo fans are trying to interpret what Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aimé meant when he talked to Wired about a global app.
Fils-Aimé explained, “The bigger vision is that we are going to provide an overall online service, subscription-based, that not only will capture the multiplayer opportunity, but also the voice chat capability that we’re going to provide through a global app.”
“Instead of having some sort of bulky gamer headset, you’ll be able to do it right off your smartphone, put in your earbuds that you use for your standard mobile device. We think that’s a pretty sweet solution. That’s part of the overall opportunity that we see in a subscription service.”
Some people wonder if that means the Switch has no voice chat function within the console itself.
Paul Tassi of Forbes seems to confirm the importance of the global app to online Switch interaction.
He wrote, “This seems to line up with comments made to other Forbes writers about how the online service is heavily focused on the global app as a primary vehicle, not a secondary component, though I have reached out to Nintendo again to ask the question outright.”
“Can you group with other players or voice chat without the mobile app? All indications appear to be no.”
Later on in the article, Tassi asks the question of how the game sounds and voice chat are heard at the same time using headphones. The use of Bluetooth is one possibility. He then aso pointed out how the smartphone’s battery needs to be drained in order to play online Switch games. Is it a small price to pay?
Still, there are Nintendo backers who do not believe the voice chat will be tied down to the smartphone.
On the Switch Reddit, there is a thread titled “PSA: There are MULTIPLE headset available for pre-order. Chat should NOT be exclusive to your phone. Says right in description: ‘Plug in your headset to your system.’”
According to one user in the thread, “I was under the impression that you can use chat through the headphone jack on the console (tablet) in portable mode, but the phone method was for when the tablet was docked.”
Another person wrote, “My prediction is portable mode has the headphone and chat support inside and for tablet and dock it will have headphone and chat via phone.”
In today’s world, nearly everyone able to afford a Switch does own a smartphone, so maybe it will not be so bad. Right now though, the entire situation is confusing.
Perhaps Nintendo will clear up these questions soon.
from Nerd Reactor
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