After a brief outcry over the prices for a Switch 2 upgrade of popular titles, Nintendo has now released a list of free updates.
Fans of the Switch 2 finally get some good news: Some of the most popular Nintendo Switch titles can be upgraded for free and also receive additional functions.
Free Updates!
After fans sadly discovered that they had to pay extra for upgrades to the latest version of the Nintendo Switch, they can now breathe a sigh of relief: some games will receive the update completely free of charge and even more features will be added.
And the selection is truly amazing! You might expect from Nintendo that these are some small third party games, but that's absolutely not the case. What jumps right out at me: Not only are we being given a visual upgrade for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but the performance is apparently being improved as well. But these two are not the only known games:
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Super Mario Odyssey will not only get better textures and HDR support, they will also support the GameShare function. You can find the whole list here.
GameShare? Perhaps You Already Know It
Although you may not have heard of "GameShare", you may be familiar with the Nintendo DS Download Play, a feature that allowed you to play part of the game, mini-games, or the entire game together on two consoles, with only one person owning the game. This function is offered for some games from the very beginning:
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
- Super Mario™ 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- 51 Worldwide Games
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
- Super Mario Odyssey
Just like on the DS back then, you can only receive the games if you are locally close to each other. But the best is yet to come: shared games can also be received on the Switch 1!
Did Nintendo Finally Learn?
As mentioned earlier, the free upgrade of the two Pokémon spin-offs is particularly relevant. This is because the game was notorious for its terrible performance on the original Switch: constant frame drops, clipping of textures and game crashes were very common, especially in the beginning, and brought the question of how outdated the Switch already is back to the forefront. With the high-resolution textures and a more powerful console for better performance, the game is definitely worth giving another try.
The GameShare function, which is compatible with the Switch 1, also gives us a glimmer of hope that Nintendo might still support the Switch 1 for a while. After all, Nintendo's statement that you should simply continue to use the Switch 1 if you can't afford the successor was met with anger by many gamers (and some even called for a boycott!).
What do you think? Do you think this is a good sign from Nintendo, or is the console still not worth it for you?