Imagine you're playing a game online. You're convinced to chat with your team while playing games. Reluctantly, you plug in your headset. You have to go into a side menu, and open the chat service to your console. You start asking if people can hear you, and they cannot. Maybe your headset doesn't work. So you get a different headset, and that works, but your service is set to chat with only friends. Now you have to go back, and change the setting, and change your output, and change all the things. Then, maybe it works, and maybe you didn't switch it over to, or from, game chat. Maybe there are too many options for someone to yell "I need healing." Discord is supposed to be easier than all this, but don't get me started on that.
Now, imagine you have a dedicated chat button. You push it. You can create a chat, or choose from an already created chat list. You choose. And you're in. You choose the people you want to talk to, whether it's your Nintendo already approved friends, or your in game chat. No headsets. No headphones. Nothing. The chat just works. This is what the Nintendo Switch 2 Gamechat is all about. Nothing fancy. It just works. Even for up to 12 people, if you have that many friends.
It works, and you can even see the screen. It works, because even using the accessibility options, you get captions. You can use a camera (sold separately) to see the other person talking, if you so choose. You can also see someone's screen, at a very terrible frame rate, but you still do it. Discord has one up on this feature, but I digress.
Yes, it's locked behind a paywall starting later this year, but aren't you paying for online services on every other console besides PC? People may choose discord, if they want to set up another account, with another login, and have to find someone's user name, but for me, Nintendo Gamechat doesn't deserve the hate it gets. When this Animal Crossing update gets to everyone, you'll see how cool it really is.
Beyond that, if a game has in game chat, like Fortnite, you can still use the chat free of charge, just as you play the game free of charge. Still with no headphones, or extra accessories. The in-console mic adjusts based on your surroundings, and filters out unwanted noise. You would know more if you didn't use that same hate to say "I'm not paying $10 for a welcome tour!"
You can even share certain games via game chat, even if the person, or people (up to 4) don't have the game! If you all have a Nintendo Switch 2, it just works, seamlessly.
If you don't believe me, look up the details here, or you can watch the video below of us talking trash while playing Super Smash Brothers Ultimate with Gamechat, and playing Fortnite, via in game chat, without any additional hardware. Stop all the fussing.
