While the Nintendo Switch launch is being considered a success, the hybrid console is far from being perfect. The device comes with certain flaws, including dropping frame rates, weak battery performance, and dead pixels on the screen.
One of the criticisms that the Nintendo Switch has received is that it requires players to save their data into the hybrid console itself, with no way to upload the save data to the cloud to be able to continue their games on other Nintendo Switch units or to recover the save data in case something goes wrong.
Fortunately, there are a couple of clues that have been left for gamers to still have hope that cloud saves will soon be coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch Cloud Save System Already In Place?
The first clue that cloud saves will soon be coming to the Nintendo Switch can be found in the thread that redditor Patsuann started in the official sub-Reddit of the hybrid console.
According to Patsuann, upon the return of the Nintendo Switch that was sent back to Nintendo for repairs, booting up the hybrid console revealed that none of the previous game saves in the device were present.
The correct account was still saved in the Nintendo Switch, but none of the saves. However, upon launching The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a small cloud icon appeared next to the game's title. A download prompt was then displayed by the Nintendo Switch, and after the download was completed, all of the previous save data in the device was restored.
The process that Patsuann was able to document showed that there might already be a cloud save system in place for the Nintendo Switch, but only Nintendo currently has access to it. Being able to download an update that restored the save data in Patsuann's Nintendo Switch goes against past statement that the save data of games is stored only in the system memory of the hybrid console, not in a microSD card or on the cloud.
Patsuann edited the opening post of the thread to note that Nintendo's customer support said in an e-mail that they will be sending a new unit back, which is possible due to the hybrid console being returned in a new box. However, while the Nintendo Switch that was sent back was a new one, it does not change the fact that the save data was apparently downloaded to be returned into the device.
Nintendo President Hints At Nintendo Switch Cloud Saves
The second clue for Nintendo Switch cloud saves comes from an interview by tech reporter Katie Linendoll featuring Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime.
When the topic of cloud saves was brought up, Fils-Aime said that it would be great to have such a feature on the Nintendo Switch, and that gamers should "stay tuned."
While this statement is not an outright announcement of cloud saves coming to the Nintendo Switch, it does mean that the feature is at the very least being discussed within the company.
Given the apparent cloud save feature discovered by Patsuann and Fils-Aime's hint, gamers are free to hope that cloud saves will soon be coming to the Nintendo Switch.
