Developer documents and the entire software development kit for the Nintendo Switch were leaked, and if they are real, hint that two major features could be coming soon to the hybrid console.
The Nintendo Switch is doing very well, with various executives claiming that it might do even better than the Nintendo Wii, the company's best-selling console of all time. The hybrid console still comes with glaring weaknesses though, which may be partly solved by the two highly requested features that could soon come to the Nintendo Switch.
Two Major Features Coming To The Nintendo Switch?
The first major feature that is coming soon to the Nintendo Switch, according to the leaked documents and SDK, is save data transfers.
"In the future, we plan to provide a feature to transfer account save data among multiple consoles," the document stated.
Last month, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé said that the company is still figuring out a file management system that will "make sense" for both Nintendo and its customers. Fils-Aimé expressed concern that a cloud save feature could open up the Nintendo Switch to piracy.
With the possibility of a cloud save feature for the Nintendo Switch looking bleak, and the current inability to transfer save data among consoles, players are exposed to the risk of losing their save files forever if their console is lost or damaged. It is good to know that Nintendo is at least taking a look at allowing gamers to transfer save data between different Nintendo Switch units, so players can back up their save files within the consoles of their friends. The feature will also allow players to continue their game on another Nintendo Switch console, for whatever reason.
Meanwhile, the second major feature is Guest Login.
"We are considering a feature in the future (tentative name: Guest Login) to access existing network service account information without linking to a user account," the document stated.
With a Guest Login feature, players will be able to temporarily log in to their Nintendo accounts on a friend's Nintendo Switch and use their own data on the console. Players borrowing a Nintendo Switch will also no longer have to create accounts that they may not access again in a while.
The Future Of The Nintendo Switch
The legitimacy of the documents remains up in the air, but if they are true, they will provide functionality that will further improve the playing experience on the Nintendo Switch.
The bigger question surrounding the future of the Nintendo Switch, however, is not the features that could be coming soon to the hybrid console, but rather whether Nintendo will soon be able to solve the massive supply shortage.
Nintendo recently apologized for the supply shortage that gamers have experienced since the Nintendo Switch was launched globally earlier in the year. The company also pushed back against allegations that Nintendo was limiting supply on purpose to artificially drive up the demand for the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo said that it will be ramping up production of the Nintendo Switch, heading into the holiday shopping season when the hybrid console is expected to be one of the hottest gift items.
