According to Eurogamer.net, Nintendo has issued updates for its entire Switch family including original models, Lite, OLED, and the newer Switch 2. The main feature adds small software symbol icons on the home menu that differentiate physical cartridge games with colored symbols from digital software with blue symbols. Additionally, Switch to Switch 2 transfers now offer options to disable downloading software and album transfers. The updates include various other tweaks and fixes to improve the overall Switch experience, while Nintendo separately announced a Direct focused on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
About Time, Nintendo
Look, this is one of those features that feels like it should have been there from day one. I mean, we’re talking about a basic piece of information that every other modern gaming platform handles transparently. The fact that it took Nintendo this long to implement something as simple as “is this game on a cartridge or downloaded?” is honestly kind of wild.
Here’s the thing though – this small change actually matters more than it might seem. For people with large game libraries, especially those who mix physical and digital purchases, this eliminates that moment of confusion when you’re trying to figure out if you need to hunt down a cartridge or if you can just launch directly. It’s a quality-of-life improvement that reduces friction, and those small moments add up over time.
Smarter Transfers
The transfer control additions are arguably even more useful. Being able to disable automatic software downloads and album transfers when moving between consoles? That’s huge. Anyone who’s ever done a system transfer knows the pain of waiting for everything to redownload automatically, whether you actually want it or not.
But here’s my question – why did it take the Switch 2 generation to get this level of control? These are the kinds of thoughtful features that show Nintendo is finally paying attention to how people actually use their consoles in the real world. It’s not just about the games anymore – it’s about the entire ecosystem experience.
The Nintendo Way
This update pattern is classic Nintendo. They often lag behind on what seem like obvious features, then implement them in a way that feels perfectly integrated when they finally arrive. There’s a certain method to their madness – they don’t just throw features at the wall to see what sticks.
Still, you have to wonder what other basic quality-of-life improvements are still missing. The Switch interface has always been… minimalist, to put it politely. Little updates like this show they’re listening, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement in making the overall user experience as polished as the games themselves.
