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Nintendo Switch - New Owners Guide

Mr E

So you have a Nintendo Switch - congratulations! You have one of the best, most versatile consoles on the market today. Some tips for new owners:

1. Set Up in Advance: If Santa is bringing it for your kids, it's worth unboxing it, setting it up and updating the firmware to v4.1.0. The initial release was v1.0.0 in March, so a lot has changed/improved since then. Don't worry about putting everything back in the box afterwards - it's a well designed box and everything will fit back in without any fuss.

2. Charge it! As above, plug in the console while you're setting it up to give it some charge.

3. Essential Accessories: If you have smallies, a screen protector is a good idea (but arguably not essential - I don't have one and my 10 year old nephew and 8 year old niece play on it regularly). I do recommend a case though. There is a good variety out there (including Argos, Smyths and Gamestop if you want to pick one up before Monday)

4. Multiple Users: One of the Switch's best features is that it's a multi-user system. This means that you can set up separate accounts for all your family who want to play it. When you run a game, you're asked what account you want to use. Every account has it's own save games, so as long as they stick to their own account, there is no danger that they can mess up your own save games on your account.

5. Non-Essential Add-Ons: The Switch can be a bit of a bottomless pit for add-ons (pro-controller, spare docks, extra joy-cons, SD cards, charging grip etc.) - despite that, it will be FINE with what comes in the box. You can add more to it later. Remember that it is one of the few consoles that comes with two controllers!

6. eShop Tip 1: You want to buy digital games but you're worried about leaving your credit card details in the eShop? Don't be - there is a checkbox when making a purchase that says "Save Details" - if you don't want to save your credit card details, just don't click it.

7. eShop Tip 2: The Switch is region free. The advantage of that is that game prices can vary WILDLY from region to region. For example, Enter The Gungeon is €14.99 here, but it's €5.04 in the Russian eShop. It's worth bookmarking this site - it will save you an absolute FORTUNE if you like buying mainly digital games. How to change region? Try this... (Worth noting that if you have credit on your main eshop account and you change region on that, you will LOSE the credit that was there before you changed). As such, it's recommended that you have a separate account (or more than one) for other regions. Keep an eye on the South African eShop, the Russian eShop and the Norwegian eShop in particular. Note: Buying from South American countries (like Argentina) is currently impossible. Read here for more info: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/moving-out-nintendo-switch-eshop-argentina-3472870

8. Extra Dock Warning: Third party docks seem to be troublesome (with reports of them breaking Switches in some situations). Do some research before buying one.

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jarvis

Can I ask?

I have made an Irish and a Canadian Nintendo account. I want to buy Fifa 19 on the Canadian profile so I have switched to that profile and can view the game in the Canadian eshop.

However when I choose to buy I need to add a Payment method to the account. PayPal tell me it can’t be linked as my PayPal is the wrong region for that store.
When I try add a credit card it looks for a zip code. My actual eircode won’t fit and I can get past that section.

Any ideas how to pay?

Mr E

I haven't bought Canadian credit yet, but I know you won't be able to use your Irish paypal account.
For zipcode, look up a valid zipcode in Canada using Google.

Failing that, try buying some eshop credit online - somewhere like PC Game Supply sells Canadian Credit. Note that I've never bought Canadian credit there, but I've bought US credit without any problems (you will need a US account if you go down that route)

Hope that helps!

jarvis

Thanks for that. I didn’t see your reply but what you suggested is what I did.
I googled gift cards and bought a Canadian gift card which I then added to my profile. In the end i got Fifa 19 for €27. Far better than €39.99

Thanks again.

So is it going to be the way with all eshop from other countries? As in I will need to buy a gift card for that country? Just wondering because you can’t get a €27 gift card and will always need to buy a round $50 for example. Or does any contries accept Irish debit cards?
Sometimes there’s very little difference between the cheapest 3 countries and the difference could be zero when conversion rates are applied so I could stick to a store that accepts Irish cards of one existed and was a usually cheap place.

That’s a bit rambley but hopefully decipherable

tony1980

jarvis wrote: »

Thanks for that. I didn’t see your reply but what you suggested is what I did.
I googled gift cards and bought a Canadian gift card which I then added to my profile. In the end i got Fifa 19 for €27. Far better than €39.99

Thanks again.

So is it going to be the way with all eshop from other countries? As in I will need to buy a gift card for that country? Just wondering because you can’t get a €27 gift card and will always need to buy a round $50 for example. Or does any contries accept Irish debit cards?
Sometimes there’s very little difference between the cheapest 3 countries and the difference could be zero when conversion rates are applied so I could stick to a store that accepts Irish cards of one existed and was a usually cheap place.

That’s a bit rambley but hopefully decipherable

South African store is very cheap and Irish Cards work there or better again, use a Revolut card.

MAJJ

Mr E wrote: »

Bumping this thread (especially for the Switch consoles from the guy in the red suit!)

See point 1 in the first post above. Some games (like Starlink for example) have chunky downloads before you can play...

Mr E
Thank you so much, found this thread a while back and perfect timing. This was really clear and helpful, you're a star and a thanks click wasn't enough. Hope you're having a great Christmas.

heathersonline

My son got splatoon 2 from the big man to go with his new switch but he says he can’t play the game without a subscription. Is that the case? How would I go about picking one up? Sorry all brand new to me!!

Tom Mann Centuria

heathersonline wrote: »

My son got splatoon 2 from the big man to go with his new switch but he says he can’t play the game without a subscription. Is that the case? How would I go about picking one up? Sorry all brand new to me!!

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/

20 euro for the year if its just him playing online, 35 if there is going to be multiple people wanting to play online in your house too. You get a load of free classic games to play too, included in the price.

jarvis

heathersonline wrote: »

My son got splatoon 2 from the big man to go with his new switch but he says he can’t play the game without a subscription. Is that the case? How would I go about picking one up? Sorry all brand new to me!!

I was disappointed in this. Splatoon 2 is quite expensive and my daughter couldn’t even play it without the online subscription. This should be made clear pre purchase. There’s a free 7 day online sub for you to try before subscribing

heathersonline

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/

20 euro for the year if its just him playing online, 35 if there is going to be multiple people wanting to play online in your house too. You get a load of free classic games to play too, included in the price.

Great thanks for that. Slightly disappointing but at least he might get a couple of games out if it and get him away from Fortnite!

CastorTroy

You can play single player without the sub. It's just the multiplayer that needs it, as far as I know

chrislad

jarvis wrote: »

I was disappointed in this. Splatoon 2 is quite expensive and my daughter couldn’t even play it without the online subscription. This should be made clear pre purchase. There’s a free 7 day online sub for you to try before subscribing

I do believe it says it on the back of the box, but it may not, as this game came out before the Online Service, but Nintendo always said it was coming, and it was just free until they sorted things out.

rdavey14

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/

20 euro for the year if its just him playing online, 35 if there is going to be multiple people wanting to play online in your house too. You get a load of free classic games to play too, included in the price.

If you buy games using accounts with different regions, do you need to get the family membership or can you play them all with your main account?

Mr E

Play them all with the main account.

lucas1980

I am thinking of buying the switch, I am confused of how the online Nintendo UK & Ireland account works, I created an account, it is showing me prices in £, it shows "Nintendo Official UK Store", is there a "Nintendo Official Ireland Store"?. Will I have to buy all games online in £ not €? Looks more like "Nintendo UK & Not Ireland". Did I do something wrong when creating the account at nintendo.co.uk?

Mr E

If your "Country/Region of Residence" on this screen is Ireland, then your prices will be in Euro.

https://accounts.nintendo.com/

never_mind

I see that the Switch is still available on Smyth's online but have heard that there is an international shortage?

siblers

Is this compatible with Switch?

SanDisk Ultra 80MBs Micro SD Memory Card - 128GB

https://m.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4131164/Trail/searchtext%3EMicro+sd+card.htm

Thanks

Mr E

Absolutely.

Doodah7

Received this from Amazon yesterday and I can confirm that it works splendidly as a travel/replacement/second Dock for a Nintendo Switch.

I used the power supply that came with my Switch and everything works fine. Might be handy for those who like to travel and use their Switch in hotel rooms etc.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086X3B7CX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

brady12

Two questions . Is the 2019 Version much better cos I might buy second hand & should I buy a more ‘ console ‘ like controller like the pro one ?

[Deleted User]

brady12 wrote: »

Two questions . Is the 2019 Version much better cos I might buy second hand & should I buy a more ‘ console ‘ like controller like the pro one ?

the battery life is better by a fair bit if you're going to be playing handheld on the go away or from a power adapter. in some games it can even be double the old model (bigger increase in more demanding games like Zelada BOTW)

https://wccftech.com/new-nintendo-switch-battery-tested/

if you're going to be playing a lot in docked mode and / or two player games an extra controller would be advisable

the pro controller is the best option but if you do some research there can be other options that are cheaper that might be good enough

brady12

Should I make do with a ps4 or ps5 controllers instead buying a pro controller ? Considering be nearly all on the go I be playing it .

[Deleted User]

brady12 wrote: »

Should I make do with a ps4 or ps5 controllers instead buying a pro controller ? Considering be nearly all on the go I be playing it .

you can do that - use ps4 controller

you do need to buy a wireless adapter dongle but it's not a big outlay

https://www.amazon.co.uk/8Bitdo-Wireless-Bluetooth-Raspberry-Nintendo/dp/B0786JC6VW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=38TK58W50D1BS&dchild=1&keywords=switch+wireless+adapter&qid=1604771161&sprefix=switch+wireless+ad%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-3

how to

https://www.imore.com/how-use-ps4-dualshock-controller-your-nintendo-switch

Uncle Pierre

Complete newbie to this sort of thing here. And I'm going back to questions from more than a year ago about how Splatoon 2 needs an online subscription to get the best out of the game.

The young lad here (just turned 7) got a Switch for his birthday in early December and Splatoon 2 has just landed today as a late Christmas present from his cousins. We haven't allowed him any online play yet, until we try figure out how it works. And friend requests are blocked, after he got three of them from God only knows who in the first few days he had the Switch.

If we shell out for online play in Splatoon 2, what level of interaction is there between players (if any)? i.e. can players swap messages, etc., or is it just a case of seeing somebody else running around too, but not knowing who they are or where they might be?

Do they have to be "friends" to play, or does the game just hook you up with whoever else happens to be online at that time? Basically, the more anonymous, the better.......

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Rhyme

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Splatoon 2 Online Play

It's been a while but my memory of online play in Splatoon 2 was zero interactions with other people. Level loads, you play, level ends, rinse and repeat.

I'd wait until you hear from people from more recent experience though. I tend to shy away from chatting online too much so maybe I unconsciously guided myself away from such things at the time.

madmoe

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Complete newbie to this sort of thing here. And I'm going back to questions from more than a year ago about how Splatoon 2 needs an online subscription to get the best out of the game.

The young lad here (just turned 7) got a Switch for his birthday in early December and Splatoon 2 has just landed today as a late Christmas present from his cousins. We haven't allowed him any online play yet, until we try figure out how it works. And friend requests are blocked, after he got three of them from God only knows who in the first few days he had the Switch.

If we shell out for online play in Splatoon 2, what level of interaction is there between players (if any)? i.e. can players swap messages, etc., or is it just a case of seeing somebody else running around too, but not knowing who they are or where they might be?

Do they have to be "friends" to play, or does the game just hook you up with whoever else happens to be online at that time? Basically, the more anonymous, the better.......

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I got really really into that game when it came out and loved it. I had not played the first one. Anyhow, very very little interaction with people outside the main online game, he will be fine. He does not need any friends to have a great time in the game as it will automatically match you up with other players, completely random each time. Any questions feel free to ask.

Cheers,
M

Uncle Pierre

Big thanks, madmoe. Will see about setting it up over the weekend.

Asherthehasher

Can anyone help with a master code for switch.

My daughter has put a parental code on her Nintendo Switch, for the life of me I don’t know how.

Myself and my husband have checked and neither of our emails are linked to her switch.

As we don’t know the pin it is asking for a master key and is giving a query/ file number.

I have contacted Nintendo 2weeks ago and have not received a reply to my mail.

Any help would be amazing.
TIA

madmoe

Asherthehasher wrote: »

Can anyone help with a master code for switch.

My daughter has put a parental code on her Nintendo Switch, for the life of me I don’t know how.

Myself and my husband have checked and neither of our emails are linked to her switch.

As we don’t know the pin it is asking for a master key and is giving a query/ file number.

I have contacted Nintendo 2weeks ago and have not received a reply to my mail.

Any help would be amazing.
TIA

Can you log into the Nintendo account she created using her email address? I had to reset my Switch as I was selling it and when I tried to log back into it again with my Nintendo account it asked me for a code. The code was in my Nintendo account when I logged in on the web.

Cheers,
M

Tom Mann Centuria

Asherthehasher wrote: »

Can anyone help with a master code for switch.

My daughter has put a parental code on her Nintendo Switch, for the life of me I don’t know how.

Myself and my husband have checked and neither of our emails are linked to her switch.

As we don’t know the pin it is asking for a master key and is giving a query/ file number.

I have contacted Nintendo 2weeks ago and have not received a reply to my mail.

Any help would be amazing.
TIA

Have you followed the steps to get the inquiry number?

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Contact/Parental-Controls-Forgotten-PIN-and-Master-Key-Enquiries/Parental-Controls-Forgotten-PIN-and-Master-Key-Enquiries-1106596.html

https://thedroidguy.com/forget-nintendo-switch-parental-control-pin-1143565

I'd definitely try and email them again with the inquiry number once you have it, or call them. Was it definitely Nintendo UK you contacted? Their email is

Customer-support@nintendo.co.uk

Or Phone:

+44 (0)345 60 50 247 (Calls charged at National Rate)

Phone opening hours:

Monday to Friday from 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm

Best of luck anyway.