If you thought Nintendo couldn’t get greedier, you were wrong. Nintendo now makes its very own Discord-like chat app exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, which will require you to use an Online (NSO) membership. It’s not just that the app will be tied to the C button, so unless you own an online (NSO) membership, you won’t even be able to use it.
Nintendo Switch 2
There is a silver lining, though if you can even call it that, with the GameChat having a free period that will last up until March 31, 2026. But what happens when you don’t want to pay for a yearly subscription on top of your high-end gaming device and nearly $90 games? Well, nothing apparently, so now you don’t even get access to all the systems your device has, in addition to not owning your games, thank you Nintendo!
If it doesn’t sound too bad, not being able to use one button that many people probably won’t have too much use for, the vice president of player and product experience Bill Trinen came out and said that the C button is “part of the overall platform experience” and that “NSO really is a critical piece of the Nintendo Switch 2 experience.”
So, unless you are willing to pay more to fully unlock all the features on your $449.99 device or maybe more with Trump’s tariffs, you won’t have the full experience.
Is It Worth It?
So just leave it to Nintendo to want players to pay additional fees for what is basically Discord. But let’s not get carried away we still don’t exactly know all the ins and outs of GameChat. Not just that, but Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) membership will also have other benefits like access to old GameCube games and free upgrades to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
