The Nintendo Switch has been around for more than five years now and yet, many of us still make the same old mistakes. No, not licking the cartridges (although, you really shouldn't do that either), just simple errors that can easily be remedied.
With more than 100 million sales accumulated worldwide, that's potentially a lot of people that aren't getting the most out of their games machine. Things that could help save you money, generally make playing the Switch that bit easier or remove a minor frustration that you have to deal with on a daily basis.
So to help right some wrongs, we've put together a list of several common mistakes that everyone makes with their Nintendo Switch. Whether you picked up a Switch at launch, opted for a Switch Lite or upgraded to a Nintendo Switch OLED, these five tips apply to all and will hopefully help create for a better overall experience.
Just playing Nintendo games
A large reason Nintendo has survived in the games market for almost 50 years is because of its software. That Nintendo magic is truly something else, impossible to recreate. The Nintendo Switch is no different. Whether it be Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or more recent hits like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, there is a stellar library of titles ready to be played.
That said, the Nintendo Switch is still home to many other wonderful experiences – namely, in its indie department. The list is endless but these are a few of my personal recommendations: Cuphead, Hades, Snake Pass, One Step From Eden, Golf Story, OlliOlli World, Untitled Goose Game. A special shout out to Flipping Death too, an underrated 2D adventure game from Zoink Games that boasts terrific writing.
Not taking advantage of Bluetooth
Nintendo quietly rolled out Bluetooth audio support in an update for the Switch earlier this year, five years after the console launched. You can now pair Bluetooth headphones to the device by heading to the System Settings menu, Bluetooth Audio and finally Pair Device. While only one Bluetooth audio device can be connected at one time (microphones are not supported either), it's still a big improvement from what was there before, so should be taken advantage of.
Buying from the Nintendo eShop
Look, I get it. The Nintendo eShop offers convenience. What it doesn't typically offer is good prices unless a major sale is on. Unlike every other games developer on the market, Nintendo believes its products shouldn't drop in value whether that's one year after release or five years. As a result, that can lead to many Nintendo games actually increasing in price. Any GameCube lovers out there I'm sure share my pain.
That's why it's always good to look for the latest Nintendo Switch deals online. Lots of retailers like Amazon (opens in new tab), ShopTo (opens in new tab) and Very (opens in new tab) often decent offerings that will get you two Switch games for the price of one. Similarly, local shops will more likely cut down the price than online stores (especially in the UK), when trying to get rid of stock. From a quick Google search, I've already found Super Mario 3D Worlds for £20 / $20 cheaper than the eShop. Well worth spending some time on.
Not getting the most out of battery life
Depending on what game you are playing, the Nintendo Switch offers a battery life of at its best around nine hours and at its worst a measly four and half hours, according to Nintendo. That means you have to put the device on charge often, which in itself can be quite annoying. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to improve its battery life, such as lowering the screen brightness, turning on Flight Mode or disabling HD rumble. Better yet, you can extend the Nintendo Switch's battery life.
Paying for DLC separately
Earlier this year, Nintendo unexpectedly revealed that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would be receiving more courses – an astonishing 48 remastered courses from throughout its history, in fact! While it's available for the very respectable price of $24.99 / £24.99, the tracks are included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, giving you access to a collection of NES, SNES, N64 and SEGA Mega Drive / Genesis titles.
Alongside this, you also get the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC. Suddenly the subscription service went from passable to well worth it, thanks to these inclusions. Nintendo is likely to keep this trend going forward to keep users subscribed to the service, so it makes perfect sense if you're a fan of either to take up the offer instead of buying each separately.
On top of all this, there's also the plethora of updates that many people are simply not aware of. For one, the Nintendo Switch recently received a cool, new update that it should have got at launch.
