Nintendo Switch Online app goes live

The Nintendo Switch Online app was scheduled to come out on July 21st but the app is now available for download for both iOS and Android Switch users. There isn’t much to see at the moment since the first game it supports, Splatoon 2, is coming out on Friday. When that launches, players will be able to use the app's voice chat feature with a special Splatoon hub. At the moment, though, it seems Nintendo is still working to stabilize the app's servers, which hopefully will help them avoid the fiasco during Pokèmon Go's launch. So don't be surprised if you can't log in yet. But when it does go fully live, you'll just need to sign in with your Nintendo account. 

Source: Polygon 

Nintendo set to launch Switch smartphone app on July 21st

The companion app for Nintendo Switch’s online play is getting its official debut this month. Simply called Nintendo Switch Online, the app will come out in time for the launch of Splatoon 2, which has a special online component within the app. The hub, which is launching on July 21^st, is basically used to communicate with Nintendo switch players online. It can be used primarily to send invites to friends via their Nintendo Account or social media handles as well as facilitate voice chat over mobile’s microphone. As mentioned, Splatoon 2 players will get support for SplatNet2—a special service in the app that will let players track things like play history, gear, and other statistics.

There isn’t any word yet if there will be other features besides those aforementioned. But with the app in its early days, we’re hoping Nintendo makes it into a more complete app and include things like in-app messaging and multiple chat channels. These online features will be free at launch but Nintendo has plans to launch its full-fledged version next year with a year-long membership that costs US$19.99 (around CA$25).

Source: Tech Radar

Nintendo brings Splatoon 2 and Arms tournaments to E3 and here are all the details

Over the course of 2 days, pros and amateurs will compete for glory in the Splatoon 2 and ARMS games on the Nintendo Switch console at this year's E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles on June 13 and June 14. 

“The 2017 Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational will be held on Tuesday, June 13 at approximately 2:30 pm (PT). For the first time ever, competitors from four different global regions will compete for world dominance in Splatoon 2. The four four-person teams – “Deadbeat” from the United States, “Dynameu” from Japan, “Rising Moon” from Europe and “Blue Ringed Octolings” from Australia/New Zealand – defeated their rivals in local tournaments that occurred in recent months.

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Game saves on Nintendo Switch can’t be transferred between systems

One of the downsides of the new Nintendo Switch console is that your game saves stay on one system. In the era of cloud saving, this seems to be a major disadvantage. Nintendo posted on its FAQ saying that saves will be stored exclusively to the console’s built-in 32GB storage, which is unlike the Switch’s predecessor that somehow let users transfer and backup save data. So, if you’re determined to finish Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Switch, you can only do so in the system you started playing the game.

But things could change in the future, Nintendo released a statement to Kotaku saying, “At this time, it is not possible to transfer save data from one Nintendo Switch system to another.” We’ll be holding out for that “at this time” statement and hope Nintendo changes its mind in the future.