By: Ryan Ramakrishnan
Applications
While talking about the applications the Switch is lacking but would benefit from an inclusion of could make another list, I still find them to be important in discussion of the features the Switch’s system updates need the most. YouTube and Hulu are on my Switch right now and I like the convenience yet they are just not enough.
Nintendo needs to add more applications to the Switch and soon. By now, I believe we should be able to download and use streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Video or HBO Now, probably Netflix more than anything else. The system could also benefit from music services like Spotify or Pandora. I think that the system is doing well as a game console first but should have more popular and desired applications as well, something Nintendo needs to incorporate in a future update.
Browser
While there aren’t many of us who’d use the internet browser on home consoles when we likely have our phones or laptops by our side, the idea of its existence is nevertheless nice. With that being said, the Switch may be the best console for it; I think it is time for Nintendo to finally give players one.
With the relatively recent addition of YouTube, the Switch finally allows us to watch videos on the platform; however, closing games to use the app is less than convenient when you wish for a quick walkthrough or tip, or even music. I think a browser would be welcomed on the Switch, one that can be used in between game suspension, allowing you to search for what you need and then return back to the game in an instant without the need for a separate device.
eShop
One of Nintendo’s finest moves in its wide array of them thus far with the Switch is the undying support and push for indie games of all sorts. While many of these are instant successes upon launch, some even making a splash they never could on other platforms, it is hard to deny the lack of care the publisher has for store organization.
Currently, you can find games by simply searching them or by narrowing genres down. Otherwise, it is looking at the best sellers, most recent releases or those on sale. These categories however aren’t as smooth for surfing for a game worth your time. Nintendo unfortunately allows just about anything hit its digital storefront and as a result, it is nearly impossible to separate the good from the bad thanks to the incredibly large amount of games on the eShop.
I believe Switch players who love downloading titles from the store would all love some structure to it. If the eShop was to be updated to have better organization and search features and better highlights of noteworthy titles that actually promote them after release, I firmly believe gamers would get their hands on better games quicker. This is an important change that Nintendo needs to incorporate to the eShop, using the rivals in the PlayStation and Xbox digital stores as inspiration.
Folders
One of the most satisfying things for many of us is visual organization. I know I personally love putting things into folders; it is seeing items categorized together, cleanly separated from one another that leads to an odd satisfaction. Nintendo should take note.
It is however also just as ideal for the Switch to finally get folders for its games and applications for those with so much downloaded. If you are anything like me, you are buying a lot of games, whether to store them in your backlog for a later date, because of a sale or because of the buzz around them at the time of launch. I also decidedly have them all archived so I can see the icons still. I believe Nintendo should add folders to the console in the next system update so gamers can finally have a clean organization of the many icons on their console.
Themes
With simple black and white options for the Switch’s interface, the console’s visuals on the home menu aren’t anything to go crazy about. They are plain but relatively sleek, though ultimately more bland than desired. Look at the innumerable amount of themes you can find on the PlayStation Store alone for the PS4. It is time Nintendo finally gives us some variety too.
The Switch’s user interface would look very nice with dynamic and static themes alike. At the best, Nintendo would benefit from giving us choices of fun, game-specific themes to use at our liking. The system giving players multiple colors outside of black and white would be almost as ideal as well. It wouldn’t hurt to use variations of red, blue and green as a change, just to give a little more flare to the simple interface’s appearance.
Those are the aspects of the Switch I believe Nintendo needs to improve on. There system updates will always fix bugs and performance issues and may include some new profile icons but features like themes and folders seem elementary in comparison to what Nitnendo’s closest competitors are doing with user interface. But what do you think? Would you like a cleaner organization to the eShop and the system’s interface? What improvements do you wish for Nintendo to implement that I missed? Let me know all of your thoughts in the comments below.
Browser
While there aren’t many of us who’d use the internet browser on home consoles when we likely have our phones or laptops by our side, the idea of its existence is nevertheless nice. With that being said, the Switch may be the best console for it; I think it is time for Nintendo to finally give players one.
With the relatively recent addition of YouTube, the Switch finally allows us to watch videos on the platform; however, closing games to use the app is less than convenient when you wish for a quick walkthrough or tip, or even music. I think a browser would be welcomed on the Switch, one that can be used in between game suspension, allowing you to search for what you need and then return back to the game in an instant without the need for a separate device.
eShop
One of Nintendo’s finest moves in its wide array of them thus far with the Switch is the undying support and push for indie games of all sorts. While many of these are instant successes upon launch, some even making a splash they never could on other platforms, it is hard to deny the lack of care the publisher has for store organization.
Currently, you can find games by simply searching them or by narrowing genres down. Otherwise, it is looking at the best sellers, most recent releases or those on sale. These categories however aren’t as smooth for surfing for a game worth your time. Nintendo unfortunately allows just about anything hit its digital storefront and as a result, it is nearly impossible to separate the good from the bad thanks to the incredibly large amount of games on the eShop.
I believe Switch players who love downloading titles from the store would all love some structure to it. If the eShop was to be updated to have better organization and search features and better highlights of noteworthy titles that actually promote them after release, I firmly believe gamers would get their hands on better games quicker. This is an important change that Nintendo needs to incorporate to the eShop, using the rivals in the PlayStation and Xbox digital stores as inspiration.
Folders
One of the most satisfying things for many of us is visual organization. I know I personally love putting things into folders; it is seeing items categorized together, cleanly separated from one another that leads to an odd satisfaction. Nintendo should take note.
It is however also just as ideal for the Switch to finally get folders for its games and applications for those with so much downloaded. If you are anything like me, you are buying a lot of games, whether to store them in your backlog for a later date, because of a sale or because of the buzz around them at the time of launch. I also decidedly have them all archived so I can see the icons still. I believe Nintendo should add folders to the console in the next system update so gamers can finally have a clean organization of the many icons on their console.
Themes
With simple black and white options for the Switch’s interface, the console’s visuals on the home menu aren’t anything to go crazy about. They are plain but relatively sleek, though ultimately more bland than desired. Look at the innumerable amount of themes you can find on the PlayStation Store alone for the PS4. It is time Nintendo finally gives us some variety too.
The Switch’s user interface would look very nice with dynamic and static themes alike. At the best, Nintendo would benefit from giving us choices of fun, game-specific themes to use at our liking. The system giving players multiple colors outside of black and white would be almost as ideal as well. It wouldn’t hurt to use variations of red, blue and green as a change, just to give a little more flare to the simple interface’s appearance.
Those are the aspects of the Switch I believe Nintendo needs to improve on. There system updates will always fix bugs and performance issues and may include some new profile icons but features like themes and folders seem elementary in comparison to what Nitnendo’s closest competitors are doing with user interface. But what do you think? Would you like a cleaner organization to the eShop and the system’s interface? What improvements do you wish for Nintendo to implement that I missed? Let me know all of your thoughts in the comments below.
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