Nintendo Switch Update 20.0.0: Patch Details

Nintendo just dropped this new update for the Switch, and it’s kinda wild. We’re talking about version 20.0.0, if anyone’s counting. Honestly, I wasn’t, but here we are. It’s got these updates like Virtual Game Card and GameShare. Hold on—let’s dig into this, or try to, at least.

So, Virtual Game Cards. Picture this: all your digital games and stuff, now basically like, virtual cards you don’t have to actually touch. It’s like having your cake and eating it too. Not sure why that saying exists, but I digress. You can swap ‘em between two Switch consoles. Sounds handy? Maybe. Also, if you’ve got a “Nintendo Account family group,” you can lend these virtual cards. Sharing is caring.

GameShare, though? This is where things get interesting. If you’ve scored a Switch 2—lucky you—you can share games locally with other systems nearby. But here’s the kicker: it’s gotta be local wireless. None of this over-the-internet fancy stuff. Makes me think of playing Mario Kart in the same room and everyone’s cheating except me. Or maybe I’m the one cheating, who knows?

User-Verification Settings are a thing now too. Secure your games with a PIN or something, because, apparently, sneaky siblings are real. Got nothing else on that, except maybe set a PIN you’ll actually remember.

Oh, and Online License Settings? You can play your downloaded games connected to the internet without having those virtual game cards loaded. Pretty neat, but always feels like there’s a catch with these things, right?

The eShop and news icons? They’ve had a makeover. Why? No idea—someone probably thought it was a good idea during a lunch break. And you can transfer multiple save data at once now. Finally, right?

System Transfer to the new Switch 2 is also a thing. You’ve got options—go local, or upload your data to a server if you can’t wait. But wait—don’t do this unless you’re definitely moving to Switch 2 soon, because it wipes your old system. It’s like moving houses but burning down the old one because, why not?

Some user icons are different now too—people like refreshing things, I guess. If you’re curious about all the nitty-gritty details of the Switch 2, it seems you gotta head to Nintendo’s website. Secrets, secrets.

And here’s a bit of a shift: they’re ditching “Primary Console” for something called “Pass-enabled console.” Suppose it’s all about sharing subscriptions across users. Figured they’d throw in something new like that.

Anyway, there it is. A not-so-polished look at the new update. Not sure if we needed all this, but hey, technology, right?