10 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know Your Nintendo Switch Could Do
Whether you’re new to the world of Nintendo Switch or a seasoned player, there are some incredible features and secrets that this versatile console has to offer. Despite being on the market for over half a decade, the Nintendo Switch continues to surprise and delight users with its hidden gems. In this article, we’ll uncover ten amazing things you probably didn’t know your Nintendo Switch could do.
1. Reveal the Hidden Message inside the Pro Controller
Unlocking the Hidden Potential: Amazing Features of Your Nintendo Switch
Have you ever used a Nintendo Switch Pro controller without realizing that it’s been trying to share a secret message with you all along? The Pro Controller has a well-concealed message printed on the inside. To see it, simply hold down the right joystick, angle it under the light, and squint a bit. You’ll discover the message “THX2 AllGAMEFANS” etched inside the controller. A hidden Easter egg for dedicated fans!
2. Create a Secret File to Save
Unleashing the Power: Discover the Incredible Capabilities of Your Nintendo Switch
Many Nintendo Switch games limit users to one save file per game, which can be frustrating. However, there’s a clever workaround: create another user for yourself. This is especially handy when you want to try a different approach in games like Pokémon Sword without starting an entirely new game. Note that this trick won’t work for games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which restrict users to one island per console.
3. Use International e-Shops
Unlocking the Hidden Potential: Amazing Features of Your Nintendo Switch
Dealing with regional locks can be frustrating, especially when a game you desire is unavailable in your region. Fortunately, the Nintendo Switch provides a solution. By adjusting your console’s region settings, you can access e-shops from different regions, including Japan, America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. This opens up a world of international gaming opportunities.
4. Customize Airplane Mode
Unleashing the Power: Discover the Incredible Capabilities of Your Nintendo Switch
Ever wanted to use your Nintendo Switch’s wireless controllers while in Airplane mode? You can! After activating Airplane mode, open it again, go to Controller Connection (Bluetooth), and enable Bluetooth communication. This tweak also lets you use WiFi and Amiibo while in Flight Mode, making your gaming experience even more convenient.
5. Combine Screens with Other Nintendo Switch Consoles
The Nintendo Switch is perfect for multiplayer gaming. Beyond the well-known Joy-Con controllers, the console screen itself can connect with other Nintendo Switch consoles. Games like Mario Party Superstars allow you to join two screens, creating a unique and immersive multiplayer experience.
6. Find Your Lost Joy-Cons
Unlock Hidden Features: Amazing Things Your Nintendo Switch Can Do
The small size of Joy-Con controllers makes them prone to disappearing between couch cushions. Fortunately, you can locate them easily. Your Nintendo Switch settings allow you to make your Joy-Cons vibrate, guiding you to their hiding spot and reuniting you with your beloved controllers.
7. Play Funny Sounds
Level Up Your Gaming Experience: Discover Surprising Nintendo Switch Features
Unlocking your Nintendo Switch requires pressing the same button three times. Instead of mashing A, try pressing other buttons. Each button press plays a different comical sound, adding a fun twist to your gaming experience. For some laughs, press the ZR button and push down on the left joystick.
8. Turn on the TV from the Comfort of Your Couch
Unveiling Hidden Features: Amazing Things Your Nintendo Switch Can Do
Don’t want to leave your comfortable spot to turn on the TV? No worries. You can turn on your TV with the Nintendo Switch. Just press the Home button on the controller, and you won’t need to lift a finger.
9. Adjust Settings to Save Battery Life
Ignite Your Gaming Experience: Mind-Blowing Secrets of the Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch’s handheld mode relies on its internal battery, which typically lasts four to five hours, depending on the game. To extend your gaming time, optimize your console’s settings and take good care of your battery.
10. Turn Your Joy-Con into a Lightsaber
Unlocking Hidden Features: Amazing Things Your Nintendo Switch Can Do
Unleashing the Power: Little-Known Features of Your Nintendo Switch
The small tab at the bottom of the right Joy-Con is actually an IR sensor. While not many games use it, there are some hidden gems on the eShop that transform your Joy-Con into a night vision camera or even a lightsaber for epic battles with friends, courtesy of Nintendo LABO.
Discover the full potential of your Nintendo Switch by exploring these hidden features and secrets. It’s not just a gaming console; it’s a treasure trove of surprises waiting to be uncovered.
FAQs
1. How can I access international e-shops on my Nintendo Switch? To access international e-shops, go to System in your Switch Settings, select Region, choose your desired region, agree to the terms, and restart the console.
2. Can I use my Nintendo Switch’s wireless controllers in Airplane mode? Yes, you can. After activating Airplane mode, open it again, go to Controller Connection (Bluetooth), and enable Bluetooth communication.
3. What’s the purpose of the IR sensor on the Joy-Con? The IR sensor on the Joy-Con can be used for specific games, such as a night vision camera or a lightsaber in select titles available on the eShop.
4. How can I make my Nintendo Switch battery last longer in handheld mode? To extend your battery life, adjust your console’s settings and ensure proper battery care.
5. How do I reveal the hidden message inside the Pro Controller? Hold down the right joystick, angle it under the light, and squint a bit to read the message “THX2 AllGAMEFANS” printed on the inside of the Pro Controller.
10 amazing things you didn’t know your Nintendo Switch could do
Whether you’re new to Nintendo Switch or a seasoned Switch player, here are some great Switch features for you to enjoy.
Close-up of a Nintendo Switch on a bed of leaves
The Nintendo Switch is an incredibly unique console that took the gaming world by storm when it was released in 2017. But what if we told you that even though the Nintendo Switch has been on the market for over half a decade, it still has many secrets that many Switch owners don’t even know about yet?
From secret messages to hoots, the Switch is full of Easter eggs that only the most dedicated Nintendo fans will know about. So if you want to uncover all the hidden secrets of the Switch, keep reading.
- Reveal the hidden message inside the Pro Controller
How many times have you used a Nintendo Switch Pro controller and not realized it was trying to tell you a secret message the whole time? No, you didn’t read that wrong. The Pro Controller has a secret message located under the right joystick.
The message is printed on the controller PCB. And since the controller has a transparent case, if you hold down the right joystick and look at the right angle, the message will be revealed.
The message is indeed very secret and therefore quite difficult to see. But with the help of a flashlight and a little squinting, you can read the “THX2 AllGAMEFANS” message printed on the inside of your Pro Controller.
- Create a secret file to save
Many Switch games only allow one save file per user. This is a problem that plagues many players, but there is an easy way around it that you may not have thought of. You can completely bypass this problem by creating another user for yourself.
If you regretted the starter you chose in Pokémon Sword, but don’t want to start a whole new game, simply create a new user and test another pokemon! Unfortunately, this trick won’t work for games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, where you’re limited to one island on console.
- Use international e-shops
Regional locks are a problem that plagues many Nintendo players. There’s nothing more frustrating than when you really want a game but can’t get it because it’s not available in your region. Region locks have been present in Nintendo products for a long time, but luckily the Switch has a loophole that you can easily exploit to access any region’s eShop.
Simply go to Switch Settings, scroll down to System and select Region. From there, select your region, agree to the terms, and restart the console.
You can choose from the following regions:
Japan
America
Europe
Australia | New Zealand
Hong Kong | Taiwan | South Korea
Your Switch will now have access to the eShop in whatever region you’ve chosen, so you can get your hands on those elusive international titles.
- Customize Airplane mode
Close up of someone playing on Nintendo switch in handheld mode
If you’ve seen a Nintendo Switch commercial where an actor gleefully plays his Switch in tabletop mode on an airplane, you might have been tempted to do the same. You may also have experienced the same confusion as many others when the system informed you that you cannot use the wireless controllers when the Switch is in Airplane mode.
However, there is a way to adjust the Airplane mode settings so you can still use the wireless controllers on the plane. To do this, after activating it, open Airplane mode again, select Controller connection (Bluetooth) and enable Bluetooth communication. You can also use this method to enable the use of WiFi and Amiibo when your Switch is in Flight Mode.
- Combine screens with other Nintendo Switch consoles
The Nintendo Switch is perfectly suited for multiplayer gaming, making it one of the most versatile consoles to use with friends. We all know about the multiplayer flexibility of the Joy-Cons, but the console screen itself is also designed to connect with others.
Games like Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo Store) allow you to modularly connect two Switch screens to increase the overall size of the screen you’re working with. Watching your character seamlessly transition from one Switch screen to another is a very unique experience and worth checking out if you ever play with friends.
- Find your lost joy-cons
The Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are on the small side. In fact, they are the perfect size to slip between the couch cushions and into the abyss. If this ever happens to you, there is an easy way to find missing Nintendo Switch drivers from your system settings.
This handy tip will make your Joy-Cons vibrate so you can track sounds right to them and reconnect with your beloved Switch controllers.
- Play Funny Sounds
When you unlock the Nintendo Switch, the system requires you to press the same button three times. While it’s tempting to mash A three times, we strongly recommend that you fiddle with some additional buttons to unlock the console.
Each button you press plays a different comical sound and some of them are sure to make you laugh. If you’re going to try this trick for yourself, remember to press the ZR button and push down on the left joystick.
- Turn on the TV from the comfort of your couch
A simple shot of a black Nintendo Switch on a white background
When you sit down to start your gaming session, you’re probably ready to relax. So when you get comfortable and then realize you haven’t turned on the TV yet, don’t get up! You can actually turn on the TV with the Nintendo Switch, so you don’t have to move a muscle – other than pressing the Home button on the controller. - Adjust your settings to save battery life
One of the main issues gamers face with a handheld console is battery life. Unlike a home console that is constantly powered by outlets in your home, the Nintendo Switch relies on an internal battery.
The Nintendo Switch has an approximate battery life of around four to five hours depending on the demands of the game you are playing. If that’s not enough for you, you can extend the battery life of your Nintendo Switch by simply changing a few settings and taking care of your battery.
- Turn your Joy-Con into a lightsaber
Have you ever noticed the little tab at the bottom of the right Joy-Con and wondered what it is? This is actually an IR sensor. And while there aren’t many games that use this feature, it’s pretty universal.
The IR sensor seems to be a completely forgotten feature of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. But there are a few games on the eShop that use it. The IR sensor can become a night vision camera (Nintendo Store) or even a lightsaber, so you can engage in epic battles with a friend using Nintendo LABO.
