(Credit: Will Greenwald)
The Switch 2 release date is a little over a month away, but Nintendo is using the latest update to the original Switch to lay the groundwork for you to move to the next-gen console.
Original Switch devices, including the OLED and Lite editions, will receive version 20.0.0 of the software on April 29. It includes a few big new features and some smaller changes.
The most significant change is the introduction of Virtual Game Cards. These allow you to share digitally downloaded games with a friend so they can try them out. If you share a game, the other person gets 14 days with the title to play it.
You can't play the game during that time, much like a real cartridge. At the end of the two weeks, the game will be automatically returned to you if your friend hasn't already sent it back.
Another new feature is GameShare, which won’t work until the Switch 2's release. This allows you to share games in person from a Switch 2 to other consoles, including the first-gen devices. For example, you can share Super Mario Party Jamboree with a friend in person to play across both consoles, but the Switch 2 needs to be the console to initiate the sharing.
If you’re buying a Switch 2, the most useful feature is a new option within the software called System Transfer to Nintendo Switch 2, which lets you transfer your account and history to the new platform.
Nintendo’s guide notes that those who want to sell their original console before receiving a Switch 2 can upload the system transfer data to a server so it can be used later. If you want to continue playing on your older console, Nintendo recommends using the local communication option to ensure it keeps working.
Other changes in the software update include new icon colors for the Nintendo eShop and the Switch News app.
You can preorder the Switch 2 now, but stock is limited and it’s proving hard to find at US retailers. Nintendo’s own preorder system goes live on May 8. It works on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you’re unlikely to get to buy one on day one.