Nintendo Switch Update 20.0.0: Detailed Patch Notes

Whoa, okay, let’s see if I can make sense of this, or if my brain’s gonna run off on a tangent—happens often. So, Nintendo’s like, “Hey folks, here’s a shiny new update for your handheld gaming gizmo,” aka the Switch. We’re looking at version 20.0.0 now. Not that I keep a list of these updates or anything. Anyway.

First up, there’s something called Virtual Game Card. Sounds fancy, right? Basically, all those digital goodies, like games and DLCs, are like virtual little cards now. Handy—‘cause you can load and eject ’em virtually. Imagine not having to dig around the couch for your lost game card. You ever lose something in there? It’s like a black hole. Oh, and you can even lend these virtual cards to your family group members, keeping things in-house if you catch my drift.

Then there’s this GameShare thing. It’s like sharing a pizza with friends but, uh, not pizza—it’s digital games, I guess. Only works on the new Nintendo Switch 2 and, yeah, must be local wireless. So no sharing across the globe yet, I suppose. Kind of limits things, but hey, that’s tech for you.

Uh, user verification! You can slap a pin on those virtual cards to keep prying eyes out. I can barely remember all my pins, though. Real life struggle. But useful if you have roommates with sticky fingers.

Online License Settings let you play downloaded stuff even if your virtual card isn’t popped in. When connected to the internet, of course. Feels like we’re tethered to Wi-Fi these days, doesn’t it?

Side note here, they also decided to play Picasso with the Nintendo eShop and News icon colors. Maybe they thought it was bland? Who knows.

Save data transfer got a bit of an update too. You can now do the whole batch thing. Makes sense because who wants to select things one by one like it’s 1999?

And then there’s this whole System Transfer shebang to Nintendo Switch 2. You can move everything with local communication—or dump your data on their server if your old Switch decides to go AWOL before the new one arrives. Just remember it wipes your old Switch clean, so only do this if you’re sure. Kinda like jumping off a cliff and hoping there’s water below. And I mean that in a good way?

Their system transfer service sounds like a hassle, needing internet and a Nintendo Account. No pressure, right?

They’ve also gone and tweaked some user icons, and if you’re eager to know more about Nintendo Switch 2, apparently their website is the place to go. Makes sense.

Oh, a quick note about consoles—they’ve ditched “Primary Console” for something called “Pass-enabled console.” Sounds like a bureaucratic twist, but is apparently cool for sharing subscriptions among users. Probably makes more sense if you’re not sleep-deprived. Or maybe not. Anyway, Nintendo’s making moves and keeping us on our toes. Fun times!