Nintendo has revealed the new Switch console will not offer support for streaming services like Netflix at launch.
Answering questions from Kotaku, the firm said it was focused on gamers, but did not rule out the likes of Netflix arriving in future update.
“All of our efforts have gone toward making the Nintendo Switch system an amazing dedicated video game platform,” Nintendo replied in an email, “so it will not support any video-streaming services at launch. However, support for video-streaming services is being considered for a future update.”
Whether this absence will matter to the Nintendo fanbase remains to be seen.
In a column posted following the Switch reveal last week, our own Andy Vandervell suggested Netflix is an ‘expected’ feature.
Related: Nintendo Switch preview
He wrote: “Hardcore fans can moan all they like about it being “a games console first”, but Netflix is the kind of basic feature people expect now. I expect it and it would make that £280 easier to swallow when I have no games to play.”
Elsewhere, the answers to Kotaku’s questions confirmed the Switch will not be backwards compatible with games designed for other systems, which most folks had assumed.
It also confirmed there are no plans to bundle games with the Switch itself, but most of the other pertinent questions were dodged.
Nintendo said “we have nothing to announce at this time” when quizzed on SNES online functionality, transferable accounts and the virtual console line-up.
Will you be buying the Switch despite a thinner-than-hoped launch line up? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
