For a significant part of my existence, a recurring observation regarding Nintendo has been the perception that the company lacks a solid grasp of the internet. This assertion has been tough to refute; even with the Nintendo Switch 2, you must utilize intricate friend codes to add someone to your friends roster.

When Nintendo disclosed its complete commitment to communal voice chat and other social functionalities in April, skepticism was both easy and justified. GameChat, the all-inclusive label for the Switch 2’s voice chat system, appeared to be something other consoles have provided for close to two decades. With a few extraneous features attached (and a troubling dependence on open microphones instead of headsets), I was prepared to be underwhelmed.

I was genuinely impressed by a restricted GameChat demonstration prior to its launch, but after experiencing it in actual gameplay, I was astonished by its quality. Nintendo has not merely developed a (mostly) operational voice chat application; it’s genuinely more enjoyable to utilize than comparable services on PlayStation and Xbox.

GameChat on Switch 2 is surprisingly efficient

To summarize quickly: GameChat is an application that Switch 2 owners can activate at any moment using the new “C” button on any Switch 2 controller. As many as 12 individuals can enter a voice chat room, while a maximum of four can broadcast their gameplay to others or join video calls via a USB camera. By default, Nintendo anticipates users will utilize the microphone on the Switch console while listening to friends through TV speakers, but headsets are also supported.

The noise cancellation is impressive

I tested GameChat for nearly two hours with a friend on the day the Switch 2 launched. We toggled between various games, notably Mario Kart World, Fast Fusion, and Soul Calibur II for GameCube. In nearly every instance, it not only functioned as intended but also provided a unique, Nintendo-style interpretation of party chat.

My primary worry was that the intended chat method of yelling into a microphone several feet away might fail. The audio quality could be subpar, and unwanted background noises might disrupt communication. I’m pleased to report this was not the case. Although the mic on the Switch 2 isn’t the finest out there, it’s more than adequate for voice chat in gaming. Most impressively, no external sounds infiltrated the feed.

On the other side, my friend was relaying both my voice and game audio through their TV speakers. I never heard a single moment of it. From my perspective, a somewhat loud window air conditioner was providing cool air about six feet from the Switch 2. My friend reported they never noticed it throughout more than an hour of gameplay. Whatever noise-suppression technology Nintendo integrated into the Switch 2 must be exceptional.

I should also note that it’s possible to plug a headset into the Pro Controller’s headphone jack and communicate that way. Strangely, the third-party wired headset I typically use wouldn’t allow me to transmit audio through its microphone, but sound output to the headphones was perfectly fine. The onboard mic of the Switch 2 picked up my voice, and my friend said it sounded decent anyway. I’ll chalk that up to my specific headset being defective. Interestingly, the official wireless PS5 Pulse Elite headset is seamlessly recognized by the Switch 2 and functions without issues, microphone included.

Speech-to-text is extraordinary

GameChat is partially characterized by the fact that, by default, it diminishes your game’s screen share to present a horizontal strip of small windows depicting each voice participant at the bottom of the screen. Users can broadcast their gameplay to others through these windows, which admittedly appears quite choppy. It’s convenient for quickly checking what your friend is busy with in Mario Kart, but you wouldn’t want to stagnate on one of those streaming feeds for too long.

However, a less prominently advertised feature that also optionally occupies screen space deserves more recognition: the Switch 2’s live speech-to-text transcription. This accessibility-oriented functionality is genuinely, and I kid you not, possibly the most striking feature I’ve encountered on the Switch 2 thus far. The text window resides on the right side of the screen in an unexpectedly unobtrusive manner. We kept it active for over an hour, and during that period, the only errors it committed in transcribing our speech were minimal. It’s fast and incredibly precise for what it is, and it identifies individual speakers in the text window.

Most surprisingly, it does not censor curse words at all. They are fully spelled out, ensuring that those with hearing impairments are not treated like children. Amusingly, the lexicon Nintendo employed for this feature encompasses many correctly capitalized brand names, including those from rival game firms. It correctly capitalized “The Last of Us,” for instance. “Sega Dreamcast” was included too. We may or may not have spent an hour merely shouting out proper nouns, hoping the Switch 2 would recognize them, which it largely did.

Side note: I’m sorry I can’t provide visual evidence of all this. GameChat doesn’t allow you