NINTENDO

Nintendo Switch news: Games console is about to get a BIG new update

The Nintendo Switch could be about to get a big new update.

The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app got updated on iOS recently, and within the notes, the company references Switch Firmware 5.0.0.

The notes were originally spotted by Twitter user Wario64 – you can see the highlighted note referring to the update here.

That may seem fairly innocuous in and of itself, but when you consider the Switch hasn't seen an update since 4.1.0 in December, this could be a significant upgrade.

Many users of forum ResetEra are hoping that with system update 5.0.0, Nintendo will finally allow players to add some sort of cloud save solution to the console – letting them upload their saved games and backup vital playtime data.

Though the company has not formally announced update 5.0.0 just yet, we're expecting it to drop fairly soon thanks to its appearance in a new set of T&Cs in a Switch adjacent app.

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It goes without saying that Nintendo Switch is one of the best consoles released in the last decade.

Nintendo's new hybrid handheld/home console has taken the world by storm, selling over 14 million units in its first year alone – that's more than the Wii U sold in its entire lifespan.

On top of the 14 million games, the Switch has also sold over 52 million games – that's a lot of play time racked up by players around the world.

As well as some incredible portable versions of hit games – Skyrim, DOOM, and Dark Souls yet to come – Nintendo has launched an array of popular titles from its own studios, too: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and more have been immensely popular on the system.

However, the lack of cloud saves is a glaring omission that compromises the Nintendo Switch's success to a degree.

Many new consoles use the cloud to back up their save data and ensure users never lose their progress, even if a disc gets damaged or a specific console becomes broken or lost.

Sony and Microsoft let you use their online services to copy saved data to the cloud – some modern games (Destiny, Call of Duty) even save all the users data to the cloud so they can access your profile and progress from any console with an internet connection.

The Switch, so far, lacks this capability.

Anyone that owns a Nintendo Switch is at risk of losing their data and thier progress if their console should become damaged or otherwise inoperational.

That could mean hundreds of hours of your hard work wiped in a matter of seconds.

Imagine you were seconds away from seeing the final scenes of the new Zelda, and your Switch's battery conked out (which they've been known to do when using third-party charging cables).

There would be no way of retrieving your progress.

8Bitdo Nintendo Switch Controllers

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The developer/publisher has outlined its plans to finally release its online service for the Nintendo Switch.

The paid multiplayer gaming service – simply called Nintendo Switch Online – is set to launch in September 2018.

Nintendo stated that its new service will let players enjoy online gaming, and it will launch with a dedicated smartphone app that connects to your Switch system and helps you connect with friends or find sessions they're playing in relevant games (similarly to PSN and its mobile functionality).

Whether cloud saves will come in before then – perhaps as a result of the 5.0.0 update – remains to be seen.

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