Nintendo's new GameChat function opens up new ways for Switch 2 owners to communicate with friends and families online, but the early showcase of other player screens showed some choppy frame rates. It turns out this is an intentional design choice to ensure GameChat saves system resources for the games themselves.
Switch 2 hardware director Takuhiro Dohta told GameSpot via a translator how the team didn't want GameChat's required resources to get in the way of the main "game experience":
"So obviously, chat is meant to run and work simultaneously and coincide with the game you're playing. But we also think it's critical that it doesn't get in the way of the game that's running right now. And so we wanted to definitely make sure we do was to make sure that running game chat alongside the game doesn't result in the game experience or quality being reduced at all in any way."
Technical director Tetsuya Sasaki also mentioned how Nintendo wanted to keep the "experience" consistent between players - even if some players are in better online environments:
"Based on this emphasis that we prioritize--obviously if somebody is in a better environment, they're going to get better results in terms of their experience--but we really wanted to make sure that more than anything people had an equal or even playing field, or even experience, rather"
Along with this, Nintendo has factored in how games will evolve and potentially become more system-intensive over time.
In case you missed it, Nintendo will also be offering a GameChat "open-access period" until 31st March 2026, where GameChat can be used without a membership. After this date, a subscription will be required to use this feature.
What are your thoughts about GameChat so far? Do you think you'll use this feature on Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.