In the year 2002, Microsoft introduced Xbox Live, featuring built-in voice chat as a key selling point for the service at that time. Now, approximately 25 years later, Nintendo is finally introducing an easy method for fans to converse with friends online during a friendly game of Mario Kart World.

Considering the solutions Nintendo has , GameChat is surprisingly elegant. By tapping the new C button on the Switch 2, located below the Home button on the right Joy-Con, a dedicated interface appears, allowing for quick start of screensharing, muting and unmuting the mic, and enabling video if the optional is purchased.

Furthermore, the Switch 2 comes equipped with a built-in mic. Testing the handheld in a noisy environment will be necessary to determine the microphone’s performance; Nintendo highlighted its noise-reduction features during the introduction. Nevertheless, it’s commendable that Nintendo recognized the necessity of including voice chat in the new console and made it a standard feature across all models.

However, if the demo presented by Nintendo today is indicative of the final product, the company still has work to do. Voice chat appears to function adequately, with users able to invite up to 11 people to join their conversation. On the other hand, screen sharing and video chat seem quite rough.

When all participants in the video started streaming their gameplay, the frame rate seemed to be less than 30 frames per second, making it difficult to envision using the feature to guide a friend through a challenging section, as suggested in the demo. Video chat was equally unimpressive, with footage from the Switch 2 Camera resembling that from a mid-2000s webcam. Moreover, viewing a friend’s screen comes with an additional tradeoff.

Nintendo showcased three interface options, two of which dedicate a significant amount of screen space to tiles for friends. While this may not be an issue on a TV, even on the Switch 2’s 7.9-inch screen, the interface appears to have the potential to become cluttered quickly.

To Nintendo’s credit, the company has given considerable thought to parental controls, incorporating features that enable parents and guardians to decide who their children can interact with online and whether they can join a session with video. However, none of GameChat’s capabilities are novel, having existed in apps like Discord for years, which raises the question of why some features appear so rough close to launch.

Nintendo has time to refine GameChat before June 5, but in 2025, developing a technically competent chat app should not be so challenging. Of course, it’s likely that the majority of the Switch 2’s audience won’t be concerned if some GameChat features are incomplete. For the rest of us, Nintendo plans to offer the feature for free until the end of March 2026, which one hopes will be sufficient time for the company to catch up on two decades of progress in online gaming.