What are we going to do with our switches for the first 3-5 months then? Launch march 3. App summer 2017.

... this is Nintendo we're talking about. You're going to do without of course.

Just imagine what this is going to do to peoples cellphone data caps. Plus, not only do you have to pay Nintendo for this, you will have to pay your cellphone provider too. There may be some unannounced partnerships with mobile providers coming. Welcome to 2017.

Oh sweet Jesus.

My ten years old son doesn't have one. 

In my opinion having to use a phone as a hot spot is just as ridiculous. I absolutly hate the way consoles and handhelds are treated. I don't want to have to have a PC or Smatphone to get the most out of my device. Don't tell me to go to my PC to link my console or handheld app to my account. Don't tell me if I want to make playlists or see my library I have to use my smartphone or PC. That kind of stuff is complete bs. I have consoles and handhekds, because I don't want a PC or Smartphone.

It blows me away that Sony and Nintendo ask me to leave their device to spend money or time on another companies hardware or ecosystem. That is terrible bussiness. If you are in the hardware and software business you should never be telling your costumers to look elsewhere because we don't offer this required operation on our device.

My read on this is I think like for games like Splatoon 2 you'll be able to play online just the same way the Wii U does (no app needed).

BUT if you want to do the matchmaking, playing with friends, playing with voice chat stuff ... all that is going to have to be done through the smartphone app.

This is one way Nintendo is keeping kids from playing with "strangers" as younger kids will likely be forced to have to use their parents phone, and then their parents will be able to see who they're playing with. 

Because you can only watch what your kid is doing when he's using your phone? If he's using a computer or a console, he's on his own?

No. There is no reason like this behind this app. The only reasons Nintendo did this are :

- The Switch is too weak to run games efficiently so they tried to reduce the OS size as much as they could, leading to obvious design flaws and missing features (maybe because of a bad R&D management involving people who never used a console and are unable to know the important features). We'll surely have other "surprises" like this after the launch by the way.

- They didn't only find a way to avoid this flaw afterwards (not fix, just avoid, don't ask for too much), they found a way to charge people for it, adding "value" to their online sub in the same process.

Smaller OS, for more money, and the players will take care themselves of what Nintendo should have done. People will be happy to pay for this "innovation". Welcome to the 80s.

another double post, sory please delete