The Nintendo Switch has a number of incredible features that help make the overall experience of using it far better. While it is certainly lacking some of the best features of its predecessors, such as Miis, eShop music, and a dynamic UI, it does more than enough to make up for it. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't without its flaws, and there's a lot that Nintendo has consistently attempted to improve upon in order to make using the Switch as intuitive, simple, and efficient as possible.

In a recent controversial Switch update, Nintendo changed a lot about the console, likely to bring it more in line with the Switch 2. Unfortunately, while some of the new additions and changes are for the better, the update has removed a lot of great features, many of which made the Switch such a great console in the first place. However, by far the worst outcome of this update is the removal of the Nintendo Switch's most generous and useful feature, one that fans have been enjoying since it first released.

Nintendo Has Changed How People Share Games On Switch

Players Share Their Games Through Virtual Game Cards

Nintendo has changed how people share their digital Switch libraries through the introduction of the far simpler Virtual Game Cards. This nifty addition essentially allows you to "eject" a digital game from your library, and "load" it, temporarily, into another Nintendo Switch's. There are a number of limitations to this, however, including the fact that both devices must be connected to the internet via a local connection. So, you can't do it from one country to another, or even from one household to another in the same country.

Most importantly, the original owner of the digital game won't be able to access it until the temporary loan period has ended. It can be interrupted by kicking the other player out, but then they'll lose access to it completely, and you'll have to start the entire sharing process again. While it is certainly a simpler and safer process - you don't have to hand out your details to people - its many limitations hold it back from being truly great. However, annoyingly, this also replaces the original process of sharing games, which was, in a lot of ways, far superior.

Originally, you'd simply give your entire to another person, and they'd be able to to your eShop and any games you'd bought on it. Obviously, with a stranger, that's not an ideal thing to do, but it worked well with family and friends you could trust. It also meant that you could continue playing the games you owned on your Switch and even at the same time as the other person, so long as you weren't connected to the internet.

It was a great system that the Virtual Game Card switch doesn't improve upon. This change feels like another bad move from Nintendo at a time when it is being accused of Switch 2 Joy-Con button worthless unless you subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, and more have all led to fans losing faith in the company. This isn't helped by the fact that the Virtual Game Cards have removed an iconic feature from the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Got Rid Of A Great Switch Feature

You Can't Play Online Using One Digital Copy

With the original method of sharing games, s could play the same multiplayer game online using just a single digital copy. This may sound like a bit of a cheeky exploit, but it was fully endorsed via the official Nintendo website - it has since been removed. The process was a little complicated, but it meant that you didn't need to buy two copies of Splatoon 3 or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to enjoy them with your friends. You could share the same copy with one another and still have a great time, making game nights far easier to set up.

To make it work, Player 1 - who owns the game - would have to play the game via a secondary on their Switch. Meanwhile, Player 2 - who is sharing Player 1's library - would play with Player 1's on their Switch. It was a little complicated, but relatively easy to set up once you understood how it worked. As aforementioned, Nintendo also outlined this method via the official Nintendo website.

That's gone now with the introduction of Virtual Game Cards, because they prohibit you from playing together using the same copy. You can still play the same game at the same time using the Online Licenses function found in Settings under . Essentially, by enabling this option, you revert mostly to the original form of sharing games, allowing you to share your info with a friend and have them as you. They can then access your games via your , and you can do the same, just in Airplane mode, to have you be completely offline.

However, even with this Online Licenses option switched on, you still can't play online together. That function, despite Nintendo having previously promoted it and it being incredibly convenient for fans who perhaps can't afford two copies, is now gone forever. Of course, it will be replaced by a handy Switch 2 feature when it comes out, but those still playing on the original Switch will either have to pay for two or more copies or not play with their friends in the same way that they used to be able to for free.

The Switch 2 May Replace The Switch's Best Feature

The GameShare Feature Does The Same Thing

The Nintendo Switch 2 will introduce the familiar-sounding GameShare feature, which allows players to share games with people who don't own them on Switch or Switch 2 and play together both locally and online. Essentially, it's like the Nintendo DS Play feature, or the aforementioned way of playing games with friends on the original Switch, albeit made far easier. The GameShare feature is definitely a step in the right direction, but it is also likely the reason why Nintendo removed the original method of sharing any game with friends.

GameShare will only be made available for a handful of games, which greatly limits which ones people can play together. This includes Mario Odyssey, 51 Worldwide Games, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Super Mario 3D World, and Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain. They're not exactly the multiplayer games people will likely want to play together during a game night, but Nintendo has promised that GameShare will be added to select Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives.

It is hard not to feel like a truly great feature has been removed for a half-baked one, especially as, despite being a nifty feature, GameShare seems far too limited to get any actual use out of it. It certainly isn't better than the previous method, as that allowed people to share absolutely every game in their library. It is unfortunate that Nintendo removed this great feature from the Nintendo Switch, but hopefully, GameShare will be added to even more Switch games in the future.