The new C button on the right Joy-Con of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been officially revealed as the GameChat button. This button will enable players to utilize the many new social elements of the console followup to the popular Switch console.

Since the initial Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, fans have been speculating what the C button on the right Joy-Con will do. During the April 2 Nintendo Direct, streamed on the official Nintendo of America YouTube channel, it was revealed that this mysterious button will allow players to pull up an in-game chat menu for video and audio chat.

Pull Up Audio And Video Chat With The Nintendo Switch 2 C Button

Nintendo Switch 2 Makes It Easy To Play Together

The Nintendo Switch 2 emphasizes the social aspect of gaming, introducing many features meant to enhance playing together, whether you're next to each other or not. The new C button is one of these features, meant to make it easy to connect to your friends as you play together, even if you're not playing the same game. The GameChat feature will allow up to 12 players to chat while they play, with built-in microphones picking up voices and filtering out background noise.

Pressing the C button brings up the integrated GameChat, which lets players talk to each other through voice chat, share live video of themselves, and share their screen as they play. The shared screens will be displayed as small thumbnails at the bottom of the screen, both on large screens and in the handheld version of the Switch 2. A built-in microphone and a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 camera (sold separately from the console) will make it easy to connect and interact with friends and family, enhancing the communal nature of the video gaming experience.

Nintendo Switch 2 C Button Connects Players At A Price

GameChat Requires A Nintendo Subscription

Although the Nintendo Switch 2 features plenty of ways to connect, these features won't be available for everyone. The Direct revealed that the Switch 2 console's GameChat functions will only be available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, which costs about $20 per year. An Expansion Pack edition of the subscription is also available for $49.99, but it seems that to access GameChat only the basic hip is required.

Fans who buy the console within the next year will have a chance to try the GameChat features for free without a Nintendo Switch Online hip. The feature will be available free of charge to everyone until March 31, 2026. After this date, the Nintendo Switch 2 GameChat feature will only be accessible to paying , rendering the integrated C button without a usable function for non-subscribers.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube