Nintendo Switch 2 Finally Implements a Real, Normal Voice Chat Feature With Its New C Button

They did it. The absolute madmen did it. During today’s Direct covering all things Nintendo Switch 2, it was demonstrated that for the first time ever, the console will have a built-in voice chat feature thanks to its infamous C button.

The showcase revealed how players will be able to seamlessly bond when playing their favorite Nintendo Switch 2 titles, all with the press of that C button. Discord users will note that the footage shown reveals a variety of familiar features, including a similar layout where players can watch each other enjoying the same or different titles and, with the help of a camera that can be purchased separately, even see each other. It’s made all the easier by a built-in microphone that is shown to be relatively reliable regardless of each player’s gaming environment.

Nintendo is looking to bring that gaming party setting to players to the comfort of their homes when Switch 2 launches this summer. That means helping a friend out by watching their game stream will be just as easy as organizing a group photo in a game like Mario Kart World. The C button’s chat menu aims to be an all-in-one multiplayer feature that could result in Nintendo’s most successful online push in decades.

Nintendo has tried out a version of a voice chat before, but none of them have ever been just a normal voice chat feature like everyone else has. In 2017, it launched the Nintendo Switch Online app, which allowed players to voice chat with friends while playing specific, compatible games. However, the app’s functionality was limited, and critically, tied to the phone instead of the system itself. This is the first time Nintendo’s ever had the voice chat actually built in, and at last puts a cap on a running joke IGN’s been making about Nintendo Voice Chat for years now.

We’re still dissecting everything we saw this morning on the Nintendo Switch 2, so check out our breakdown of everything announced today. And if you want to tune into the real Nintendo Voice Chat that’s been there for you all along, you can check out our podcast page.

Everything Nintendo Switch 2 voice chat is able to do remains unclear, but it already looks leaps and bounds better than the previous Switch voice chat option that required the use of a mobile app. For a better look at everything else Nintendo had to show during today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, you can click here.

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Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).