One of the main updates to theNintendo Switch 2console is the addition of the C button, which, when pressed, allows users to chat with each other during gameplay. Nintendo has clarified that the C button, and by extension,the GameChat feature, will be locked behind a paywall after a trial period.
Polygonconfirmed thata Nintendo Switch Online membership will be necessary for the C button to have any functionality. Players without an active NSO subscription who try to use the button will be met with what essentially sounds like an ad for Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo’s Vice President of Player and Product Experience Bill Trinen toldPolygon:
“You would be able to find out about the NSO subscription there and get a sense of some of the functionality… [GameChat is] part of the overall platform experience […] NSO really is a critical piece of the Nintendo Switch 2 experience.”
Nintendo previously announced that theGameChat free trial would end on August 17, 2025, meaning that the C button will be entirely useless after that date without a subscription.
Everything The C Button Does On Nintendo Switch 2
The Button Garnered Curiosity When Shown in Initial Trailers
Nintendo put heavy emphasis on the social aspect of gaming when revealing the Switch 2, and the C button highlighted the company’s “gaming together” mindset. When GameChat is activated bya press of the C button, up to 12 players will be able to see, hear, and speak to each other all while playing their favorite games, even if they’re all playing separate titles. Live video of each player will be displayed at the bottom of the Switch 2’s screen. Nintendo will also be selling a Switch 2 camera to help players better communicate while using the system.
The presence of the new C button has intrigued fans ever since it was revealed in Nintendo’s original Switch 2 trailer, thoughGameChat has been met with a mixed pre-release response. Some players said that Nintendo was basically reinventing Discord, a service that also allows people to communicate and share their screens with each other, while others welcomed the chance to interact with friends directly on the console.
Our Take: NSO Is Affordable, But Locking GameChat Is Ridiculous
Players Will Look For Alternatives
Cooperative games likeSplit FictionandIt Takes Twoare growing in popularity, and as more and more studios jump on the bandwagon, more players will be looking for ways to talk to their friends while gaming. Voice chat is now considered an essential feature by many, and preventing fans from using the feature on the Switch 2, especially when free alternatives like Discord are readily available, is not a good move by Nintendo.
One Reddit user,PhewPhewGames, summed up the thoughts of fans well, saying,“Paying extra just to use a button on a console you already bought, it’s a shame.”
“Designed From The Ground Up”: Switch 2 Development Had Clear Vision From The Start, Nintendo Says
In a new interview, Nintendo is stating that the Switch 2 development had a clear vision from initial conception, “designed from the ground up.”
ANintendo Switch Online membership is relatively inexpensiveat $7.99 for three months for individuals or $34.99 for a family plan, which ismore affordable than PlayStation Plus Premium($49.99 for a three-month single plan) andXbox Game Pass Ultimate($19.99 for one month).
That said, the C button doesn’t really offer players anything they cannot access via Discord or Twitch for free.Locking the C button likely won’t push people into Nintendo’s ecosystem for a membership — it will push them to free alternatives.Nintendo has to consider the implications of blocking users from the GameChat feature onNintendo Switch 2and decide if the paywall is worth the risk of losing players.
