In only a couple of days Splatoon 2 will be out and I will be playing it immensely, because what I played of the recent Splatfest was awesome. However, with that said, Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch Online phone app and everyone on the internet is having a meltdown over it being terrible and shitmonglers like Liam “Tamaki” Robertson are taking advantage of the situation by concern trolling with… a picture of a DS with a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection game because there was voice chat on that, sort of, and it sucked.
Oh no.
Yet there is an irony to this; no, I didn’t expect the app to be perfect but the fact of the matter is that the complaints are being issued via a computer or smartphone devices on whatever social media is being used. You want to know what is available, readily, for free, for computers and iOS/Android? A voice chat app called Discord.
Yes, Discord. I mentioned it prior in a recent post I did (and just so you guys know, no, we are not inviting people to our server, it’s just for us but don’t take it the wrong way we all love you for being our readers), and it works very well. We’ve been using it constantly for voice chatting and text chatting, and it works wonders when we are playing online games. Before that, we just used Skype, but Skype has gone to absolute shit. Considering the hundred of hours we have put in several online games that have appeared on the 3DS and WiiU, Nintendo not having a dedicated voice chat system never bothered us, at all. In fact, I have my laptop sitting beside me whenever I’m playing any game.
So, really, if you want Nintendo to improve the Switch app, fine, but blowing it out a proportion and being a shit-heeled concern troll isn’t constructive criticism. If you absolutely need a voice chat app, and you use a laptop, computer or smart phone device that uses iOS or Android, just get Discord. It has the Pietriots stamp of approval.
Pietriots 
The kiddies on Reddit have been having an absolute meltdown over this, and reminds me why I rarely visit Reddit anymore.
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You need to stop visiting Reddit and start doing more guest reviews or something for us, because I really liked the last one you did.
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I guess I could do that LOL. Probably a better use of my spare time.
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I can’t agree with this sentiment. Pointing people to a third party app just highlights how wrong footed Nintendo’s entire online ecosystem is. Discord being good isn’t an excuse for Nintendo’s app being shit. Nintendo’s app existing, isn’t an excuse for Switch not having this all built in. A decade ago Xbox Live supported group chat at a system level, so you could talk and invite friends to multiplayer regardless of what game they were playing at the time and do it all from the unified menu. Discord existing does not make it acceptable for Nintendo to be ten years behind.
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Rab, I know you mean well I do agree it is flawed, but here is the main issue; the reason I choose Discord over any gaming service voice chat is both privacy and the fact it handles way better then anything I have experienced on Skype, PSN and Xbox Live. As far as I see it, I’d rather speak in a private room with better audio quality with people I know then go into an unmoderated chat room with a bunch of random people screaming over each other.
That is why I like Discord so much and why I find the bitching to be pointless. Also, another thing, the Switch app is in beta right now and Nintendo is no doubt going to improve it. Will I use it? Probably never, because I have a voice chat app I like and it’s Discord.
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Yep, right once again. The app isn’t anywhere near as cumbersome as people make it out to be, from what I’m seeing. It’s just people being retards.
All the iffy things, like being signed out when switching apps, are probably just weird technical things that can easily be patched out with time. This isn’t the OMG DISASTER that people love to pretend it is.
Discord is a reasonable alternative until the app becomes better than it.
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It might become better, but I’d much rather voice chat in a private room on Discord then run into terrible random gamers screaming at each other.
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Well you get whats coming to ya, if Nintendo wants to cater to the garbage Xbone and Playstaion audience then they need to step their game up and move into the current year. The fact this stuff wasn’t built in at the system level is quite honestly pathetic and very telling on how half assed the Switch really is.
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I personally don’t mind the voice chat not being built into the Switch. What I do mind is how troublesome the entire process is for voice chat. It being separate from the system should easily allow you to voice chat with ANYONE, on ANY GAME – at ANY TIME. In fact, it being separate from the system should give it a bunch of unique advantages from the typical built-in voice chats.
In fact, if they’re concerned over family friendliness, it being separate from the system should allow it to share features with the parental app. It’d give them more information than just knowing what their kids are playing: WHO they’re playing with.
… Well, I don’t voice chat, so this isn’t hurting me. But it’s certainly hurting a lot of others.
I honestly hope they improve it in the *near* future. Sooner than 2018, even.
I’m going to be using the app for its other features though. Which essentially makes the app worthwhile for me.
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