Nintendo has created its own discord chat app for the Switch 2. Once the free period ends on March 31, 2026, GameChat, and the C button that activates it, will require a Nintendo Switch (NSO) membership online.
So, what happens when you press the C button instead of the subscriber? Not so much, Bill Torinen, vice president of player and product experience, told passthecontroller in a recent interview.
“You can look into NSO subscriptions there and get some sense of functionality,” he said.
Perhaps this is how you learn that GameChat is very similar to Discord Video Chat Works on your PC. You can talk to friends in handheld or docking mode via the built-in microphone and stream gameplay to each other. There are even cameras you can buy to overlay your stream, or just to chat face to face.
However, unless you have an active NSO membership, Switch 2 has an entire empty button. It doesn’t sound like you can remap to something else. This may or may not be possible to give it to Nintendo every year (or $49.99 for an expansion pack).
Correction (April 8): Previous versions of this story incorrectly stated how often Nintendo Switch Online pricing is. Updated to reflect NSO annual subscription fees.
