Bluetooth On Nintendo Switch – The Nintendo Switch is the perfect travel companion, but it’s lacking in one key area: wireless headphone support. Nintendo added support for wireless headphones via USB dongles last November, but only if you have a USB Type-A to USB-C adapter to connect the headphone dongle to the Switch console’s port. Currently, the Switch does not support Bluetooth accessories. But a Kickstarter campaign from a team called Human Things aims to fix that with their new device, the Genki.
Launched last month on a crowdfunding site, Genki is a simple dongle for the Switch that promises support for Bluetooth 5.0 and multi-user audio so that two audio devices can be connected at the same time. It connects via the Switch’s USB-C port and doesn’t require its own battery, and the team behind Genki claims it only draws a small amount of power from the console itself when in handheld mode. (0.02 watts to be exact.) The adapter can also be plugged into the Switch’s built-in external port or behind the back panel, as long as you buy an additional $10 docking adapter.
Bluetooth On Nintendo Switch
In addition to letting you use mostly wireless headphones with the Switch, the Genki also doubles as a connection for third-party Bluetooth speakers, in case you need a louder broadcast system for the Switch for, say, backyard gaming. Human Things is asking $39, or 22 off the final standard retail price, for its current lowest price pledge on Kickstarter, with a delivery date of November 2018. (The $29 option is sold out.)
Report: Latest Switch Firmware Includes Bluetooth Audio Support
The campaign ends in five days, and it’s well over its $30,000 fundraising goal. So it might be worth jumping on a potential product if it looks like it solves a big pain point for Bluetooth headset users who want a nicer box with the Switch. In an update on Tuesday night, Nintendo changed one of the biggest limitations. Nintendo Switch: Lack of Bluetooth audio support. Bluetooth functionality is now available via system firmware 13.0, which is available for download in all Switch regions.
Until this update, Switch consoles featured portable audio unlike smartphones like the iPhone, where the Switch only worked with wired headphones via the console’s 3.5mm headphone jack. In mobile mode, that limitation is more tolerable because the system is in your hand, so a wired headset makes more sense.
However, with the Nintendo Switch docked to the TV, the choice of headphones has become more limited. Without Bluetooth audio support, Switch users must run a 3.5mm extension cable to the entertainment center or use wireless headphones paired with a Switch-compatible USB dongle, which must be plugged into one of the Switch dock’s open ports. Modern Xbox and PlayStation consoles offer multiple options for both the 3.5mm connector on gamepads and wireless capabilities built into the consoles themselves.
The Switch’s 13.0 update makes it easy enough to connect your Bluetooth headset to the console. Open the Switch’s settings menu, select the new dedicated “Bluetooth” tab, and enter the pairing menu. Put your headphones in “pairing mode” and they should appear on the Switch’s screen. It works like any other Bluetooth pairing interface you’ve ever seen.
Nintendo Switch Controller
Each Switch console supports up to 10 stored Bluetooth pairings, but only one Bluetooth headset can be actively connected to the Switch at any time. Speaking of limitations: While in Bluetooth audio mode, only two “controllers” can be connected to the Nintendo Switch at the same time, and Nintendo says that a single pair of Joy-Cons counts as two controllers. So, if you want to use Bluetooth audio while playing with other people, both of you will have to turn the Joy-Con sideways or choose to use “Pro” style gamepads instead.
The conflict between the headset and Switch gamepads is a result of the Switch’s always-on Bluetooth support, as the system uses a Bluetooth 4.1 controller to talk to its wireless gamepads. Although the Switch Bluetooth controller’s bandwidth is limited, it saves some latency by blocking important Bluetooth functions. The Switch disables all Bluetooth headset microphones by default (although Switch games generally don’t support microphone audio, however).
Despite the focus on Bluetooth bandwidth, Nintendo has yet to solve a problem inherent to any Bluetooth headset: slow audio. My tests with both the Google Pixel Buds and Surface Headphones showed a delay between the on-screen performance and the sound coming through my Bluetooth-connected headphones — enough of a delay that you’d want to turn off the TV set if the sound was off.
This might be a good time to rely on one of my new Bluetooth options, Razer’s True Wireless Earbuds, which offer a battery-draining, slow-down audio mode as an option. Unfortunately, my Switch refused to recognize these headphones while in pairing mode, although I was able to pair the Razer Buds later on a nearby laptop. The Switch’s Bluetooth interface doesn’t recognize Bluetooth devices that aren’t compatible with certain “audio only” categories, no doubt stopping Switch owners from getting creative and connecting a mouse, keyboard or other input device. (Xbox also wins on that front.)
How To Use Bluetooth Headphones With The Nintendo Switch
Ars staff was able to connect Airpods Pro to their own Switch, which is probably good for overall device support, but you may run into your own trial-and-error issues with lesser-known headset options.
Expand / We have a few theories about what this dock firmware update could be about. We also have some crazy conspiracy theories (but they are not in this article).
The firmware update also delivers a fun menu switch we haven’t seen before on the Switch: the option to send multiple firmware updates to the Switch’s dock. This feature may be relevant to the launch of the OLED Switch later this year, as the dock includes a new built-in wired Ethernet adapter, a function that may eventually require a software update. [Update, 11:15 a.m. ET: Nintendo’s patch notes confirm that this is indeed the case, and they also mention connectivity improvements such as showing whether your wireless connection is 2.4GHz or 5GHz. This week’s update also includes a new joystick customization method, though it’s unclear if this feature will fix the console’s notorious joystick functionality.]
However, the switch mode is a strange addition to see in the event of rumors about the Switch Pro spread, which as recently as March suggested that the more powerful system dock will include some kind of Nvidia DLSS hardware solution, aimed at upscaling low resolutions. Switch. Games for near 4K resolution on TV sets. Nintendo has made it clear that the upcoming Switch OLED will deliver the same power as the existing Switch system, and it does not mean to bring a mid-generation update to the hardware. But if Nintendo wants to quell conspiracy theories about its upcoming high-tech Switch docks, the path to upgradeable dock firmware isn’t helping.
How To Pair Bluetooth Headphones To Your Nintendo Switch
I started reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable technology, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other hobbies include magic, acting, puzzles, board games, cooking, improvisation and the New York Jets.
Bluetooth audio on the Switch is easy to set up and works very well so far, with memory limitations. A few.
For a long time, Bluetooth audio has been one of the most requested features on the Nintendo Switch. Finally, at the end of 2021, it will be available through a software update. Bluetooth audio now works with all Switch models, including the Switch with an OLED screen. It’s always surprising that the Switch never supports Bluetooth audio. But now it’s here, and that’s good, but there are things to remember.
First, if you haven’t updated your system since late 2021, you’ll need to install the latest version of Nintendo Switch OS in the Switch settings. When you do, there’s a feature in the system settings called – you guessed it – Bluetooth audio.
Your Nintendo Switch Can Now Be Paired With Bluetooth Audio Devices
Pairing Bluetooth headphones is easy, at least when I tried it with AirPods Pro. Put your headphones in pairing mode, let the switch find the device and hey, they’re connected. It should work with other Bluetooth headphones you try as well.
Once paired, the audio will play as you expect. In mobile mode, it’s great because there’s no need for wired headphones. It’s even better in dock mode, where you can – finally – play on TV and listen privately without disturbing anyone.
Of course, before Nintendo added this feature, there were third-party Bluetooth audio adapters that did the same thing as the dongle. They can also be useful because they do not interfere with the normal functions of the Nintendo Switch. Because using Bluetooth audio in the switch has some disadvantages.
First, it doesn’t work with the microphone for in-game chat. Sound is output only, no input. And only two wireless controllers can be paired while using Bluetooth audio. Normally, you can connect up to eight individual Joy-Con controllers. It’s okay because of me
Does The Nintendo Switch Have Bluetooth?
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