I'm usually one to temper the outrage in these cases, while urging people to think rationally and try to see thing from a different/sensible perspective. This time, there's no defending this dumb and cumbersome alternative. The fact that Reggie tried to spin this one - even calling it elegant?! - is the main reason I can't stand reading/listening to any interviews he does, especially during critical periods such as this. His BS is so annoying, and makes it hard to take anything he says as genuine. Some may say; "this is how PR works!" but, this is not the Iwata did things, and that's why many loved his character.
Anyway... I get that they may still be working on a native console solution (no Miiverse/street pass kinda hinted).
I get that they are worried about connectivity on the go. But come on now.
I'll keep my cool for the following reasons only:
- We don't know for certain that this will be the only option for voice chat & matchmaking - at launch - even when at home.
- It may be temporary until Nintendo finalize a proper native solution.
Ok, I said I didn't have a defense for this one, but maybe there's actually some sense somewhere in all of this. So here goes...
If you're going to use a phone to tether a connection when you can't access a WiFi signal, then, you may as well use it for chat too, and save your Switch battery for longer gaming. Either way, you'll have to use two separate divices, so why not?
Of course, this doesn't answer the question of why this method seems to be the only method, even when you have access to WiFi, but it actually does make some sense otherwise.
Still though, I'm going to wait a bit for more info, before I lose my cool. Even if Nintendo does have plenty more info and details to share, they deserve whatever flack they get for disseminating this bit info in this manner, and not via a more detailed and clear way.