Switch 2's Game Chat requires registering a real Phone Number (2FA)

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Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?




Implications that this might stop it from working in countries where NSO is natively supported unless those people use number spoofing to get different regional numbers.

 
Why is it news that setting up an account or service requires a text message verification? Literally everything does. Also this has been known for weeks. How else would you be able to verify it's your account? Such as if you lost access. And needed to contact Nintendo to prove it's your account.

Good Lord stop stirring up controversy/drama where none exists. Must be a slow news day.
 
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This is just a rumor for right now, so don't bust out the pitchforks just yet. If true, it's as ridiculous as Sony's PSN requirement for Steam games.

It is not a rumor. From Nintendo's website:

As an additional security measure, text message verification is required to set up GameChat. It uses the phone number registered to your Nintendo Account.

Source: https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/features/gamechat/
 
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Why is it news that setting up an account or service requires a text message verification? Literally everything does. Also this has been known for weeks. How else would you be able to verify it's your account? Such as if you lost access.

Good Lord stop stirring up controversy/drama where none exists. Must be a slow news day.

I think you're missing the point that Nintendo Switch Online isn't available in all countries, so this negatively impacts people in those unsupported countries.

No, it's definitely not. It's literally just MFA.

What do you think "allegedly" means?
 
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Nintendo implementing additional security measures to help better secure our accounts and keep our kids safe online? Pretty scummy of Nintendo if you ask me.
 
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Why is it news that setting up an account or service requires a text message verification? Literally everything does. Also this has been known for weeks. How else would you be able to verify it's your account? Such as if you lost access. And needed to contact Nintendo to prove it's your account.

Good Lord stop stirring up controversy/drama where none exists. Must be a slow news day.
They invented solutions that allow 2FA without using SMS… iOS and Android both have a built in solution, we have Google Authenticator, MS Authenticator, we have passkeys, etc…
 
LOL why they made a communication feature for Switch 2 was beyond my imagination, actually I'd prefer they don't add any to their consoles for children safety, now they are making the feature a hassle to use for many people just to prevent children safety to be compromised? They should have not even tried it if the limitations are so many...
 
They invented solutions that allow 2FA without using SMS… iOS and Android both have a built in solution, we have Google Authenticator, MS Authenticator, we have passkeys, etc…
That's true, but it's hardly the point. And all of that is far more complicated than it needs to be for the non-tech savvy among us. So what is the problem? The most mainstream, logical way to do 2FA is text message.
 
I think you're missing the point that Nintendo Switch Online isn't available in all countries, so this negatively impacts people in those unsupported countries.



What do you think "allegedly" means?
What's the negative impact? They don't have a phone number? No one in a country where you're buying a video game console for several hundred dollars is living in a place with no infrastructure in place for internet and cell phone signal coverage. If they were, consoles wouldn't be sold in that market because there wouldn't be a viable market for it.
 
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It is immensely fun watching Nintendo wrestle with how to best insulate itself from toxic or malevolent internet culture.

In many respects I agree with the initiative. There are legions of minors prime for those of malintention.
 
What's the negative impact? They don't have a phone number? No one in a country where you're buying a video game console for several hundred dollars is living in a place with no infrastructure in place for internet and cell phone signal coverage. If they were, consoles wouldn't be sold in that market because there wouldn't be a viable market for it.
No, what they are saying is that if you do not have NSO offered in the country you cannot use the service.
 
What's the negative impact? They don't have a phone number? No one in a country where you're buying a video game console for several hundred dollars is living in a place with no infrastructure in place for internet and cell phone signal coverage. If they were, consoles wouldn't be sold in that market because there wouldn't be a viable market for it.

The negative impact is that countries that NSO is not available in cannot use the game chat feature as they cannot link their phone numbers. They have phone numbers, but phone numbers differ by region. If person A registers their NSO account as United States and then they try to enter their Philippines phone number, they will get an error because the phone number they are trying to use doesn't correspond to the region that they said they are in. Is this your first time hearing that phone numbers are region-specific?
 
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The negative impact is that countries that NSO is not available in cannot use the game chat feature as they cannot link their phone numbers. They have phone numbers, but phone numbers differ by region. If person A registers their NSO account as United States and then they try to enter their Philippines phone number, they will get an error because the phone number they are trying to use doesn't correspond to the region that they said they are in. Is this your first time hearing that phone numbers are region-specific?

I'm legitimately curious if there's any regions where Nintendo Switch is sold (legally, at retail) where Nintendo Switch Online is not available. I feel like there probably is not.
 
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