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Nintendo Switch now supports digital game sharing amongst multiple consoles
- Thread starter Atheerios
- Start date
So on ps4, my brother and I can game share by setting each other's ps4's as the primary. This allows for simultaneous play.
Now switch seems to not allow simultaneous play, since it performs a check at boot up.
So if my brother has a game and I log into the game on my switch with his account, and then he decides to turn on how switch (where his account is primary). What happens?
Now switch seems to not allow simultaneous play, since it performs a check at boot up.
So if my brother has a game and I log into the game on my switch with his account, and then he decides to turn on how switch (where his account is primary). What happens?
Not sure if this has been posted yet, but it seems like you can somewhat get around the always online bit (if you wanted to play a game on the plane or something). I'll need to see if it ever checks again, but I booted up one of my games on my wife's switch, passed the check to see if I could play the game and then switched off internet and wasn't kicked from the game.
Maybe Nintendo only checks ownership when you first open the game? Not super useful, but could be in some situations
Edit: think this post can be ignored. Your game will pause after some time without internet.
Maybe Nintendo only checks ownership when you first open the game? Not super useful, but could be in some situations
Edit: think this post can be ignored. Your game will pause after some time without internet.
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I'm not sure where everyone is getting this not allowing simultaneous play bit. You absolutely can. Just on different accounts. Just like you did on PS4, he gives you his switch that he set as his primary and you give him yours. Transfer your saves over and everyone wins.
Big news for people who mainly download games, as it brings the Switch more-or-less into line with the current consoles, and finally makes it possible to transfer your digital purchases over to another Switch (if you lose your original Switch, for example) without contacting Nintendo.
While it's something that really should have happened years ago, it's still better late than never.
While it's something that really should have happened years ago, it's still better late than never.
What you're saying here, is that it's possible to play with the same account on both Switches, but i meant at the same time, both being connected to the internet. This isn't possible, right?
How does this solve the cloud saves thing exactly? Maybe i'm missing something. Do the cloud saves get synced on the non-primary Switch? That means, that if your wife wants to play your games on her Switch, she will have to do so with your account, and her saves might overwrite your saves?
Pretty good except for this one point. I've definitely needed and used that option with a family member on other platforms.
If you still have your original Switch (haven't lost it or had it stolen) it has always been possible to transfer your accounts (+digital purchases & play time info) from one Switch to another. You just had to deactivate the account on the first Switch. I take it that you knew, but just making sure.
When I add a new user, they wont let me choose someonelse's account. It's like creating a new user...
Can someone explain how do i log my account on another switch? I cant find this option on my second switch. Where should i be looking for this?
It's weird. You have to add a new user (write in a new name, new profile pic everything) and then link your Nintendo account to that new profile. That's basically you signing in
I'll try that! I always gave up in the middle of the process. Thanks.
Cloud saves get synced on the non-primary Switch, and the primary Switch uses a different account with its own cloud saves. Of course you'll need Switch online for both accounts (family share that obviously).
If your wife wants to play your games on her Switch, make your account the primary on her Switch and then she can play your games on her account. You just keep logged in to your Switch and play on your account per normal. You can play at the same time with your own separate saves and accounts and everything.
Anyone else have a problem with the automatic save backup being not so automatic? I had to go in and manually backup and then download each save going from one switch to the other.
Hopefully this is just a timing issue and was only really a problem because I was transferring everything over.
Hopefully this is just a timing issue and was only really a problem because I was transferring everything over.
This is all very confusing, to me anyway :D
If you do this though, which means your account is no longer the primary account on your Switch, that means other user accounts on your Switch won't be able to play the game? Is that correct? You'd always have to play games on your Switch using the account that made the purchase.
If you do this though, which means your account is no longer the primary account on your Switch, that means other user accounts on your Switch won't be able to play the game? Is that correct? You'd always have to play games on your Switch using the account that made the purchase.
Yes, that's true. Same as how PS4 does it. If you have multiple people using the Switch it wouldn't work, but for a single person device it's a very small compromise for a huge benefit.
That's something that a lot of people have requested as a feature. Which reminded me to set up 2FA on my Nintendo account, just for piece of mind.
Yeah my main problem here is that I have about 5 different accounts on my Switch, one for each eshop region I purchase from. I do this instead of switching region for my main account. So to share my downloads with my brother, So I'll need to give him the details for all 5 accounts, then one of us (whoever doesn't have the primary accounts) will need to remember which game was purchased from where to be able to play it! I guess, like you say, it's not a big ask for such a great thing.
I'm surprised Nintendo allowing this.
I checked on Reddit and people confirmed that it is just like the situation on the PS4, where 2 people can play the same game at the same time on 2 different consoles and only a single digital copy of said game is needed.
That's pretty big news.
I checked on Reddit and people confirmed that it is just like the situation on the PS4, where 2 people can play the same game at the same time on 2 different consoles and only a single digital copy of said game is needed.
That's pretty big news.
Games just get downloaded and installed to the Switch, any account on the Switch can play that game regardless of region,
Yeah it's pretty confusing but it would work. That's why I stuck to just region switching my one account.
You probably wouldn't need to remember which game was purchased from what account though, it just wouldn't let you boot the game with anything but the right account anyway.
I was surprised too, but I think a lot of the details of licencing will be agreed with publishers. Given the publishers have "got used" to this system on PS and Xbox (as it's identical) it makes sense for Nintendo to have the same licencing solution. I.e. it would have been much harder for them to negotiate a separate one, specifically for Switch.
This is awesome. My son and I can purchase the games we're interested in and swap consoles rather than buying two copies.
The circumstance I'm curious about is the sharing of content within a household. In my household all the games on the Switch here bought on my account, but my partner plays them too.
If she gets her own switch can she play 'my' games on anything but the primary device? It would be a different user login.
Is the pausing per-game, any-game, or per-account?
If she gets her own switch can she play 'my' games on anything but the primary device? It would be a different user login.
Is the pausing per-game, any-game, or per-account?
Thanks but what I really want to know is this:
If I subscribe to NSO on my main EU account, can I use my secondary JP account to download the JP version of the NES games app?...
So does that mean I'd still have to buy stuff twice to play with my daughter onn her switch?
so it sounds like if my gf and i make each other's switches our PRIMARY consoles, we will be able to play all of the same games and i won't have to keep buying two copies of everything
I read on Reddit, that you can play together as long as the main account stays offline. So you should be able to play local together.
From what I can gather (and I'm trying to work it out like everyone else!!), as long as she plays as your account on her Switch, and you play with a different account on yours (just set a new one up), then it's fine. It think.
No, because local play disables WiFi, which is needed to do the constant checks
No need to keep the main account offline. Just set each switch as the other accounts primary switch. As far as I can tell, it's working just like Xbox or Playstation
This whole set up with primary and secondary console is obviously intended for people being able to play their games on multiple consoles. We call it game sharing, but that is just a nice, but limited, side effect.
I'm still waiting for proper family sharing - the way Steam and Google have it implemented. All of them have the concept of family accounts but only really use if for parental controls. Let me select games I bought and share them with my wife or kid. I don't mind if they put some control in place to ensure that it's used for genuine family sharing and not just friends sharing their games.
I'm still waiting for proper family sharing - the way Steam and Google have it implemented. All of them have the concept of family accounts but only really use if for parental controls. Let me select games I bought and share them with my wife or kid. I don't mind if they put some control in place to ensure that it's used for genuine family sharing and not just friends sharing their games.
I'm trying to figure this out. How does this work for a family. Can I have my Switch and my kids each get a Switch, and they can all play my purchased games? BUT they have to choose my account to do so on their Switch's?
So can they each play Mario Kart (my purchase) at the same time with each other?
So can they each play Mario Kart (my purchase) at the same time with each other?
Best possible way to get around this would be to set up a new Nintendo account with a friend/family member and have it buy all the games you want to share in the future. Declare one system primary and have the one owning it play with another account (his own one) - The non-primary system user has to play with the newly created account. Works best for non-online games, so that the primary system just enters flight mode if he wants to play games from that account. Both can play at any time.
Nope - or only kind of. They can't play together if the primary account is locked to your switch. If it's on one of their Switches, the one with the primary account goes "offline" and can probably play trough a local connection with the one that has to be connected online due to being a non-primary account.
They can not play online together though. Also 2 systems is max at the same time - you can't play with 3 systems at the same time.
Nope - or only kind of. They can't play together if the primary account is locked to your switch. If it's on one of their Switches, the one with the primary account goes "offline" and can probably play trough a local connection with the one that has to be connected online due to being a non-primary account.
They can not play online together though. Also 2 systems is max at the same time - you can't play with 3 systems at the same time.
Yes...unless you plan to play it outside without internet, then you can't play on your Switch Account as it won't be the primary.
Currently, I have my brother's account on my Switch. My account is the primary, his is secondary. He has his own switch on which his account is the primary one.
Now my question is, am I able to enter the eshop using his (secondary) account on my switch and download his games? Or do I need to switch him to a primary account before being able to download the games?
I understand that to play the content I need to be on his account regardless. But I just wanted to clarify what type of account can download the purchased games. Thanks!
Now my question is, am I able to enter the eshop using his (secondary) account on my switch and download his games? Or do I need to switch him to a primary account before being able to download the games?
I understand that to play the content I need to be on his account regardless. But I just wanted to clarify what type of account can download the purchased games. Thanks!
Anyone tried this?
I want to make my family switch the main console for my account where I bought some games so any other user on this console will be able to play them.
So that would make my "own" Switch the secondary console. If I start a downloaded game (ex: Dead Cells)...
1- I guess it needs to authenticate to start?
2- I put my console to sleep after starting the game, does it need to do it again when I resume my game?
Thanks
I want to make my family switch the main console for my account where I bought some games so any other user on this console will be able to play them.
So that would make my "own" Switch the secondary console. If I start a downloaded game (ex: Dead Cells)...
1- I guess it needs to authenticate to start?
2- I put my console to sleep after starting the game, does it need to do it again when I resume my game?
Thanks
I haven't followed the thread, but did I miss a big announcement for this? This is a pretty big deal bringing Nintendo's digital content practices more in line with what I expect from their competitors.
Has anyone tested if the same profile can play different games on different Switches?
For example, if I wanted to play Human Fall Flat on the Primary Switch on my Account and a 2nd person wanted to play Overcooked 2 on my Account on their Switch...is that allowed?
For example, if I wanted to play Human Fall Flat on the Primary Switch on my Account and a 2nd person wanted to play Overcooked 2 on my Account on their Switch...is that allowed?
No announcement was made, it was stealth dropped. Obviously because that makes people not buy a game twice, which is less money for Nintendo
I can't get my head around this. My brother can now literally play like 40 eshop games I bought, on his own Switch? And the only restriction is that he has to use my Mii? Why would Nintendo even give us this option?!
He was about to buy Undertale. I don't understand how this benefits Nintendo at all.
He was about to buy Undertale. I don't understand how this benefits Nintendo at all.