Better late than never. The native Twitch app for Nintendo Switch has been a long time coming, but it's finally arrived on our consoles. It seemed incredible that a console like the Nintendo Switch didn't yet have an official Twitch app to let us enjoy our favorite streamers right on the handheld.
Twitch comes as a native app to Nintendo Switch
Nintendo may have had mixed feelings about Amazon's live streaming platform, as a product like Twitch is difficult to moderate. Nintendo is very cautious about including third-party content on its consoles for parental control purposes, which is why its games require a separate app for something as basic as voice communication between players. This is surely the reason why this highly anticipated app has taken so long to release. And Nintendo has also played it safe, because although the app is very comprehensive , it does have some limitations.
Twitch Limitations for Nintendo Switch
First and foremost, you should know that the new app is exclusively for consuming content . You won't be able to live stream your gameplay using only the console, as you can on other platforms. If you're interested in sharing your Nintendo Switch gameplay live, you'll have to do it the same way as before: capturing the image separately and using a computer to send the stream to Twitch.
The other limitation of Twitch on Nintendo Switch is the chat . You also can't interact directly using the console. To talk to your favorite streamer , you'll have to scan a QR code that appears in the Switch app with your phone. This will open your smartphone's default web browser with the chat window in full screen so you can participate. It might seem cumbersome, but it's definitely better to type with your phone's keyboard than with the Nintendo Switch's keyboard. Finally, you also can't take screenshots in the app, neither in the menus nor during broadcasts.
How to install Twitch on the Nintendo Switch
To install the Twitch application on your Nintendo Switch, go to the console's main menu and follow these steps:
- Open Nintendo eShop. It is an application that is located just below the games that you have installed on the console, specifically it is a yellow icon with a bag in the shape of a shopping bag.
- Select your user of Nintendo Switch and press Accept.
- Once inside the Nintendo eShop, the easiest way is through a direct search. To do this, we touch Search, the first item in the list on the left sidebar.
- We write "Twitch" and accept. We localized the application and we click to enter the download process.
- In the right sidebar, we click on «Free download».
- We accept the process and wait for it to be downloaded and installed on our console.
Once this is done, we can now access the application from the main screen of Nintendo Switch.
Application interface
The first time you open the app, you'll see four columns: Sign in , Home (which is where the app will open by default), Explore , and Search . In the upper right corner, you can access the app's settings.
Log In
To make life easier for us, the Twitch application has the same authentication system as Amazon Prime Video on Smart TVs. They will not ask us for a username and password, but a huge QR and a code will be shown. You can login in the way that is most comfortable for you:
- El first method to log in is done using the smartphone. Scan the QR using Google Lens or any code reader and follow the link. Your browser will open and ask for confirmation.
- El second method it's even simpler. if you have a navigator where you're already logged in to Twitch, simply go to twitch.tv/activate. Enter the code and accept.
You will automatically be logged into Twitch on your console . You may be asked for some additional confirmation, such as a captcha to verify you are not a robot or an extra code that will be sent to your email. Once this is done, the "Log In" column will disappear from the console.
Home
Every time we open the app, this column will open by default. It will primarily display the users we follow who are currently live . We'll also see channel suggestions that the platform thinks might interest us.
You can navigate through the live streams using the D-pad or joystick on your controller or Joy-Con without any problems. When you want to watch something, press A. You can choose to watch the live stream , follow the user , or go to their profile . If you choose the last option, you'll have access to the user's latest live streams, as well as a brief description of their channel.
Explore and Search
Explore will allow us to search for streams by filtering by video game . The interface displayed is exactly the same as the Twitch website. Finally, the search bar will allow us to enter the name of a channel or video game and access the content very quickly.
Settings
Within Settings (the gear icon that's always visible in the upper right corner), you'll find four options, but the only one of interest is Your Profile , as the rest are just informational links. From "Your Profile," you can simply log out and log in later with a different user if you wish.
How to activate Twitch chat using the Nintendo Switch app
As you may have noticed, using the application is quite straightforward, but we still have one question: how to use the chat.
If you click on a live stream, before clicking "Watch Live," the chat will appear in a column on the right side of the screen. You can view it, but you can't participate directly or view the chat while watching the stream. To use the chat, click on the " Join the Conversation " option.
A new QR code will appear , which we'll need to scan with our mobile QR code reader app. The link will take us to the user's live stream on our smartphone in "Chat Only" mode. It's not the most elegant solution, but we're glad that at least there's a way to use it.