When Nintendo unveiled the Switch 2 earlier this year, one of the big reveals was for GameChat, the console’s video and voice chat hub. For the first time, Nintendo users have a program that gives players live captions and text-to-speech options. However, the latter might be a little too good, as it can apparently transcribe curse words as well.
Switch 2 owner David Howe confirmed Switch 2’s ability to bring bad words from speech to text (via Eurogamer).
It’s surprising that the issue wasn’t addressed by launch, and given Nintendo’s family-friendly reputation, we wouldn’t be shocked if a future update limits or eliminates the ability to make the Switch 2 transcribe those words.
Nintendo has already disclosed that it reserves the right to “collect, monitor, and record” audio and video chats conducted through Switch 2. The company later clarified that it will only review those recordings if the chats are reported for violating community guidelines. Nintendo has also disclosed several safety measures to prevent children from being preyed upon by older GameChat users. For example, players younger than 16 need a parent or guardian’s permission to use GameChat, and a phone number is required for all users to sign up for it.
The Nintendo Switch mobile app was recently updated with GameChat and other Switch 2 features. The app now allows players to invite friends to GameChat, view each others’ play history, and add new friends via friend code or a QR code. It also let’s players see the Switch 2 games in their play history.
GameChat is free for now, but it will become a paid feature on April 1, 2026.
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