When the Switch 2 launches in June, longtime users could see two major improvements to the Nintendo eShop. Nintendo is aiming to address complaints of its digital storefront, which has long been criticized for being slow to navigate through and for being populated with cheap shovelware titles that often use underhanded methods to stand out. In a developer roundtable, Nintendo confirmed that the eShop will benefit from performance upgrades and that a new feature on the store will make finding games easier for users.
Takuhiro Dohta, Nintendo’s senior director for entertainment planning and development, explained in a Nintendo post how the Switch 2 hardware will make exploring the eShop faster and smoother. “Thanks to the system’s performance capabilities, Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 has been improved and runs smoothly even when displaying a large number of games. We believe the act of finding the game you want to play is itself part of the game system experience,” Dohta said.
For discoverability, producer for entertainment planning and development Kouichi Kawamoto briefly spoke about the “Game Finds for You” feature that allows users to see screenshots and videos for games. “With this feature, I think players will be able to easily find something interesting without having to search every nook and cranny of Nintendo eShop,” Kawamoto said.
The Nintendo video for the feature revealed how it works, as eShop users will be shown a slideshow of games based on various topics, like a highlighted game matching interests from your wishlist, if you joined a friend to play it, or if it’s a trending title.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will officially launch on June 5, and preorders for it will open up on April 9. There’ll be two options available, as you can pick up the console on its own for $450 or a bundle deal that includes a digital copy of Mario Kart World for $500. For more on the console, you can check out every big announcement from the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, every Switch 2-enhanced game, and all of the confirmed launch games so far.