Nintendo Switch Quietly Releases New System Update
A new update has apparently been released for Nintendo Switch, but this is not a full new version of the system software. Instead, it seems Nintendo has made some changes to version 15.0.1, which released back on October 31st. According to self-described "Switch tinkerer" @OatmealDome, a "rebootless update" was released for the console. Given Nintendo's silence surrounding the update, it shouldn't surprise users to learn that it's a pretty minor one. Apparently the company has made some changes to the system's "bad words lists," adding terms that weren't there before. Nintendo has also made some changes to prevent the system from accidentally blocking inoffensive words in other languages.
Readers can check out the Tweet from @OatmealDome embedded below.
[Nintendo Switch Firmware Update]
— SantamealDome 🎁 (@OatmealDome) December 20, 2022
A rebootless update for 15.0.1 was released.
The sole changes are to the bad words lists. Various terms were added. It also appears the lists were shuffled a bit to prevent inoffensive text from being accidentally blocked in some languages.
Sometimes these types of lists can prevent people's real names from being used, which has been a frequent problem for players across all platforms! Last year, Forza Horizon 5 players on Xbox were frustrated to find that they couldn't use their real names on their license plates, as the game inaccurately believed them to be offensive. Hopefully Nintendo's fine-tuning of the its own systems will help to prevent this type of problem from occurring for Switch users!
While this type of update makes sense from a practicality standpoint, it isn't the most glamorous; there are still a lot of features that Switch owners would like to see added to the platform after all these years! In fact, @OatmealDome's Tweet led to users once again requesting that Nintendo add additional themes beyond the current light and dark offerings. Themes were prominently used in the 3DS era, and the eShop had a significant number for players to purchase, based on various games. At this point in the Switch's lifespan, it's hard to imagine Nintendo will still add this option, but stranger things have happened! After all, the company just added the option to group software on the home screen earlier this year. Perhaps we'll still see themes added sometime down the line!
What kinds of updates would you like to see to the Switch hardware? Are there any features you'd really like to see added? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
