Nintendo Switch Online Users Surprised With New Freebie

March 1, 2022, 8:48pm

Nintendo has released a new Nintendo Switch Online update, which comes with a surprise new freebie for subscribers on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED. While subscribers to the base model and those with the Expansion Pack will have to wait longer for more N64 games, they can now customize their user icons as they wait for more content. This may sound like a basic feature, but it wasn’t available previously. That said, this freebie isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. And this isn’t surprising as nothing is ever straightforward with Nintendo. To unlock a variety of customization options, players will need to spend Platinum Points, which are earned by completing various missions.

Not only can players now customize their icons with new frames and backgrounds, but these are the first Nintendo Switch icons added since November 2020. Unfortunately, those not subscribed to the subscription service do not have access to any of these new icons, new frames, or new backgrounds. Meanwhile, those who can access all of this can only access it to April 4, 2022, because come the fourth of next month a new set replaces the current set of options.

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As you would expect, these sets are set to be themed to specific games. The current set, for example, is populated with icons, frames, and backgrounds from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Mario Odyssey. Why these sets can’t be accessed in perpetuity and added to with future sets, we don’t know. Nintendo doesn’t say why sets are limited to specific windows of time. Thankfully for Animal Crossing fans, it sounds like they will be included in all future sets, with the plan to base the Animal Crossing offerings based on which characters are having their in-game birthdays that month.

As always, we will keep you updated as we learn more, but for now, this is the extent of what’s been added and what’s been said about what the plan is for this new feature.

For more Nintendo Switch coverage — including not just the latest on Nintendo Switch, but the latest on Nintendo Switch Online and the rumored Nintendo Switch 2 — click here.