Skip to main content

Nintendo Switch update lets you capture video and transfer saves to a new console

Nintendo Switch update lets you capture video and transfer saves to a new console

/

But there are caveats...

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

The latest version of the Nintendo Switch firmware (version 4.0.0) is now available to download. It delivers some much-needed features, including the ability to transfer user profiles and saved data to a new console, and capture gameplay video. But, unfortunately, there are limitations to these functions which will leave some fans a little annoyed.

For a start, video capture only works with four games for now: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, and Splatoon 2. The feature automatically captures 30 seconds of gameplay, storing the video in the system’s album. From there you can trim the clips and share them using Facebook or Twitter. No other share options seem to be available.

Data transfers are a little more exciting (to stretch the meaning of the word) but still limited. Switch users who download the update will be able to move user profiles and saved game data from one console to another, with the original data wiped in the process. As Nintendo says: “Once the process is complete, the user information, the associated save data, and the software purchased with the user account that is transferred will no longer be available on the source console.”

This is useful, but it’s not the same as being able to freely back up data onto an external memory card — something that fans have been asking for. Data transfers alone aren’t any good if you lose your console. Let’s hope another update will deliver this functionality some time in the future.