Long-time fans of Nintendo likely rememberWii Sportswith fondness. The title made great use of the Wii’s novel motion controls, and gave players a way to engage in single or multiplayer fun before spending a single additional cent on games for the console.
As such, many fans were delighted when they learned of the reveal ofNintendo Switch Sports, a spiritual successor to the Wii classic.Reception ofNintendo Switch Sportshas been relatively good, but there’s at least one unexpected drawback that’s leaving some players disappointed.
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While most of the Wii’s appeal came from the motion controls and the unique way they could be utilized to control game avatars, theNintendo Switch is loved for its portabilityand ability to be played anywhere, regardless of whether the player has access to a TV or monitor. That’s why it may come as a surprise and disappointment when players discovered thatNintendo Switch Sports' local multiplayer mode can’t be played in tabletop mode.
While players can enjoy single-player mode with the Switch set in tabletop mode, the same isn’t true of local multiplayer. Players must firstplug the Switch into the dockin order to play. Trying to access the mode and then undocking the Switch also doesn’t work, as it produces a notification that it must be docked. To make matters worse, this means that local multiplayer is completely incompatible with the Switch Lite, as it doesn’t have docking functionality and isn’t intended to be connected directly to a TV or monitor.
To be fair, trying to participate in a multiplayer game ofNintendo Switch Sportswhile staring at the small screen on the Nintendo Switch would likely be quite difficult for all involved. While sitting around the device does allow for multiplayer play,Nintendo Switch Sportsis a more active game, and being glued to the screen isn’t something that would work well, especially with fast-paced games like tennis. Even so, some fans are undoubtedly upset by this discovery as it goes against the portable nature of the Switch that it’s so appreciated for.
It’s unlikely that Nintendo has any plans to change this fact, so players will just have to wait until they can hook it up to a TV to play with friends locally. Players should be careful, though, as at least onemonitor has been ruined byNintendo Switch Sportsalready by having a remote fly out of a user’s hand and smash the screen. WhileNintendo Switch Sportsisn’t a simple port ofWii Sports, there are definite parallels between the two, so players should remember to use a strap on their Joy-cons before gearing up to play.
