Nintendo Switch consoles have begun to appear in the wild ahead of its March release date and with it are plenty of videos of the UI and even unboxings.
The big news of the day comes from the supposed “first” Nintendo Switch unboxing video that may have revealed more about the console and how Nintendo Accounts will work with the Nintendo eShop than the uploader probably intended.
FloKO’s Nintendo Switch unboxing video goes through the different menus of the console but one eagle-eyed viewer captured this piece of information that changes everything you knew about the Nintendo eShop.
Would you take a look at this: Purchases from the eShop are tied to your Nintendo Account. pic.twitter.com/SyC1BIZm0V
— Bjoern the Switchy (@BjoernTheSmexy) February 17, 2017
Here’s what the fine print says:
“Your Nintendo Account contains your Nintendo eShop purchase history and current balance. By re-linking your Nintendo Account after initializing the console, it will be possible to redownload any software or DLC purchased using that account. (Software that has been discontinued may not be available to redownload in some cases.)”
Nintendo fans have clamored for Nintendo to get up-to-date with other consoles and have digital purchases be linked to personal accounts so they can re-download games on different consoles instead of having to purchase the same go every time a new console is released or if you have more than one console in the house.
This issue was brought up in a recent 1, 2 Switch presentation in New York when asked whether one account can work with more than one console, Nintendo director Shinya Takahashi said, “Currently we don’t have a system like that in place for the Nintendo Switch. There haven’t been any final decisions on how we approach that in the future so unfortunately I can’t provide any concrete answer.”
There’s also the implication that the virtual console purchases will also be linked to your Nintendo Account but that information has yet to be confirmed.
We have reached out to Nintendo for clarification and confirmation and we will update as soon as we learn more.
The Nintendo Switch will release March 3.
So what do you think of Nintendo eShop purchases being linked to your account and not the console? Let us know in the comments section below.
