I play quite a few games on an iPhone 8 (including stuff like the Sonic mobile ports) with galaxy buds and never notice any audio lag. Have not had a chance to test on Switch yet, but if it performs the same, I'll be happy.
A new update is available on the Nintendo Switch that includes the ability to pair Bluetooth devices for audio output.
- Thread starter IDontBeatGames
- Start date
Why do people keep repeating this?
Bluetooth audio is not standard at all. The PS4, PS5, OG Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S don't support Bluetooth headphones.
I mean, you're right but also no. Those headsets use a 2.4 GHz connection vía USB dongle, but there's nothing special about them. Almost all audio brands develop 2.4 Ghz headsets for PS and Xbox, some of them even release them on Switch or update their firmwares to add compatibility.
Hell, a common ocurrence on PS4+Switch users is using the Gold or Platinum headset on both consoles, and PlayStation headsets work wonders on Switch, albeit with limited compatibility (on ear controls don't work correctly)
Bluetooth audio is objectively inferior to 2.4 Ghz audio, but even with that having this is good news because of the convenience of using the same BT earbuds for both your phone and Switch.
They prioritized wireless controller support and that used all of the Bluetooth bandwidth available. Recently they must have decided the tradeoff in which 6 of the 8 controller signals are deactivated so that there is enough bandwidth for audio is worth exploring.
The Vita didn't leave much of a mark where it counts, but it really fucked with people's perception of this one feature
Not to mention they had themes and folders in their consoles a decade ago.
I don't quite understand why it's so hard for people to grasp that the Switch OS is intentionally lean in order to ensure that it's extremely fast and snappy.
I don't know about you, but I can't make phone calls with any of my consoles
Yeah, beccause you can use bluetooth headphones on current gen Xbox and Playstation...
A decade ago, only two consoles had bluetooth audio, and one of them as a PSP revision that absolutely flopped.
Hardly a standard.
After that, only the Vita, wich also flopped, extremely hard.
No current console supports Bluetooth audio.
You guys can't even do your research properly
This update dropped literally as I've gone on a 3 week work trip so I'm glad I'll be able to use my AirPods and not have to buy wired earphones.
it's kinda insane it's taken this long for such basic Bluetooth functionality like this tho haha
I know ps and Xbox don't use it but for the switch it makes perfect sense.
it's kinda insane it's taken this long for such basic Bluetooth functionality like this tho haha
I know ps and Xbox don't use it but for the switch it makes perfect sense.
Because low informed hot takes are what's in right now
This is fantastic. Now I can use my SteelSeries for all 3 main consoles while being in Xbox Party chat on my Series X.
Very unlikely seeing as how Nintendo would have to pay Dolby a license fee for every Switch sold to enable such a feature. The reason this happened is because Nintendo licensing Bluetooth for the controllers gave them an audio codec for "free."
If Nintendo had to pay for a low latency codec like Aptx this update would have never come. Kinda like the Netfix situation (where Nintendo won't license Playready DRM), it's best not to expect anything from Nintendo that requires them paying for someone else's technology.
Bluetooth isn't that great though for gaming, is it? Or has something changed? I would imagine it would have noticeable latency. Kind of odd Nintendo would do this to be honest. I'm sure I'm probably wrong about this, but my experience using bluetooth audio for this kind of thing has been...lackluster.
This argument is so fucking stupid, I need to interject. People, it wasn't standard a decade ago when bluetooth was less common, but also you have to understand that those were home consoles. Not a portable device that can be taken anywhere, which is when wireless audio becomes more useful and common, it's the height of stupidity that the damn device didn't support this since the moment it launched. It's less people not doing their "research properly". and more so the people defending Nintendo over this shit not using their brains because they're too quick to defend Nintendo no matter what.
Sounds like an arbitrary excuse to justify it not being on those systems...
it can be good (or rather, at its best), but it requires proprietary codecs to be licensed.
It should also be on those systems, that doesn't excuse Nintendo. As I said in a previous post you can connect your wired headphones into your wireless controller on both consoles (most bluetooth headphones comes with a 3.5 optional cable that you can use as well), can't do that on the switch when playing with it docked unless you sit very close to the dock, which I personally don't. But it's not just an excuse either, it's common sense that wireless audio is something that you would be more likely to use on a mobile device.
But the Switch is also a home console and not strictly a mobile device. The PSP and Vita didn't have the issue of needing to utilize Bluetooth as a connection for their controllers because the controllers were built into the system. The Switch being a home console has decoupled the controllers from the system as a result.
Now maybe you could have an argument about the controllers not having a headphone jack built into them, but by the nature of the split joy cons and having two as a controller, that introduces other design issues by having another jack on them. So it's not a trivial thing either because of those design issues.
The simple fact is, Bluetooth audio on gaming home consoles is not common at all due to the technical issues involved so we shouldn't pretend that Nintendo is doing something different or unusual here by not having it until now. The fact that they have it all is pretty surprising and not common at all.
I stand corrected. I was confusing it with something completely different. My apologies.
Don't think its the Vita, just phones all generally do so it's easy to assume consoles all have it for someone who hasn't don't their research and is looking for a negative nancy angle.
That and a deep desire to complain about Nintendo being late to the party "again" etc. etc.
The motivations are kind of plain to see.
Thought to try it...naturally, Pokémon disables it straight away unless you switch over to online mode (and all its caveats).
Why are Game Freak like this?
Why are Game Freak like this?
Just paired my Sony wh-1000xm3 to my switch lite and played Mario Kart 8 and it sounded great. The pairing was easy and no audio issues.
I don't think it's people wanting to be negative, it's just the expectations for portable hardware have changed.
I can connect wireless headphones to my laptop, tablet, phone, Vita and even my damn watch!
In fact the Switch is the only portable device here that didn't support wireless audio and it's been that way for years.
So of course the desire / expectation was there and the fact it's been implemented on launch hardware shows it could've been and arguably should've been done a lot sooner.
Having to take a separate pair of headphones with me whenever I took my Switch Lite anywhere was never suddenly okay because my wired in PlayStation at home doesn't support Bluetooth audio.
I can connect wireless headphones to my laptop, tablet, phone, Vita and even my damn watch!
In fact the Switch is the only portable device here that didn't support wireless audio and it's been that way for years.
So of course the desire / expectation was there and the fact it's been implemented on launch hardware shows it could've been and arguably should've been done a lot sooner.
Having to take a separate pair of headphones with me whenever I took my Switch Lite anywhere was never suddenly okay because my wired in PlayStation at home doesn't support Bluetooth audio.
LOL. Doesn't it have some caveat pertaining to local multiplayer? Maybe the Y-Comm is always in some search mode or something and that's why?
Because the Switch is the only one of those devices that is designed out of the box to seamlessly work with up to 8 wireless controllers.
It's not that hard to understand what the barrier was here.
Might be they've reserved the bandwidth for multiplayer whether or not its in session
So this update has suddenly made it not able to work with 8 wireless controllers?
Expectations for wireless consumer hardware has changed, this should've been bought in when the Lite launched.
Yeah, you're stuck in "local mode" if you play offline, with no way to disable it for some unfathomable reason. Outright disables the Switch's online connection.
Correct. They now allow it to disable 6 out of 8 controller signals in order to free up the bandwidth needed for bluetooth audio.
I have previously used a Genki adapter to use bluetooth headphones (Airpods Pro) with the Switch, and the delay with this is a lot less significant. There's still some, but it's surprisingly good.
Dropped from 8 to 2, no bandwidth left for a mic either unless all controllers are disconnected
So it was just an issue of prioritisation I suppose...
Who's to say how many more people will connect a wireless headset to their Switch over 8 controllers but my only real point here was I don't think people were being out of line or delivering 'bad takes' when saying this should've been in years ago.
We live in a wireless world now and Bluetooth audio is standard on portable devices. The Switch has been an outlier for years so I get (and shared) the frustration.
This isn't to say I'm not happy it's now here! (At last 😉) I'll personally get a LOT of use out of it.
They were also the first company to offer proper wireless controllers and had Bluetooth 4.0 on the Wii U and 4.1 on the Switch - compared to the 2.1 on the PS4. So yes, I do expect them to push Bluetooth tech forward since they have consistently pushed it and other forms of wireless connectivity (like the Wii U gamepad).
Fucking yes!!!!! I've been using my PS4 gold headset on my Switch, which works fine, but this will be so much better.
You probably.need a dedicated audio BT chip to do controllers and audio in a future Switch
Phones don't need to worry about this because they don't need to connect to 8 controllers and cost far more. People also usually only use it to pair their smart devices and listen to Spotify on it where audio lag is not an issue. Very different use cases.
The fact no other console, has wireless BT enabled should tell you something.
It's not the outlier for not having it though; it is the outlier for having it now. There's no other dedicated gaming system that uses Bluetooth controllers that has Bluetooth audio on the market right now and there's only ever been one before now.
Tried pairing my Galaxy buds+. Didn't work the first time (docked from 4/5 feet away). The second time I tried it I undocked, and held it at most a foot from my head as I tried to pair. The Switch says it can't connect, but it DID connect and I could hear through the headphones but the latancy was pretty bad. After clicking it again it still says it can't connect even though it's working.
Gotta say I do consider it surprising that they just decided to enable it after 4 years of selling the thing lol. Uninformed speculation: the OLED model will have a better wireless chip that will allow for lower latency audio. Nintendo just patched it in now to be ready for it's launch and threw the plebs who own the older unit a bone lol.
Gotta say I do consider it surprising that they just decided to enable it after 4 years of selling the thing lol. Uninformed speculation: the OLED model will have a better wireless chip that will allow for lower latency audio. Nintendo just patched it in now to be ready for it's launch and threw the plebs who own the older unit a bone lol.