Nintendo Switch 2's C-button is useless unless you pay up — here's why

With the introduction of GameChat for the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo finally has it's own multiplayer voice platform and a Discord-esque chat app.

It can be accessed via the system's UI or directly from the new C button on the right hand Joy-Con 2.

While pressing the button is free, actually using the features its connected to will cost you. GameChat is being folded into the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) membership that lets you access online features and multiplayer.

If you don't pay for NSO, the C button won't do anything if you press it after the free period ends on March 31, 2026.

"“You would be able to find out about the NSO subscription there and get a sense of some of the functionality," Nintendo's vice president of player and product experience Bill Trinen told Polygon.

We're assuming that it would open up the GameChat app, which would exhort you to get an NSO subscription will explaining how the video chat works.

What is GameChat for Switch 2?

With GameChat you can chat with friends in both handheld or docked mode using the built-in microphone. It also lets you stream your gameplay to each other.

Nintendo will also sell a camera accessory that lets you chat face-to-face overlay yourself on your stream. You could see some of this during the Treehouse livestream last week that showed off new features and gameplay.

As a reminder, an NSO membership costs $19.99 a year for an individual or $34.99 for a family membership, which can include up to eight Nintendo accounts. =

With the Switch 2, Nintendo is offering a new version called the NSO + Expansion Pack for $49.99 a year. The expansion pack will get you access to N64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis games. It'll also have expansions for Splatoon 2: Octo, Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise.

According to Trinen, connecting GameChat to the NSO membership is a "critical piece of the Nintendo Switch 2 experience."

To be fair...

To be fair to Nintendo, competitors PlayStation and Xbox also make you pay a fee for a number of online features, including access to online multiplayer.

As far as we can tell, neither charge to chat with people, though they don't currently offer anything similar to what Nintendo is offering with the chat streaming video.

Our colleague Anthony Spadafora got some hands on time with the Switch 2 last week and believes GameChat could be a "a big game changer" with the potential to transform co-op play.

We'll know more once we get our hands on the Switch 2 in June, which might retain its announced $449 price, though recent tariffs could change that.

More from Tom's Guide

• Nintendo explains the Switch 2's higher price tag — here's why it's $449
• Nintendo confirms Switch 2 won’t utilize Hall Effect sticks — and that could be a huge problem
• I played the Switch 2, but speaking with Nintendo made me realize just how big of a game changer GameChat could be