Nintendo Switch Update 4.0 Released, Adds Cool New Features [Update: Even More Than We Realized]

A big new update for the Nintendo Switch is out now. Update 4.0.0 adds a number of notable and welcome features, perhaps the biggest of which are video capture support and the ability to transfer data to a new system. It's a big update. [Update: It turns out there's more to this update than expected, as it introduces wireless headphone support to Switch. Additionally, a new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update is out, adding support for the new video capture feature.]

With the update applied, you can hold down the Capture button and this will record the previous 30 seconds, saving to your album. You can then edit your video and share it to Facebook and Twitter. Supported games include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Arms, and Splatoon 2. This feature is not working yet for Mario Kart 8. An message in the Switch's news channel says the feature is supported at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe version 1.3.0, but the current version is 1.2.1. So it sounds like the feature will be unlocked later in the racing game. Nintendo also says "many more games" will add support for video capture in the future.

The other major new feature in the 4.0 update is the ability to transfer user and save data to another Switch. You must have the 4.0 update to do this. And it sounds like this is a permanent migration, so be aware of that. "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," reads a line from Nintendo's explanation. Complete instructions on how to perform the data transfer can be found here on Nintendo's Support site.

Additionally, today's Switch update adds a number of new user icons for Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild, giving users even more customisation options. Another new feature is the ability to pre-buy and pre-load "certain games" from the eShop. This follows a previous update that added a new eShop tab for games that are on sale.

The new Switch 4.0 update also gives the News feed a new look and a new feature that removes a particular channel's content from the feed when you unfollow the channel. Another nice, behind-the-scenes feature in this update is "Match Version with Local Users." As its name suggests, this feature updates everyone's games to their latest versions, which sounds handy for people who multiple profiles installed on one system.

Another neat new feature is the ability to use GameCube controllers on the Nintendo Switch. In order to do this, you'll need the adapter made available for the Wii U, however. You can read more about GameCube controller support on Switch here.

Finally, the patch makes a change to wireless connectivity. Networks that use TKIP security will now show up as grayed-out instead of being totally hidden.

Nintendo Switch 4.0.0 Update

Patch notes posted by Nintendo

Added the following system functionality

• Capture video on select games
  • To capture video, hold down the Capture Button during gameplay
  • Up to maximum of the previous 30 seconds will be saved in the Album. You can trim the beginning and end of each clip, and post to Facebook and Twitter.
  • As of October 18th, 2017, this feature is compatible with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, and Splatoon 2
• Select from 12 new Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild icons for your user
  • To edit your user icon, head to your My Page on the top left of the Home Menu > Profile
• Transfer user and save data to another system
  • To transfer, head to System Settings > Users > Transfer Your User and Save Data
• Pre-purchase option on Nintendo eShop
  • A pre-purchase option will be available for certain games. This option allows pre-load of the game to your system for quicker play when the game is released.
  • This feature will be supported by future game releases
• News channel updates
  • The news feed has been updated with a new look.
  • Unfollowing a channel will remove that channel's content from the news feed and following the channel again will make it reappear.
• Match software version with a group of local users
  • To create a group, head to the software's Options > Software Update > Match Version with Local Users
  • Everyone's software will be updated to match the most recent version in the group
  • All users must be on system menu version 4.0.0 or later to view and join a group

General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience, including:

• Changed the specification which hid wireless networks using TKIP security from the network search results. Wireless networks using TKIP security will now display in search results as a grayed-out selection instead of not being displayed
  • The Nintendo Switch console supports WEP, WPA-PSK(AES), and WPA2-PSK(AES). If your router is using a different security type (e.g. WPA-PSK(TKIP)), you will need to change this security type within your router's settings.