Minecraft:Nintendo Switch Edition

File:Nintendo Switch Edition.png

Key art by Mojang Studios

Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition is the edition of Minecraft developed by Minecraft:4J Studios and Minecraft:Mojang Studios for Template:W.<ref>Minecraft:4J Studios, [[[:Template:Tweet]] "Minecraft: Switch Edition :) #MinecraftSwitch"], Twitter, 2017-01-13.</ref> It was announced on January 12, 2017 at the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017, and was available on the Nintendo eShop for US$29.99 between May 11, 2017 and June 21, 2018. Existing digital owners are still able to access, re-download, and play this version. A retail version was said to be arriving at a later date, but was never released.<ref name=":0" /> DLC for the game is still available on the Nintendo eShop. Like the Template:Els players, the Nintendo Switch Edition owners have the option to download the Bedrock version for free, however not all DLCs will transfer. As with other games that are released on Nintendo Switch systems, Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition can be played in TV, handheld, or tabletop mode.

Compared to the Template:El, the Nintendo Switch Edition features Minecraft:world sizes up to 3072×3072 blocks (3½ times larger), native 1080p resolution in TV Mode, and the option to constantly save the world in the background akin to the Java and Bedrock Editions.

As of 1.0.16, the Nintendo Switch Edition has not received new feature updates, such as the Minecraft:Update Aquatic, Minecraft:Village & Pillage, Minecraft:Buzzy Bees, the Minecraft:Nether Update, Minecraft:Caves & Cliffs, and so on.<ref>Template:Mcnet</ref>

The Nintendo Switch EditionTemplate:'s most recent feature update is the Minecraft:World of Color Update.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is backwards compatible with Nintendo Switch Edition; however, the game suffers from several stability issues that are not present when played on an original Nintendo Switch, specifically in worlds created on an original Nintendo Switch.<ref>Template:Reddit</ref>

Controls

Template:Main In default settings, the Minecraft:controls are always displayed on the HUD. The controls for Nintendo Switch Edition are similar to Template:El.

Gameplay

Nintendo Switch Edition can be played in TV, handheld, and tabletop mode. The in-game username corresponds to the display name of the current Nintendo Switch user or users, which is changeable. The game is playable with a pair of Joy-Con or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Because of the Nintendo Switch's 720p screen, Minecraft:splitscreen is available even in Tabletop Mode. The render distance in single player is 10 chunks in TV Mode and 7 chunks outside of TV Mode. Worlds from Template:El can be transferred over a local network but cannot be loaded on the Nintendo Switch Edition, as Template:El has Minecraft:Update Aquatic, while the Nintendo Switch Edition does not. Similarly to Minecraft:PlayStation Vita Edition, the network mode of the game can be switched between Online and Local - the latter enables ad-hoc local wireless multiplayer with nearby consoles running Nintendo Switch Edition.

DLC

The following DLC is included in Nintendo Switch Edition:

• Minecraft:Skin packs:
  • Minecraft:Battle & Beasts Skin Pack
  • Minecraft:Battle & Beasts 2 Skin Pack
• Texture packs:
  • Minecraft:Natural Texture Pack
  • Minecraft:City Texture Pack
  • Minecraft:Fantasy Texture Pack
• Mash-up packs:
  • Festive Mash-up
  • Super Mario Mash-up

Any additional DLC for Nintendo Switch Edition can be found on the Nintendo eShop. However, the "Season Pass" and nearly all Mini game DLC are absent on the Nintendo Switch Edition, even though they can be purchased on every other version of Minecraft:Legacy Console Edition, including the Minecraft:Wii U Edition. When asked about this during the Official Minecraft Livestream, it was stated that excluding Nintendo Switch Edition players from DLC is "kind of intentional."<ref>[1] - The Official Minecraft Livestream</ref> The only Mini game DLC available on the platform is the Valley Battle Map through the purchase of the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack.

Trivia

• It had been announced that Nintendo Switch Edition would receive a physical release at a later date but never did.<ref name=":0">Nintendo Direct 4.12.2017 19:39</ref> Mojang has since stated that the edition would "not be available for new purchase" after the release of Template:BE on Nintendo Switch.<ref>Better Together FAQ Minecraft.net</ref>
  • Due to Nintendo Switch Edition being replaced with Template:BE, it remains the only version of Minecraft:Legacy Console Edition that did not receive a physical release.
    • While Minecraft:PlayStation Vita Edition did not receive a physical release in North America, instead having a digital code included in the box, other regions did get a physical cartridge.
  • After it was removed for purchase from the Nintendo eShop, as it is not possible to redeem codes for games that are no longer distributed,<ref>Problems with Download Codes (Software and Downloadable Content)</ref> there is currently no way to purchase this edition, but it can still be viewed in the Nintendo eShop.
  • DLC has not been removed from Nintendo eShop and is still available for purchase. Upon purchase of the DLC, the player will be told to buy the game before using it, unless they already own the Nintendo Switch Edition.
• Along with the other editions of Minecraft for Nintendo platforms and later with the Template:JE and Template:BE for Windows bundle, Nintendo Switch Edition was the most expensive edition of Minecraft, as it was only sold in a bundle with several add-on packs.
  • All DLC included with Nintendo Switch Edition are the same as the Xbox One Edition Holiday Pack, except that the Nintendo-exclusive Super Mario Mash-Up Pack is included in place of the Halo Mash-Up Pack. The Halo Mash-Up Pack was Xbox-exclusive until it was later made available as DLC for the Minecraft:Wii U Edition and Nintendo Switch Edition on March 27, 2018.
• Unlike the Minecraft:PlayStation 4 Edition and Minecraft:Xbox One Edition, no free demo of Nintendo Switch Edition was offered for download. The Wii U Edition did not have a demo available for download either.
• Compared to Xbox One Edition and PlayStation 4 Edition, Nintendo Switch Edition has a lower render distance and has neither the Large world size nor the Amplified Worlds option. However, transferring a Minecraft:Java Edition-created Amplified world from the Wii U Edition will force new terrain to render with Amplified features enabled.
• At launch, the maximum resolution in TV Mode was restricted to 720p because of technical difficulties with changing the resolution during gameplay. 1.0.6 resolved this and increased the maximum resolution to 1080p.
• The Wii U save transfer functionality was added in 1.0.7, and unlike other versions of the Legacy Console Edition, it works over a local network.
• Nintendo Switch Edition is the shortest-supported version of Minecraft, lasting only 58 weeks (or just over 13 months) before it was discontinued.
• A Nintendo Switch edition-themed eShop gift card was released in Japan in 2017 containing ¥4000, the exact amount needed to purchase the game.<ref>Physical Digital Versions of Minecraft - Lost In Obscurity</ref>

Gallery

• Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition logo
  Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition logo
• Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition key art
  Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition key art