Well, here’s a wonderful surprise: Nintendo has pushed out a new update for the original Switch console that greatly improves the eShop experience, making it easier and faster to navigate.
On June 15, as spotted by Vooks, Nintendo released update 22.5.0 for the Switch and quietly fixed the eShop, one of the console’s biggest problems over the last few years. Previously, the eShop was very slow, everything took far longer than it should to load, and scrolling around it was a terrible experience. Now, it appears that the eShop is a native app and not some odd browser-powered thing. As a result, the Switch’s digital store is a lot snappier and more responsive. You can see the shop in action below:
Wow, that’s fast! Kotaku’s own Rebekah Valentine also tested out the new update and confirmed that, while it’s not quite as snappy as the Switch 2’s eShop, the eShop on Switch is a much better experience than before. And now, the store supports dark mode, too, assuming your console is set to dark mode.
Now, to be clear, this update didn’t magically remove all the slop that still fills the eShop. But at least you can now scroll past it more quickly and effectively, which is something. This new updated eShop also supports pins for added security, too, so it looks and operates a lot like the shop found on the newer Switch 2. This is one more reminder to never stop believing. Miracles still happen. Eventually.
Here’s the full update 22.5.0 patch notes:
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The Nintendo eShop layout has been redesigned
- The Nintendo eShop color will now reflect the theme color if your theme in System Settings is set to “Basic Dark.”
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User-Verification PIN can now be used to confirm when “Accessing Nintendo eShop” and “Using Saved Payment Methods.”
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Added the ability to rewind 10 seconds/advance 10 seconds with the ZL and ZR Buttons when watching a full screen video in News or Nintendo eShop.
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General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.