Nintendo Switch could finally connect to your Bluetooth headphones

Nintendo Switch with larger display remix

(Image credit: Niphon Subsri / Shutterstock | Remix via Nick Bush)

The Nintendo Switch might finally exist getting support for Bluetooth headphones, after years of forcing users to rely on either wires or third-party dongles.

Dataminers have been diving into the Switch's recent 12.0.0 firmware update, which on the surface looks pretty bland. Simply dataminer OatmealDome discovered that the update likewise adds audio support for the Switch'due south Bluetooth commuter.

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OatmealDome notes that the update doesn't appear to be doing anything right now, and information technology'south not clear if it ever volition. But it does mean the Switch could finally, at long final, officially back up Bluetooth headphones.

[Nintendo Switch System Update]12.0.0 has added audio support to the Bluetooth driver.*However*, I'm not sure if anything is actually using this new back up so far. No guarantees it will e'er be used, either.(SOURCE: yellows8 via SwitchBrew)https://t.co/Zyn35f3dZd pic.twitter.com/Ag5I0h8nicApril 7, 2021

Frankly, the console should accept supported Bluetooth sound from day ane. Especially given how the rest of the tech industry has been moving towards wireless sound for several years. But as clichéd equally it sounds, having this feature roll out a few years tardily is better than never getting information technology at all.

I just hope that Nintendo unlocks Bluetooth audio support soon. Or at to the lowest degree before we're allowed to travel again. The Switch'due south portability makes it the perfect companion for long trips, but the lack of official Bluetooth sound support has made that bittersweet.

Existence able to play Breath of the Wild on a aeroplane is great, until yous realize your noise-cancelling headphones don't support iii.5mm cables. The roar of the engines, and the abiding screams of the child iii rows dorsum, really spoils the immersion.

The alternative is buying a dedicated gear up of headphones just for the Switch, which isn't platonic. Neither is using a Bluetooth dongle that has its own ability needs. Either information technology'southward pulling free energy straight from the Switch, which reduces your already limited bombardment life, or you have to contend with the fact it will need recharging at some point.

Lack of wireless sound back up may not exist the most pressing issue with the Switch, but information technology's not a very big enquire. And if Nintendo actually throws united states a win, I promise Sony and Microsoft will follow conform. Considering I'd rather not take to resort to dedicated wireless headsets or dongles on my other consoles either.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which ways he can usually be establish knee deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long manner from his days equally editor of Gizmodo United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, when pretty much everything was on the tabular array. He's usually found trying to clasp another giant Lego set up onto the shelf, draining very large cups of java, or lament that Ikea won't let him purchase the stuff he actually needs online.