Nintendo announces surprise NSO: Playtest Program

Back when the Nintendo Switch was first announced, the console manufacturer hosted a sort of trial period of its NSO service – testing the system’s online capabilities before being turned into the paid service that it is today. In a surprise announcement, Nintendo appears to be doing something similar once again with an upcoming playtest – perhaps related to the upcoming Switch successor?

Making the announcement on Twitter (and their website), Nintendo stated:

“We will perform a test called Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program related to a new feature for the Nintendo Switch Online service offered for the Nintendo Switch system. We will recruit people to participate in this test from those with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack memberships. Customers will need to download exclusive software to their own Nintendo Switch system in order to participate. Please review the application guidelines below before applying.”

Full details on how to participate can be found HERE. This announcement comes as a pretty big surprise given the fact that Nintendo has not conducted such a test since the start of the Switch generation – suggesting that some pretty major NSO upgrades are currently in the works.

While certainly a mostly-functional system, Nintendo Switch Online is undoubtedly less mature than the likes of the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live, and so it will be interesting to see what Nintendo is planning to add/improve.

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KitGuru says: Will you participate in this playtest? What do you think they are actually testing? How can Nintendo improve its Online services? Let us know down below.

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