Switch 2 Accessibility Questions I Hope Get Answered Before Launch

Back in 2020, I was lucky enough to get review unit access to the PS5 and Xbox Series X a few weeks ahead of their official release, in order to prepare accessibility focused reviews of the hardware.

We are currently less than a month away from the release of the Switch 2, and while I’m hoping to get approved for review unit access pre-release, I’m not counting on that happening. Nintendo has historically been very selective about who they provide review unit access to at console launches, and as someone whose work is for a more niche audience I wouldn’t bet money getting approved for a review console ahead of launch as an accessibility critic. 

Also, I don’t think Nintendo and I are on the best terms. I get it, I built a portion of my early career off of trying to reveal info about the Switch ahead of Nintendo’s marketing plans for the console, they have every right to hold that against me. I love you Nintendo, but I totally understand if that love’s not reciprocated. Maybe one day we can be friends again, one can only hope.

That all said, I’ve been preparing a series of accessibility questions ahead of the Switch 2’s launch that I would personally aim to answer in an accessibility review of the console ahead of the system’s release. While I’d obviously love to answer them in my own pre-release review of the system, I don’t know how likely that is to happen. 

That’s why I’ve decided to publish this list of accessibility questions I have about the Switch 2 publicly on the internet. If you’re a game reviewer at a major outlet who gets approved for an early review unit of the Switch 2, and you want your review to be useful to the disabled community, feel free to use this list of questions as a cheat sheet. Answer these either in your main hardware review or a separate article, I’ll just be happy to see the answers to these questions out there before console launch day.

Can a Sightless Blind Player Activate Text to Speech Without Sighted Assistance on a Fresh Console?

Nintendo released a dedicated accessibility information page on their website the same day as the Switch 2 Direct aired. One of the things revealed on that page was that the Switch 2 will feature text to speech menu narration support, designed to help low vision or sightless blind players navigate the console UI.

The important question to answer is if a sightless blind player purchases a Switch 2, for example because they want to play Brock the InvestiGator on the go while travelling, will they be able to activate Text to Speech without sighted assistance on a fresh console initial boot?

When they boot the system up for the first time, is Text to Speech turned on by default, with the first option being whether to keep it on or turn it off? This is best practice for offering Text to speech support for obvious reasons. If a player is going to need sighted assistance to help set up the system, navigate to the accessibility menu, and turn Text to Speech, that’s important information to know.

Which Switch 2 System Menus Don’t Support Text to Speech Narration?

A footnote on the announcement of Text to Speech menu narration support states that it will not be supported on all screens. What aspects of the Switch 2 system navigation process are the exceptions? 

Can you use Text to Speech to navigate the eShop? To navigate the on screen keyboard? Is it supported when typing in a password? Does it work during a system reset? Does that actually just mean it’s not supported once in games? These exceptions are important to help identify for players who may rely on this feature to navigate their console.

What is the Approximate Words per Minute of Text to Speech Narration at Full Speed?

The Switch 2’s Text to Speech accessibility option features a slider to control the speed of menu narration. Approximately what word per minute speed does this feature cap out at?

Text to Speech users typically use the feature at much higher maximum speeds than you might expect if you’re a sighted gamer. While Nintendo demonstrated in a pre-release video how the feature works, they didn’t show the feature at its maximum speed. Does the feature operate fast enough to be useful for its intended user base?

Are There Accessibility Tags on the eShop?

Over the past few years, Xbox and PlayStation have started to offer on their console’s digital store fronts the ability to see developer selected accessibility store tags, informing disabled players whether a particular game supports accessibility features they may require to be able to play a given game.

Earlier this year Nintendo was announced as a part of the Accessible Games Initiative, a collective of game developers and publishers under the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) who were coming together to create standardised naming conventions and descriptive requirements for a series of accessibility store tags.

The idea is that all the companies signed onto the initiative will use the same names for specific accessibility features, and the same definitions and requirements before awarding those accessibility tags to a game.

While AGI companies are not required to implement accessibility store tags on their consoles, or apply those tags to their games on all storefronts, the clear intention is that these companies should be working toward a future where these tags become industry standards.

With PS5 and Xbox Series already supporting Accessibility Store Tags, and Steam currently in the process of creating its own similar system, the question remains, is Nintendo adding accessibility store tags to their eShop on Switch 2 at the system’s launch?

Is the Hori Flex Supported on Switch 2 / When Playing Switch 2 Games?

The Hori Flex is a modular accessibility controller, similar to the Xbox Adaptive Controller, designed as a wired accessory for the base model Nintendo Switch. The device features a series of buttons to emulate the system’s controller inputs, as well as a series of 3.5mm and USB input ports for external peripherals.

As the only officially supported modular accessibility controller of its type for the original Switch, it’s important to know whether the controller works on Switch 2 at launch.

Specifically, does the controller work full stop when plugged into the Switch 2 dock? Does it work for backward compatible Switch 1 games? Can it be used to play Switch 2 games that don’t require motion or mouse inputs?

The Xbox Series S and X console releases were the first time that a new generation of game consoles launched that, out of the box on day one, supported an existing accessibility controller. It’s important to know if Nintendo is the second console maker to manage this feat, with an accessibility controller supported on launch day.

Can The Hori Flex be Used in Tabletop Mode?

A follow up to the previous question – Assuming the Hori Flex is supported on Switch 2 at launch, can it be used when the Switch 2 is in tabletop mode. With a USB-C port on the top of the system, the option to have USB peripherals connected when not docked to a TV is opened up. Can you use a USB-A to USB-C adapter to use the Hori Flex while on the go?

Has support been opened up such that a disabled gamer could use their accessibility controller when playing Switch 2 on a train sat at a table for example?

Are Switch 1 Joy-Con Usable for Switch 2 Software Not Requiring Mouse Mode?

Another simple question, can disabled gamers use Switch 1 Joy-Con to play Switch 2 games, assuming the game doesn’t require mouse mode support?

This is important for players with smaller hands who may find older Joycon easier to hold, as well as those with customised Switch 1 input devices, and those who play using a 1 handed grip. At present there are no one handed grips available for the Joy-Con 2 controller, so being able to stick with last generation controls for next generation titles may be important for some users.

Can You Alter Switch 2 Audio Balance at the System Level? 

This question is based on some unclear wording during the Switch 2 Reveal Direct. Does the Switch 2 support adjusting the volume of high, medium, and low frequencies in your audio mix to account for hearing loss on a system level, or was Nintendo simply describing that they had differently tuned their own overall audio balance profile to one that they think provides better sound quality from the built in speakers?

PS5 recently added support for adjusting the volume of audio frequency ranges on a system level, and it would be really useful to confirm if the Switch 2 supports a similar feature.

Does GameChat’s Speech to Text Support Transcribe Swearing? 

As showcased in a screenshot on the Japanese Nintendo website, Switch 2 players have the option to show a transcript on screen of their voice chat conversations with their friends. Automated text to speech detection can be used to transcribe voice chat, useful for players with hearing loss or sensory processing conditions who may benefit from being able to read back what is being said out loud.

Nintendo is a family friendly company, and as such I have a sneaking suspicion that their implementation of Speech to Text transcription in GameChat may mute or otherwise censor swearing. This would not be hugely surprising to see, YouTube for example replaces swear words in their automated captions with a square bracketed gap rather than providing the swear word used in their automated transcript.

Speech to Text support is designed to make voice chat accessible for disabled gamers. The reality is that sometimes people swear when talking with their friends. If a swear word is audible in voice chat between friends, but censored in the automated transcript, the result is essentially infantilization of the disabled player. Disabled people are allowed to swear, and witness swearing. To censor swearing in automated transcriptions is to treat disabled people as incapable of consenting to rude language, something we shouldn’t be seeing in the current day and age.

Let disabled people swear, and be sworn at, playafully amongst friends.

Can Zelda GPS Guide a Sightless Player Via Fast Updates and Orientation Information?

The Switch 2 Edition Upgrades to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both support a new GPS feature via the Zelda Notes companion mobile app. This feature syncs your phone up to your game, and among other features allows for an automated GPS voice to narrate to the player directional information to help them locate areas in the game.

Two accessibility questions here – Does the smartphone app update location information from the game at a fast enough rate to provide real time navigational aid to a sightless blind player, and does the app provide any support for orienting the player to help them follow the navigation descriptions provided?

The example shown in the Switch 2 Reveal Direct seemed to show the included GPS voice telling the player to walk north. If a sightless blind player is unable to see which direction north is, will the GPS alert them if they start walking in a direction that doesn’t line up with the suggested route? Is there enough information provided for a sightless player to get themselves pointed the correct direction to start following directions from an initial bearing?

Can You Connect a USB Keyboard for Typing?

A pretty simple question – For those who find the on screen or touch screen keyboards inaccessible on Switch 2, will players be able to plug in a standard USB keyboard and use that to type any information needed during their initial setup process?

There’s probably additional accessibility questions that should be answered by a good accessibility review of the Switch 2, but off the top of my head these are the initial questions I would use as a starting point for putting together a comprehensive accessibility review of the Switch 2. I imagine going hands on with the console itself outside of a demo event context other questions would come up, but this is at least a list of questions that ahead of release feel important to answer.

Ideally, I’d love to answer these myself in a pre-release accessibility review. If nobody answers these questions before the release of the system, I’ll be aiming to answer them on the console’s launch day, June 5th. If you’re someone who gets approved for a review unit of the system and you want to answer these questions before I get a chance, I highly encourage you to do so. The important thing is that we get answers to these questions to disabled players as soon as possible, whoever gets that info out isn’t ultimately what matters.

I’ve got plans for accessibility focused coverage of the Switch 2 in the coming weeks, regardless of whether I get review hardware access approved. I’ve been for example collecting unlicensed Switch 2 accessibility peripherals now for several weeks ready to review, including adjustable size analogue stick toppers, larger hand grips, and a variety of different brands of mouse grip accessory.

But yeah, if you get a review unit of the Switch 2 and want to do the disabled community a favour, answering these questions in your pre-release coverage would be hugely appreciated.