Nintendo pushed system version 23.0.0 to Switch 2 on September 10, the day after the Direct. The original Switch received 23.0.0 as well, with a much shorter list. Here is what changed and who should care.
Variable refresh rate in TV mode
At launch, VRR only worked on the console’s own screen. With this update the system can output a variable refresh rate over HDMI, provided three things line up: the TV supports VRR, the game supports it, and the dock has taken its own firmware update, which installs from System Settings with the console docked. Right now the supported software list is one entry long, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, so the practical benefit today is close to zero. It should matter more once games with unlocked frame rates are patched.
Virtual Game Cards get a control panel
The HOME Menu now has a Settings entry inside Virtual Game Cards where you can review and edit which of your systems are allowed to use them. Households that pass digital games between two consoles used to have to dig through account pages for this. If you sold or traded in a Switch without unlinking it, this is where to go and remove it.
Smaller changes
- System transfer between two Switch 2 consoles. Useful for anyone moving to a special-edition unit or replacing a damaged one.
- GameChat lists chats you joined before, lets you open a room without inviting anyone first, and adds a screen-size option on the C Button. Brazilian Portuguese joins the language list.
- Audio settings are remembered separately for up to eight TVs.
- Handheld Mode Boost gets a toggle in Quick Settings.
- Play time is now combined across multiple systems on the same account.
- Mii Maker plays the old Mii Channel, 3DS and Wii U themes while you edit. You can change the track or turn it off.
Anything for cartridge owners?
Not directly. Nothing in 23.0.0 changes how physical games or Game-Key Cards behave. The Virtual Game Card settings page is the only library-related addition, and it concerns digital purchases only. If your collection lives on a shelf, this is a routine update: install it, update the dock while you are there, and carry on.