Got Yourself A New Nintendo Switch? Do ...

Set up (and link) your Nintendo Account · Boot up the eShop by hitting 'A' on the orange bag icon on the main menu of your Switch. · Select the 'User Profile' ... Image:NintendoLifeSoyou'vegotyourselfalovelynewNintendoSwitch,SwitchOLEDorSwitchLiteanddon'tknowhowtoevenbeginsettingitup?You'vecometotherightplace! Ifyou'replanningtogivetheSwitchasaholidaygift,NintendoadvisesthatyoutocompletesetupbeforeChristmasinordertoavoidbusyserverswhichmightimpactNintendoAccountcreationandeShopaccess. Inthisbeginner'sguide,we'regoingtobreakdownallofthethingsyoushoulddofirsttohelpyougetsetup.Thatincludessettingupabunchofnewaccounts,gettingthesettingsrightandgrabbinganyessentialaccessoriestohelpgetthemostoutofyourshinynewSwitch,SwitchLiteorSwitchOLEDModel. Onthispage:CreateauserprofileSetup(andlink)yourNintendoAccountBoughttheSwitch/SwitchOLED/SwitchLiteforachild?ThensetupparentalcontrolsGetsomegames!HowtoredeemadigitaldownloadcodeontheNintendoSwitcheShopHowtobuygamesontheNintendoSwitcheShopGetNintendoSwitchOnlinesoyoucanplaySplatoon2,MarioKart8Deluxe,andmoreonlineIncreaseyourstoragespacewithamicroSDcardAccessorise! Createauserprofile YoushouldbepromptedtodothisassoonasyouturnyourSwitchonforthefirsttimebutwe'llincludethestepsbelowallthesame: Selectanicon–thiscanbeaMiioryourfavouriteNintendocharacter.Don'tpanic,youcanchangeallofthislater. Selectthebackgroundcolour. Enteryournickname–thiscanbeanythingandyoucanchangeitlater. SignintoyourNintendoAccounttolinkittotheSwitch,orfollowourinstructionsbelowifyoudon'thaveaNintendoAccountyet. Setup(andlink)yourNintendoAccount Firstthingsfirst,let'ssetupaNintendoAccount,whichwillallowyoutopurchasesomelovelydigitalgamesonyournewSwitchandgetshinyrewardsfordoingso! YoucandothisontheSwitchitself,andwe'veplonkedtheinstructionsbelow: BootuptheeShopbyhitting'A'ontheorangebagicononthemainmenuofyourSwitch. Selectthe'UserProfile'thatyouwanttoattachyourNintendoAccountto. Hit'CreateAccount'. Hit'Sendaccount-creationinstructionsviae-mail'. Fillinyouremailaddress. Now,opentheemailyoushouldhavereceivedonyourlaptop/phone/tablet. Followthelinkintheemailandhit'Anaccountformyself'(unlessyouare,infact,creatingoneforachild). Fillinyourpersonalinformationandhit'Submit'. YoushouldreceiveafivedigitcodethatyouareadvisedtofillinonyourSwitch.Ifyoufollowedtheinstructionsuptostepfourcorrectlybefore,yourSwitchshouldbeaskingforthecode.Fillitinandhit'OK'. Selecthowoftenyou'dliketofillinyourpasswordandyou'regoodtogo!YoucannowpurchasegamesontheNintendoSwitcheShop. BoughttheSwitch/SwitchOLED/SwitchLiteforachild?Thensetupparentalcontrols IfyouboughtaNintendoSwitchorSwitchLiteforayoungchild,youcansetupparentalcontrolstoprotectthemfromadultcontentandputlimitsonSwitchplaytime. Therearetwodifferentoptions:youcanrestrictspecificfeaturesontheconsoleitselforcontroltheirSwitchdirectlyfromyoursmartdeviceusingtheNintendoSwitchParentalControlsapp.Thisallowsyoutosetplaytimelimitsandrestrictfeatures,andyou'llgetactivitynotificationstohelpyoukeeptrackoftheirplayingschedule.Here'showtosetitupinsteps: Choose'SystemSettings'onthehomescreen. Scrolldownto'ParentalControls' Selectwhetherto'UseYourSmartDevice'or'UsethisConsole' Selecttherestrictionlevel.Youcaneitherchoseasettingthat'salreadymadeup,liketeen,pre-teen,orchild,orsetupacompletelycustomsetting. Forthelatter,youcanrestrictsoftwarebyage,yourchild'sabilitytoposttosocialmediaaccounts,andtheirabilitytocommunicatewithothers. Ifyou'dratherusetheapp,downloaditfromtheAppStoreorGooglePlay(it'scalled'NintendoSwitchParentalControls'sosearchforthat). BootitupandsignintoyourNintendoAccount. You'llreceivearegistrationcode,whichyounowhavetofillinonyourSwitch.Repeatstepsonetothreeaboveandfillitinwhenprompted. Nowsimplyusetheapptosetparentalcontrols.Youcansetadailyplaylimit,usepre-madesettingsorcustomsettingsforrestrictions,andmonitortheiractivityusingtheapp. Image:NintendoLife Getsomegames! IfyougotaSwitchforChristmas,thechancesareyougotagameortwowithit–eitherbundledintheboxorasaniceextrafromSanta.Ifthegameisphysical,youcanpopitstraightinthesystemviaahandyflaponthetoprightofthesystem(withthelabelfacingyouasyouholdthesystemlikenormal). HowtoredeemadigitaldownloadcodeontheNintendoSwitcheShop Ifyou'vegotacodeforadigitalgame,headonovertotheeShopandredeemthecodetheretodownloadit. Here'sthatprocessinsteps: Selectthe'NintendoeShop'fromthehomemenu(itlookslikeanorangeshoppingbag)tolaunchtheeShop. Selecttheaccountyouwanttobindthegameto. Hit'RedeemCode'onthebottomleftofthescreen. Fillinthegame'scode,whichshouldbe16characters. Hit'Confirm'. That'sit!Yourgameisredeemedandyoushouldbeabletodownloaditrightaway. Evenifyourgameisphysical,itmayrequireanadditionaldatadownload.Thatcouldbeasimpleupdate,whichmightaddnewfreecontenttothegameorfixbugs,oritcouldbebecauseallthegame'sdatadoesn'tfitonthecartridge.ThisisthecaseforahandfulofhighprofilegamessuchasDOOM,NBA2K21,andL.A.Noire. HowtobuygamesontheNintendoSwitcheShop Now,ifyoudon'thaveanygamesforyourbrandnewSwitch,let'sgoandbuyafewintheeShop,eh?Herearethesteps: BootuptheSwitcheShopandselectauserprofilethathasaNintendoAccountlinkedtoit.Ifyoudon'tcurrentlyhaveaNintendoAccount,followourstepsaboveinthe'Setup(andlink)yourNintendoAccount'sectiontocreateone. Findagameyoulikethelookofandselectitbypressing'A'. YoucanfindgamesinavarietyofdifferentmannersbylookinginthedifferentsectionsoftheeShop.'RecentReleases'isachronologicallistofthemostrecentlyreleasedgames,'Discover'helpsyoufindthebestgamestheeShophastooffer,'CurrentOffers'isalistofallofthegamesonsale,and'Charts'isthecurrentbest-sellinggames.Youcanalsosearchforaspecificgamebyusingthe'Search'functionatthetopleft. Onceonthegamepage,hit'ProceedtoPurchase'andchooseyourpreferredmethod.Youcouldredeema'NintendoeShopCard',useyourcreditcard,orpayviaPayPal. Now,selecthowmuchmoneyyou'dliketostickonyoureShopaccount.Youcanaddonlytherequiredamount,oraddabitextraifyouplanonpurchasingafewthings. Confirmthenextfewpromptstocompleteyourpurchase. YoucanonlypurchasegamesfromtheeShopwhichmatchesyouraccountregion,butit'sperfectlypossibletosetupdummyaccountsandgrabgamesfromNorthAmericaandJapan-followthisguidetofindouthow. Thereareplentyoffree-to-playorfree-to-startgamesavailableontheSwitcheShopifyou'reshortoncashafterChristmas.Here'saselectiontogetyoustarted: Fortnite PokémonUnite Paladins Warframe SuperKirbyClash ArenaofValor PokémonQuest FalloutShelter KittenSquad NamcoMuseum PinballFX3 SternPinballArcade PinballArcade Brawlhalla DawnoftheBreakers Galak-Z:VariantS ZaccariaPinball Ifyou'reaftergamerecommendations,youmightwanttocheckoutourSwitchEssentialslists(checkforlinksatthebottomofthispage). GetNintendoSwitchOnlinesoyoucanplaySplatoon2,MarioKart8Deluxe,andmoreonline NintendoSwitchOnlineisthesubscriptionserviceforNintendoSwitchwhichyouneedinordertoplaymultiplayergamesonline,grabexclusiveoffers,andaccessaselectionofNESandSuperNESgames. Free-to-playgameslikeFortniteDONOTREQUIREaNintendoSwitchOnlinesubscription,butyou'llneedoneifyouplantoplaygameslikeMarioKart8DeluxeorSplatoon2overtheinternet. SettingupNintendoSwitchOnlineissurprisinglyeasy.SimplygototheeShopandscrolldownto'NintendoSwitchOnline'ontheleft.Here,youcaneitherstarttheseven-dayfreetrialorsetupamembershipplan. Youcaneithersetupanindividualmembership,forasingleuser,orfamilymembership,ifyouhavetwoormoreNintendoSwitchownersinyourhousehold–thelatterallowsyoutogetaSwitchOnlineaccountforverylittlecash.Youcanpaymonthly,quarterly,orannuallyforanindividualmembershiporyearlyforafamilymembership. Tolearnmore,checkoutourNintendoSwitchOnlineFAQ.Forstep-by-stepinstructionsonhowtosetupaNintendoSwitchOnlineFamilyMembership,checkoutourguide. SubscribetoNintendoLifeonYouTube IncreaseyourstoragespacewithamicroSDcard Ifthere'soneareainwhichtheSwitchfallsshort,it'sinitsinternalstoragespace.The32GBthatitcomeswith—around25GBwhichisactuallyaccessiblebytheuser—willfillupquicklywithupdates,gamesandDLC.SwitchOLEDdoublestheinternalstorageto64GB,butthat'sstillnothugebytoday'sstandards. So,it'sagoodideatograbyourselfamicroSDcard.Thesecomeinavarietyofdifferentsizes,allthewayupto1TB,althoughthat'llcostyouaprettypenny.Thankfullytherearesomeveryaffordableoptionsaroundthe200GBmark,whichwillbemorethanenoughtostoreawholebunchofgames. CheckoutourguideforthebestNintendoSwitchmicroSDcarddeals. Pleasenotethatsomeexternallinksonthispageareaffiliatelinks,whichmeansifyouclickthemandmakeapurchasewemayreceiveasmallpercentageofthesale.PleasereadourFTCDisclosureformoreinformation. SanDiskUltra200GBMicroSDCard $29.29£35.99£26.58Amazon SanDiskUltra128GBMicroSDCard $20.32£19.99£18.96Amazon SanDiskUltra200GBMicroSD 67.88£30.00Amazon SanDiskUltra400GBMicroSDCard $58.99£76.99£49.99Amazon.co.uk SanDiskNintendoLicensed128GBmicroSDcard $34.99$19.99£40.99£16.49Amazon.co.uk SanDisk256GBmicroSDXCUHS-I-Memory-CardforNintendo-Sw... $52.99$39.99£44.19£39.99Amazon Accessorise! TheNintendoSwitchissuchaniftylittledevice,capableofthreedifferentmethodsofplayandtheabilitytoplaywhereveryouwant,wheneveryouwant,howeveryouwant.Assuch,it'sabsolutelyripeforcustomisation.Ifyou'vegonefortheportable-onlySwitchLite,therearestillplentyofaccessoriesavailabletohelpyougetthemostoutofthelovelylittlesystem. WhetheryouwantamorecomfortableProcontrollertousewhileplonkedonthesofa,anicecasetokeepitscratchfreeinyourbag,aniftymicroSDcardtoincreaseyourstoragespace,aJoy-ConcontrollerwithaninbuiltD-padoraMarioKartProMiniorDeluxeRacingWheeltomakethoseracesevenmoreintense,we'vegotthebestrecommendationsinourmassiveaccessoriesguide. Formoreinformationongames,accessoriesandthedifferencesbetweenSwitch,SwitchOLEDandSwitchLite,youmightwanttocheckoutourParent'sguidetotheSwitchconsoles,orfindoutwhichgamesdon'tworkonSwitchLite. Image:NintendoLife ThisarticlerelatestoourSwitchEssentialsguideswhichcoverawidevarietyofgenres,includingtheBestSwitchFPSGames,theBestSwitchRPGs,theBestSwitchGamesForKids,theBestSwitchCouchCo-OpGamesandtheBestSwitchFitnessandExerciseGames.WecanalsohelpouthuntingdowntheBestSwitchHorrorGames,theBestSwitchRacingGames,theBestSwitchAction-RPGs,theBestNintendoSwitchRoguelikes,RoguelitesandRun-BasedGames,theBestFreeSwitchGames,andevenGamestoPlayAfterYou'veFinishedZelda:BreathoftheWild. Whateveryourfavouritegenre,we'vegotyoucovered:StrategyGames,Metroidvanias,PuzzleGames,PartyGames,OnlineMultiplayerGames,LocalWirelessMultiplayerGames,Shmups,VisualNovels,FightingGames,HiddenGems,2DPlatformers,3DPlatformers,RunandGunGames,SportsGames,Beat'EmUps,ChillGames,FamilyGames,Retro-InspiredGames,ShortGames,CardGamesandDeck-builders,FlightSimandSpaceCombat,PointandClickAdventureGames,andtheBestSwitchExclusives,aswellasEveryArcadeArchivesGame,EveryACANeoGeoGame,EverySEGAAGESGameOnSwitch,andtheBestSwitchCollectionsAndCompilations. Ifyou'relookingforthebestSwitchgamesregardlessofgenre,ourreader-votedselectionoftheBestNintendoSwitchGamesEvershouldhelpyouout,andyoucanalsofindtheBestNintendoSwitchGamesof2017,2018,2019,2020and2021.Andfinally,ifyou'reinterestedinotherNintendoconsolesandretrogames,checkouttheBestGameBoyGames,BestNintendoDSGames,BestNintendo3DSGames,BestSNESGames,BestN64Games,BestGameCubeGames,andBestWiiGames,aswellasEveryNintendoSwitchOnlineNESGameandEveryNintendoSwitchOnlineSNESGame. Wow,nocommentsyet...whynotbethefirst? Holdonthere,youneedtologintopostacomment... 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