At long last, the Nintendo Switch is getting its very first streaming app. No, its not YouTube, Hulu or Netflix…its Niconico.
NicoNico is streaming platform not unlike YouTube Live. As users livestream their content, viewers can leave comments which then appear on the video itself. Furthermore, users can go the usual route of uploading their videos and add unusual features such as polls and quizzes. Of course, these videos come real-time comment pop-ups as well.
Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of Niconico either — it’s immensely popular in Japan, but it is also only exclusive to Japan (with some English options). And that’s perfectly fine because the app will also only be available on the Japanese eShop for the foreseeable future. At the very least, Switch owners outside of Japan do have the option of downloading the streaming app by making a Japanese account and seeing what Niconico is all about.
Here’s a sneak peak of the app in action:
【今夜】Nintendo Switch niconicoリリース！
Nintendo Switchで動画を見ようhttps://t.co/OuOADTJOu9 pic.twitter.com/aj3GZWOl1m
— ニコニコ＠ニコ動公式 (@nico_nico_info) July 12, 2017
Despite it only being fully accessible to Japanese users, the addition of the Niconico app is still significant. Up to this point, the Switch had no streaming apps to speak of on its system, making it a departure from the Wii U which had access to several streaming services like Netflix. In fact, the Wii U was a surprisingly good fit for such streaming services because of the Gamepad. At any rate, the presence of Niconico on the Japanese eShop means that Nintendo is still open to the idea of streaming apps in principal, potentially meaning that it might not be too long before we see others with universal appeal such as Netflix or Hulu make their appearance on the Switch.
