Nintendo issues important notice for casual gamers who’ve bought a Switch during the pandemic

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Not that Nintendo is happy about a global pandemic, but there’s no denying that the coronavirus situation has had a tremendously positive impact on sales of its Switch console/handheld hybrid system. Less expensive than rival hardware from Sony and Microsoft, and with a large library of games designed with non-hardcore gamers in mind, the Switch is a great way for people who wouldn’t ordinarily be spending so much time at home to keep themselves entertained.

A lot of newcomers to the hobby bought a Switch back in the spring and found weeks of fun developing their “Animal Crossing” island or sampling Smash Bros’ large and surprisingly viable roster of fighters. It’s possible, though, that casual users’ Switches have been sitting idle for some time now as the novelty has worn off and their enthusiasm has cooled, but Nintendo’s Customer Support division recently put out a tweet urging lapsed gamers to fire up their systems again.

The tweet reads: “If the battery inside your game system is not charged or used for an overly extended period of time, it may become unable to hold a charge. Please do your system a favor and charge it at least once every six months.”

To some long-time gamers, who’ve felt a pang of nostalgia and dug a classic handheld out of the closet to replay an old favorite only to find the system unusable, this is common sense. But with the Switch attracting so many who aren’t multi-generation gamers, and who might go several months without a game catching their interest enough to want to play it, Nintendo felt the need to inform/remind everyone, prompting reactions such as:

“So that’s why I can’t charge my Switch anymore.”

“If this happens to your Switch battery, you’ll have to send it in to Nintendo so they can install a replacement.”

“The Switch is like a pet – it needs regular attention.”

“I make sure to regularly check the battery on my Wii U GamePad too.”

It’s worth noting that this condition isn’t exclusive to the Switch, as other electronic devices that are left with an empty battery for too long can develop similar problems. A difference, though, is that with smartphones and tablets, most people tend to use them on a daily basis (thus regularly draining and recharging the battery) until they replace them with newer, higher-spec models. Basically, if those devices aren’t being charged, it’s because the owner has no intention of using them ever again.

So if you haven’t used your Switch (or PS Vita, if you’re old school [or PSP, if you’re really old school]), for a while but think you might want to use it again at some point, go ahead and give the battery a charge. And even if you don’t think you’ll be gaming with it ever again, keeping the battery in good working order will earn you some extra cash if/when you decide to sell the hardware.

Source: Twitter/@nintendo_cs via Otakomu