Nintendo Switch Update (Partially) Addresses eShop Frustrations

A software update fixed one of the biggest problems with the Nintendo Switch eShop by allowing you to save your credit card information. The digital game store previously required you to enter all of your payment details every time you bought something; now, you can save that info for later use.

The eShop will now also let you set a password to prevent unwanted purchases. This could prove useful if your Switch is ever stolen, for example, or if you share the console with children who don't understand concepts like "credit card debt" or "financial responsibility." That isn't a theoretical problem--Amazon recently agreed to refund $70 million to people whose children made in-app purchases without their knowledge or consent.

These updates should make buying games from the eShop far less painful than before. Even so, the marketplace still has its problems, the most frustrating of which is how it lets you find games. Everything is divided into three categories: recent releases, best sellers, and coming soon. If a game doesn't belong to one of those categories, and several don't, you have to search for it by title or follow a multi-step process to view all eShop games.

That process is as follows: Choose the Search option, hit Search Filters, and then leave everything alone. This will show you every game in the eShop. Nintendo doesn't explain this anywhere on the Switch or its support website; we stumbled on the workaround one day while exploring the eShop. This lack of organization hinders the eShop's ability to do its only job--helping people find and buy games--without undue frustration.

Combine this bare-bones eShop with the Switch's continued lack of a Virtual Console, entertainment apps like Netflix, and stable online service, and it's hard not to feel like current Switch owners are beta testing the console. Many people seem to be okay with that, considering that the Switch, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have all broken Nintendo sales records, but that doesn't make it any less bothersome.

Today's improvement to the eShop is a good start, and Nintendo has several big games and new accessories lined up for the rest of the year, but it's clear that the Switch has a long road ahead of it. Not that it matters too much--many Switch owners are probably too busy with Breath of the Wild (especially with its new expansion) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to complain about the console's shortcomings. We'll see how long that holds true.