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| Nintendo Switch 2 system update Ver. 22.0.0 is available now and adds Handheld Mode Boost. |
By Jon Scarr
Nintendo rolled out system update Ver. 22.0.0 for Nintendo Switch 2, and Handheld Mode Boost is the one everyone is going to be talking about. It's the kind of feature that Nintendo Switch owners have quietly wanted for a while, and it's a genuinely useful one.
There's plenty more in this update too, so let's get into it.
Handheld Mode Boost Is the Highlight of Ver. 22.0.0
Handheld Mode Boost is an opt-in setting that allows compatible Nintendo Switch software to run as if it were in TV mode, even when you are playing undocked. The Nintendo Switch 2's handheld screen runs at 1080p, and many original Nintendo Switch games were built to push higher resolutions in TV mode. With Handheld Mode Boost turned on, those games can now take advantage of that extra headroom right there in your hands. Better visuals, no TV required.
A few things worth knowing before you flip it on. It only works with original Nintendo Switch games, not Nintendo Switch 2 software. Not every Nintendo Switch game will see a difference either since some games already ran at identical settings in both modes. Battery life will take a hit since running at TV mode performance draws more power. One more quirk worth knowing: with Handheld Mode Boost active, your attached Joy-Con 2 controllers get treated as a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller and touch screen support may not work. If you want to use other controllers, detach the Joy-Con 2 first.
To enable it, go to System Settings, select System, then Nintendo Switch Software Handling, and toggle Handheld Mode Boost. That's it.
For Nintendo Switch owners who picked up a Nintendo Switch 2 specifically to replay their library with better performance, this is exactly the kind of update you were waiting for.
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| Handheld Mode Boost is available under Nintendo Switch Software Handling in System Settings on Nintendo Switch 2. |
GameChat and Friend List Both Get New Features
The Friend List now lets you save private notes for individual friends. Only you can see them, and you can view and edit them from the Nintendo Switch App on version 3.3.0 or higher. If you have a packed friend list and have ever blanked on who you actually play with, this is more useful than it sounds.
GameChat gets a solid set of improvements too. You can now invite friends directly into GameChat rooms you are already in, which removes a step that was needlessly clunky before. Friends who haven't finished GameChat initial setup can now receive invites, which is a fix that was long overdue. The quality of the shared game screen in an expanded GameChat view has also been bumped up.
Album, Airplane Mode and Accessibility Updates
A few quality of life additions round out Ver. 22.0.0. When watching full screen video in News or the Nintendo eShop, ZL rewinds 10 seconds and ZR skips forward 10. The Album app now supports automatic uploads for clip videos, videos saved as screenshots, and screenshots with added text, which makes keeping your captures organised a lot less manual.
Airplane Mode now remembers your Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and NFC preferences between sessions. You can also toggle each of those individually from Quick Settings while Airplane Mode is active, which is a genuinely useful change for anyone who flies with the console regularly.
On the accessibility side, Portuguese (Portugal) and Russian have been added to GameChat Voice to Speech to Text, and Text-to-Speech can now read content in Album and during first-time setup. Storage capacity now shows a full breakdown by data type for both system memory and your microSD Express card, which makes it much easier to see exactly what is eating your space. There's also a new audio test available when Linear PCM 5.1 Surround is selected under TV Sound in Audio settings.
Parents get a useful addition too. The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app now sends a notification when the Parental Controls PIN is entered successfully on the console, with an option to set it up as a push notification. The app needs to be on version 2.4.0 or higher for this.
Ver. 22.0.0 is available now and your Nintendo Switch 2 should pick it up automatically when connected online. Handheld Mode Boost alone makes this one worth checking your settings for.
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