One of the main updates to the the GameChat feature, will be locked behind a paywall after a trial period.

Polygon confirmed that a Nintendo Switch Online hip will be necessary for the C button to have any functionality. Players without an active NSO subscription who try to use the button will be met with what essentially sounds like an ad for Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo's Vice President of Player and Product Experience Bill Trinen told Polygon:

"You would be able to find out about the NSO subscription there and get a sense of some of the functionality... [GameChat is] part of the overall platform experience [...] NSO really is a critical piece of the Nintendo Switch 2 experience."

Nintendo previously announced that the GameChat free trial would end on March 31, 2026, meaning that the C button will be entirely useless after that date without a subscription.

Everything The C Button Does On Nintendo Switch 2

The Button Garnered Curiosity When Shown in Initial Trailers

Nintendo put heavy emphasis on the social aspect of gaming when revealing the Switch 2, and the C button highlighted the company's "gaming together" mindset. When GameChat is activated by a press of the C button, up to 12 players will be able to see, hear, and speak to each other all while playing their favorite games, even if they're all playing separate titles. Live video of each player will be displayed at the bottom of the Switch 2's screen. Nintendo will also be selling a Switch 2 camera to help players better communicate while using the system.

The presence of the new C button has intrigued fans ever since it was revealed in Nintendo's original Switch 2 trailer, though GameChat has been met with a mixed pre-release response. Some players said that Nintendo was basically reinventing Discord, a service that also allows people to communicate and share their screens with each other, while others welcomed the chance to interact with friends directly on the console.

Our Take: NSO Is Affordable, But Locking GameChat Is Ridiculous

Players Will Look For Alternatives

Cooperative games like Split Fiction and It Takes Two are growing in popularity, and as more and more studios jump on the bandwagon, more players will be looking for ways to talk to their friends while gaming. Voice chat is now considered an essential feature by many, and preventing fans from using the feature on the Switch 2, especially when free alternatives like Discord are readily available, is not a good move by Nintendo.

One Reddit , PhewPhewGames, summed up the thoughts of fans well, saying, "Paying extra just to use a button on a console you already bought, it's a shame."

A Xbox Game Ultimate ($19.99 for one month).

That said, the C button doesn't really offer players anything they cannot access via Discord or Twitch for free. Locking the C button likely won't push people into Nintendo's ecosystem for a hip — it will push them to free alternatives. Nintendo has to consider the implications of blocking s from the GameChat feature on Nintendo Switch 2 and decide if the paywall is worth the risk of losing players.

Source: Polygon, Reddit/PhewPhewGames.