The Nintendo Switch is over five years old, yet the hybrid console remains a relevant competitor to more recent devices like Sony's PlayStaton 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X. Its library continues to expand with major titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Breath of the Wild 2. Game Freak is also preparing for another blockbuster release in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. With this ongoing support it makes sense Nintendo would expand the Switch's functionality, and yesterday the company dropped a surprise update adding "groups."

Groups are, for all intents and purposes, folders that allow users to compile a number of games in one place. Folders were a major part of the user interface in Nintendo's 3DS handheld, and they've been requested on Switch for some time. It's hard as ever to predict what Nintendo is planning and when, like the similarly surprising addition of Bluetooth audio connectivity to Switch in September 2021. Still, as nice as it may be for the console to add this late feature, it's hard not to see how groups pale in comparison to their 3DS predecessor.

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How Nintendo Switch Groups Work

Once Nintendo Switch users update their console to Version 14.0.0, they can access the grouping feature via the "All Software" menu at the far-right side of their Home screen. Pressing the "R" button from this menu has long allowed users to sort their software by categories like publisher, as well as filter out cartridge-based titles. Now, by pressing the "L" button, they can look into creating software groups.

The premise is simple: Users select which titles they want included in a given group ("Mario Games" being the example provided by Nintendo's customer support), and then they can organize what order the software appears in. Up to 100 groups can be created that each hold 200 titles, and unlike 3DS folders a single game can be placed into multiple groups. However, fans may not find this to be as convenient as it sounds.

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How 3DS Folders Stand Above Switch Groups

Nintendo eShop 3DS Featured

What holds the idea of software groups on Switch back is they're an auxiliary means of organizing content with no bearing on general operations. The console's Home screen and All Software menu are unaffected by a group; every icon still appears individually. Groups can only be accessed through their sub-menu within All Software, which is at least two steps away when players boot up their console.

There is a benefit to this idea, namely for early adopters. Every piece of software someone has purchased, digital or physical, appears in All Software when nothing is filtered, and the Home page displays just the last 12 titles accessed. Anyone who bought a Switch in 2017 may have hundreds of games downloaded from the eShop, so organizing them into groups is a convenient way to access categories like games left unfinished. That utility is undercut for anyone who purchased a Nintendo Switch Lite or OLED model and transferred their data, leaving much of it to be redownloaded from the eShop.

More importantly, groups miss out on why folders were a beloved 3DS feature. Because the 3DS Home page was its All Software menu, organizing games into folders made it easy for users to scroll through a less cluttered screen. The placement of these folders could also be arranged at will. Being able to access a folder full of Pokemon or Super Mario games on the Switch's Home page would have been a huge benefit considering the limiting 12 icon space, and Switch users can only sort their titles rather than organizing it by stylus as on 3DS.

It's hard to deny that another big part of the appeal for 3DS folders was how each purchasable console theme would change their aesthetics. Nintendo abandoned this idea on Switch beyond two basic themes that act as "light" and "dark" modes, and this is another criticism many have of the hybrid console's design. With 3DS and Wii U eShops shutting down next year, the developer should prioritize bringing some of their best features over to Nintendo Switch in ways that capture their original spirit. If Nintendo wants to add groups after five years, surely it can add more traditional folders and themes too.

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