Not All Switch Games Will Require A Phone For Multiplayer

In Nintendo's mid-January Switch presentation, Nintendo executives laid out their plans for the Switch's new online network, which uses a smartphone for standard multiplayer features like matchmaking and voice chat. However, new information about Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers, a Switch remake of the classic one-on-one brawler, reveals that on-console matchmaking is possible, raising questions about how integral mobile technology will be to Nintendo's upcoming online service.

In a blog post translated by Gematsu, Street Fighter publisher Capcom outlined a number of Ultra Street Fighter II's multiplayer options, and released screens showing online matchmaking capabilities the Switch itself.

According to Capcom, Ultra Street Fighter II will have two different multiplayer modes, Casual and Ranked. While Casual matches won't have any consequences, players will win or lose Player Points and Battle Points by participating in Ranked fights, which will affect their standings on Ultra Street Fighter II's leaderboards. Ultra Street Fighter II players will be able to create custom matches and multiplayer lobbies and invite friends to join them for Ranked battles using the Switch console directly—no phone required.

With the Switch about a month and a half away (Nintendo's new, feature-packed console hits store shelves on March 3, 2017), there are still a number of things that fans don't know about the device, especially when it comes to the Switch's online interface. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime previously said that Nintendo hopes to create a single, unified interface for online features like friend lists, but that the company is currently handling multiplayer functionality on a case-by-case basis.