Nintendo Switch finally adds Bluetooth headphone support, but with limitations

Nintendo Switch has finally added support for Bluetooth audio, with news of the feature taking center stage in today’s Switch system software update v13.0.0, which is available to download now.

Nintendo Switch Bluetooth audio has been notably absent since the launch of the console in 2017. Despite repeated requests from users for Bluetooth Audio support, Nintendo seemed to glaze over these requests and continue to roll out updates without ever adding the much-needed audio feature to the popular console. Thankfully, that's now all changed.

Nintendo of America quietly announced the new feature through its Twitter account, making very little noise for what is one of the longest-awaited features to finally arrive on the system.

Before we get carried away, though, the added Bluetooth audio support comes with some caveats. First, a max of two wireless controllers can be paired with a Switch while using Bluetooth audio, with headsets getting disconnected ‘during local communication’ - i.e. in times when starting a wireless multiplayer game.

Nintendo also says that only one Bluetooth audio device can be connected at any single time, and Bluetooth microphones can’t be used. None of this should hinder you from being able to hook up some of the best wireless earbuds and enjoy your Switch audio how it's supposed to sound. 

So, there we are then: a much-needed feature finally arrives after all this time on the Switch, alongside an option to update the firmware of any Switch dock with a LAN port, and a new setting that enables users to keep a wired internet connection during Sleep Mode for more seamless downloads. 

It's baffling to us why Nintendo took this long to rectify the situation, but it clearly hasn't done the system any harm. 2021 saw record Switch sales, with Nintendo shifting 28.83 million consoles, representing a straight year-on-year increase of 37 percent. In fact, the Switch is selling so well that it's on track to be the company's best-selling console of all time, which would be a meteoric achievement considering Nintendo's legacy of consoles.