The Nintendo Switch 2 has officially landed, ushering in a new generation of gaming experiences alongside one somewhat surprising new feature: GameChat. Essentially Nintendo’s take on FaceTime or Discord, this built-in calling system debuts alongside a brand-new accessory, the Switch 2 Camera, which I’ve had the chance to test as part of a broader Switch 2 review.
At $54.99 / £49.99, the camera isn’t exactly cheap for what might seem like a niche add-on, and on the surface, it doesn’t appear to offer anything groundbreaking. But first impressions can be misleading, because both the camera and the GameChat experience may actually exceed expectations. Let's see if that is the case...
Design and Integration with the Console
My first impression of the new camera is that it's surprisingly compact in person, and much smaller than it looked in the trailers and at a distance at the hands-on event I attended in London. That’s a big plus, especially in handheld or tablet mode, where a bulky camera could feel distracting or intrusive. Officially, Nintendo lists it as approximately 170mm x 65.4mm x 65.4mm, and weighing just 111g, making it super lightweight and easy to move between rooms or pack up if you're traveling.
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+ 6One of my favorite design touches is the sliding privacy shutter, which lets you cover the lens when you’re not using it and don't want to get up and manually unplug the camera from your device. It's adjustable, too, as the camera head tilts up and down just enough to make it easy to alter the angle to frame your face properly, depending on your setup. Plus, there's a handy green light that lets you know when it's on and capturing.
click to enlarge+ 6Moving on to GameChat, which is straightforward to access. The simplest way is via the new “C” button on your Joy-Con or Switch 2 Pro Controller. From there, you can choose to mute your mic, enable or disable your camera, and share your screen, all before entering a call. This is great, as it means you're not forced onto camera the moment you join.
That said, there are a couple of small drawbacks. For one, GameChat is exclusive to Switch 2 users, so your friends on the original Switch are out of luck. Also, linking your phone number is required to use the service, which feels a little unnecessary.
On the plus side, though, you control who can invite or join you by approving names from your friend list. This is really important for privacy, and particularly crucial for parents looking to control who their children can GameChat with. Moreover, the Switch 2's screenshot function doesn't capture what's going on in GameChat—again, great for privacy and security online, with only your gameplay captured.
It's also worth noting that GameChat is free until March 31, 2026, but after that, you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, even for games that don’t usually require it. A bit of a catch, but good to know upfront.
click to enlarge+ 6Camera Specs and Technical Details
One of the standout technical details of the Switch 2 Camera is its wide-angle lens, offering a 110-degree diagonal field of view. This makes it ideal for capturing larger spaces like your living room or multiple people in frame, even when the camera is positioned fairly close to you. This was a very good call by Nintendo, especially with the new GameChat function.
click to enlarge+ 6The camera also features a high-sensitivity image sensor that’s been tuned to detect faces and adjust brightness automatically based on your environment. In my experience, this worked surprisingly well. During testing, I had some pretty harsh backlighting behind me, but the camera still managed to keep my face properly exposed and in focus. It also did a solid job in low-light conditions, with the camera brightening the image automatically, though the picture did look a bit grainier in those darker settings (more on image quality later).
As for audio, I mentioned in my console review that the built-in mic of the Switch 2 was noticeably echoey in handheld mode. However, it would appear the mic on the console is designed to be used from a distance, as it was much less echoey when paired with the camera while the console was docked. It wasn't great, though, and it isn't brilliant at blocking out background noise. So, if you care about clean comms, I’d recommend using a dedicated gaming headset.
Image and Video Quality During Gameplay
The Switch 2 Camera captures in 1080p, and the quality is honestly better than expected. Thanks to its wide-angle lens, mentioned above, it does a great job picking up your face even if you're sitting quite close to the screen. This is especially noticeable when using the built-in camera test function, which shows your camera feed on a larger part of the screen compared to the smaller window in GameChat.
In GameChat, video quality still holds up well, though there are some drawbacks to the functionality. By default, the camera applies a remove background filter when you first turn it on. While it works okay, the effect can be inconsistent, particularly if your clothes match your background. Thankfully, there are options: you can turn off the filter entirely or switch to a “face-only” circular crop.
Another useful touch is the zoom function, which lets you crop in tightly if you’re sitting far away, or zoom out wide if you’re playing with friends in a living room setting. It's really handy to have this kind of flexibility, and I actually found the quality drop when zoomed right in to be relatively minimal, or less than I expected, at least.
Moving on to screen share, which is where you show your gameplay to others in GameChat. It's worth knowing that the frame rate and visual quality of their gameplay are worse on your end than what they're capturing from theirs, as is most obvious when you expand a friend’s gameplay feed to full screen. However, this doesn’t affect the camera’s video quality, as it seemed to remain stable at 1080p, from what I could see, while the frame rate of the camera's capture seemed consistent, too (though I don't know exactly what frame rate it captures in).
One cool bonus of owning the camera appears in Mario Kart World, where the camera can be used during multiplayer (local and online) to assign each player's face to a small circle above their in-game character. It’s not game-changing, but it does make tracking who’s who mid-race a little easier.
click to enlarge+ 6Compatibility and Connectivity
The Switch 2 Camera connects via USB-C, which plugs directly into the console or dock and works immediately with the console. The included 1.5-meter cable is pretty handy, as it's long enough to give you flexibility in how and where you set it up, whether you're playing at a desk or from the couch. The cable itself also feels pretty premium, as it's made from a rubber material that seems built to last without risk of it splitting over time.
Nintendo has also added a small but clever touch with built-in cable management. While not huge, the camera features a rubber clip at the bottom of the neck that lets you run the cable neatly alongside it. This does help to keep your setup looking clean and organized instead of messy or tangled.
click to enlarge+ 6Although this camera is specifically designed for the Switch 2, it’s worth noting that the console does support other cameras, like the officially licensed Piranha Plant Camera from HORI. That one only offers 480p resolution, though, whereas the official Switch 2 Camera provides a sharper 1080p image for much clearer video GameChat sessions.
I will say, however, Nintendo's camera isn't one you can snap to the top of your console and use in handheld mode, whereas there are cameras out there, like the HORI one, that offer this. That's something you'll need to consider when deciding which camera, if any, to buy.
Pros and Cons
When it comes to the camera and GameChat, here are the key positives and negatives summarized:
Pros
- 1080p wide-angle lens captures large spaces and multiple people clearly.
- Compact and lightweight design makes it easy to set up or travel with.
- Sliding privacy shutter and adjustable tilt offer convenience and control.
- GameChat pre-call options let you toggle mic, camera, and screen share before joining.
- Strong auto-brightness adjustment handles tough lighting surprisingly well.
Cons
- Pricey for what it does, especially for casual users.
- Phone number required to use GameChat.
- The default background filter can be inconsistent.
- Audio quality is average, and background noise can be an issue.
- Screen share quality drops noticeably for viewers during gameplay.
Should You Buy the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera?
At $54.99 / £49.99, the Switch 2 Camera is definitely on the pricey side for what initially feels like a pretty basic accessory. You can already find cheaper cameras that technically work with the Switch 2, but nearly all of them come with caveats, like lower resolution, limited compatibility, or designs that don’t integrate with GameChat as seamlessly.
What makes this official camera stand out is its full GameChat integration, strong 1080p image quality, and a design clearly built around how the Switch 2 is meant to be used. If you’re someone who plans to use GameChat regularly, or just prefers the reliability of first-party hardware, then this is probably the best camera for the Switch 2 you can buy.
That said, its value really hinges on long-term use. If you keep it for the entire lifespan of the console, and we get more first-party games that actively support the camera, then the upfront cost becomes easier to justify. But if GameChat ends up being your only use for it, it’s harder to ignore the fact that it’s over $50 for what’s ultimately just an optional add-on.
Final Verdict on the Switch 2 Camera
The Switch 2 Camera may not seem essential at first glance, but paired with GameChat, it offers more to players than first meets the eye. The camera’s 1080p wide-angle lens, privacy-focused features, and solid auto-adjustments make it better than I expected, while GameChat itself is simple, intuitive, and seemingly secure.
That said, the $54.99 / £49.99 price tag is hard to justify, especially since GameChat is the main use for the camera, as it stands, and you’ll eventually need Nintendo Switch Online to keep using it. But if you’re planning to keep the Switch 2 for years to come, or play online with friends regularly, I would say the official camera is worth considering.
It’s not a must-buy for everyone, but it’s quietly one of the more promising accessories Nintendo has available right now.
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