Nintendo Switch Firmware Update 3.0 Has Gone Live For Some Nice Quality-of-Life

Today, you may have booted up your Nintendo Switch to find a brand new firmware update available. That's because Nintendo of America has released Firmware Update 3.0.0 for its newest platform! Were you wondering what it does? Let's get into it.

Besides some updates that improve the Nintendo Switch's stability, there are some new notably convenient features that Update 3.0.0 brings to the system, including the ability to add friends from owners' 3DS and Wii U friend lists, the ability to connect a USB keyboard to the dock, and a feature that suggests the deletion of software data when the system has been found to contain insufficient space.

The update also includes a couple of odd, albeit appreciated, features such as six new Splatoon 2 icon characters, as well as the ability to change the Switch's display to Invert Colors or Grayscale.

Along with a plethora of new features and updates, Nintendo has conveniently provided patch notes that detail both the changes that the update offers, as well as how users may take advantage of them. A full list of the changes in Firmware Update 3.0.0

Added the following system functionality

Register a channel to receive News for specific games

To register, head to News > Find Channels

Add friends from your Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Friend Lists

To add friends, head to your My Page on the top left of the Home Menu > Friend Suggestions

Receive notifications when your Friends go online

To turn this ON/OFF, head to System Settings > Notifications > Friend Notifications

Find paired controllers within communication range by activating the vibration feature

To search, head to Controllers > Find Controllers

Change the user icon order on the Home Menu

To change order, head to System Settings > Users > Change Order

Select from 6 new Splatoon 2 characters for user icon

To edit your user icon, head to your My Page on the top left of the Home Menu > Profile

Change the system volume from the Quick Settings

To access Quick Settings, hold down the HOME Button

Lower the maximum volume for headphone or speakers connected to the audio jack

To lower the max headphone volume, head to System Settings > System > Lower Max Headphone Volume* This settings will be ON when Parental Controls are enabled

Change display colors to Invert Colors or Grayscale

To use this feature, head to System Settings > System > Change Display Colors

Connect a USB keyboard to the dock to type whenever the keyboard is on the screen

Use the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller via wired communication by connecting the USB charging cable

To enable, head to System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Pro Controller Wired Communication* The NFC touchpoint on the Pro Controller will be disabled while the controller is using wired communication.

Update connected controllers

To update, head to System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Update Controllers

Added a feature that suggests deletion of software data if there is insufficient space when downloading other software

To use this feature, head to System Settings > Data Management > Quick Archive* User save data is not deleted

General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience, including:

Resolved an issue that caused game software updates to fail and prevented the software from starting

Improvements to prevent unintended HDMI input change with certain TVs while the console is docked in Sleep Mode

For more information on Nintendo Switch Firmware Update 3.0.0 or previous updates that the system has received, you can see the full article on Nintendo of America's support site.