Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack quietly snuck in a tiny update to its Game Boy Advance app. While most of the service’s attention today was focused on how they added the M-rated Forsaken 64 to the Nintendo 64 collection, Nintendo also slipped in a quality-of-life improvement to the Game Boy Advance app. Unfortunately, we don’t have a new Game Boy Advance game to go with it.
Image of Pokémon FireRed, courtesy of Game Freak.The Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance Update
As reported by My Nintendo News, the new update to the Game Boy Advance app includes some small but meaningful additions. The update adds 1080p support for handheld mode, but only with the Nintendo Switch 2, not the Nintendo Switch 1. There is also a new Easter egg – if you want to see what it is, tilt the analog stick when starting the Game Boy Advance app up.
The Most Important Part of the Update
Perhaps the most useful aspect of the update is the addition of button mapping. The feature can be accessed in the menu that appears when you hold down the ZL and ZR buttons during play. Select “View/Change Controls,” and you can change the controls to suit your needs. If you prefer to jump with B instead of A, you can. Even if you want to use a weird button assignment like jumping with R, you can.
Of course, this opens up the question about when button mapping will be applied to the NES and Game Boy apps. Since button mapping has been added to the Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, and now Game Boy Advance apps, it’s probably only a matter of time before the NES and Game Boy collections add button mapping as well.
Conclusion
The new Nintendo Switch Online update should be helpful for people who like to change button assignments to whatever makes them the most comfortable. In addition, Nintendo Switch 2 players should enjoy the 1080p support, though players who still have a Switch 1 might feel left out. Now, when will Nintendo Switch Online add new Game Boy Advance games? That would be a great way to promote the update. Here’s hoping we get new games soon.
