As much as I love my Switch, there’s no denying that the Nintendo eShop on the Switch console is… let’s put it this way, far from ideal.
Hey Nintendo, the eShop sucks.
The Switch’s eShop simply doesn’t do justice to the system’s extensive library of mostly fantastic releases. You could argue that this is because Nintendo doesn’t have as much experience with digital marketplaces as its competitors, I suppose. I’d argue that this doesn’t matter, as the company has experimented with the concept throughout the 3DS, Wii, and Wii U eras.
I don’t understand why Nintendo decided to do things this way, or why it hasn’t changed anything in the years since. Redesigning an online storefront is a challenge, and updating it would require taking it offline for at least a short while. I get all that. And yes, every second the eShop is down is lost revenue. I get that too. Still, I can’t help but think that improving the user experience would be a net positive.
Perhaps the most immediately apparent problem is the organization, or lack thereof. Sure, the eShop isn’t like a TJ Maxx sale, but it often feels like a gamble when I try to search. Thankfully, there’s at least a search function, but it only really works when I’m looking for something specific. If I want to browse with less focus, I have to dig through menus of search criteria, which doesn’t exactly encourage impulse buys.
