The Nintendo Switch is a great gaming console that provides a unique gaming experience that other big competitors like Sony or Microsoft can’t offer. And sooner or later you will definitely want to share your gaming exploits in Super Mario Odyssey or Legends Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with the world. The problem here is that, unlike other consoles, the Switch doesn’t have a built-in ability to do streaming at all. Right now, the Switch only allows you to take screenshots and record short video clips. So far, Nintendo hasn’t said anything about plans to support services like Twitch or Youtube Gaming. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stream from your favorite console in any way.
The Nintendo Switch doesn’t currently support streaming on Twitch out of the box, but with a minimum budget and the desire to do so, you can do it in a few simple steps. So, here is how to stream Nintendo Switch to Twitch.
What hardware do you need to stream Nintendo Switch to Twitch
First of all, to stream on the Nintendo Switch, you have to buy a video capture card. You can find two types of cards in stores: internal and external. The internal capture card is inserted into the PCIe slot of the computer, the external one is connected to the USB port. Both of these cards do the same job, but for the Switch, you need an external one.
The choice of external cards is quite extensive, but the Elgato HD60S earned a good reputation. This card is now considered one of the best video capture cards. It supports Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC and comes with excellent software. The card has an older brother that allows you to capture 4K video at 60 frames per second, but considering that the maximum supported resolution of the Nintendo Switch is FullHD, such a purchase would not be particularly justified.
Streaming software
Most video capture cards do not come with any streaming software. You will need to download such software yourself. Luckily, there are quite a lot of different software out there – from open and free solutions such as OBS to more premium and convenient ones such as XSplit Gamecaster.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the chosen streaming software, select your video capture card in the program settings and you can start sharing your gaming achievements with the world.
How to set up Nintendo Switch to stream on Twitch
If you want to set up your Nintendo Switch to stream on Twitch, you have to follow these steps:
- At first, when the Switch is in the dock, disconnect its HDMI cable from the TV and connect that cable to the capture card.
- After that, connect the capture card to your PC using USB cable.
- Use another HDMI cable to connect the capture card’s HDMI output port back to the TV’s HDMI port.
- Then, start OBS Studio on your computer and link it to your Twitch account through the application settings menu (click “Streaming”, then “Service”, then select “Twitch”). You will receive a unique user number from OBS that you can use during this process.
- Right-click anywhere in the OBS program, then select “Add”, then “Video Capture Device” and add your card.
- A window will appear that displays live gameplay from your Switch. You can resize and manipulate it to your liking, which is very handy if you want to display other graphics in your stream, such as a chatbox or facecam.
- Finally, click “Start Streaming” in the lower right corner.
Once you have completed these steps, you will be live on Twitch within a few moments. Also, you will be ready to start streaming your Nintendo Switch gameplay.
