Here’s what the Switch 2’s C button actually does

After months of speculation, we now know what happens when you press the Switch 2’s mysterious C button thanks to today’s Nintendo Direct presentation.

The C button is all about Game Chat, a new Switch 2 feature that looks a lot like Discord video chat. It allows you to communicate with friends in both handheld and docked modes using a microphone built into the gamepad as well as share your screen.

Game Chat even works between people playing different games. Nintendo has also included built-in parental controls that will make it necessary for kids to get permission to use these features.

Switch 2 will also launch with a camera that puts you on screen, either overlaid on top of the gameplay or by yourself.

Nintendo Switch Online will be required to use Game Chat, but it will be available without a membership through March 31, 2026.

The C button first appeared as a new, unmarked Joy-Con button during the Switch 2 reveal back in January. Speculation as to its purpose began immediately. Most thought about functionality first, guessing it might be for sharing screenshots or launching a Miiverse-style social media hub, but others went a more silly route by envisioning the button as summoning the late, great Peter Falk as Lieutenant Frank Columbo or making a funny noise and nothing else. I’ll leave you all to argue whether today’s reveal is better or worse than those guesses.