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With the Nintendo Switch 2 practically here, now seems like a great time to ask Nintendo to bring back the activity log. The activity log appears on the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, providing a detailed log about your gaming history on the console. The Switch 2 comes with tons of improvements, even if it didn't include everything we wanted from the Switch 2. There has been no mention of the activity log making its return, but the feature could be added, and should be, to the Switch 2 with a firmware update. The original Switch featured a lackluster game tracking system that just didn't provide the same level of detail as the activity log. Here's why we want it to return with the Switch 2.
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Nintendo today published another installment of its Ask the Developer series, where developers share insight into development of various games and products. This one is focused on the upcoming Mario Kart World, and it's a very fun look behind the scenes of development. In the interview, the game's main directors mentioned that the game actually started development all the way back in 2017, and it was targetting the original Switch, even with concepts such as 24 players and an open world already established. Eventually the game moved over to Switch 2 around 2020, which got us the game as we see it today. What's more, the company shared that there are over 200 new music tracks (including new arrangements) in the game's open world, so it looks like this is going to be a treat for the ears. The interview shared many more tidbits about the development process and I highly recommend checking it out. But the big takeaway is I can't wait for June 5th to get my hands on this.
Detailed information about play time
The activity log offered in-depth information about your playtime.
The activity log would track not only the precise amount of time you have put into a game but also what days you played it. You can look back and see what days you played and for how long you played on those days. It would also display a chart on the Wii U, where you could see a breakdown of total play time on the console, split up between all tracked software. So, not only can you see exactly how much of a game you have played, but also when you played it, and how that play time compares to other games on the console. Most people don't care about having this level of in-depth information. Still, for people who play tons of games and want to know how long something takes to beat, it's incredibly helpful to have immediate access to precise information, which just isn't true on the Nintendo Switch.
The Switch method of tracking is too barebones
Why do I have to wait seven days to know how long I played a game?
Source: Nintendo
The current way the Nintendo Switch tracks game time is inadequate. It shows you a number, typically rounded, so it reads something like "You have played over 80 hours of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," which does an okay job of giving you a ballpark number. This tracking also won't kick in until seven days after you first played a game, instead just reading "played for the first time X days ago," which is a fairly worthless piece of information to display. While this might not seem like a big deal, I often want to know how long it took me to beat a Switch game, and if I beat it within seven days of starting it, not only do I have to wait to find out the time, but I also can't keep playing if I want an accurate number. Being able to see how long I played each day and to see the total right away would make this information so much more useful. In its current state, time tracking might as well not be there at all. The current tracking system might also not work well with Switch 2 Editions of games, because you might not be able to see time played on the Switch versus on the Switch 2.
It could set up the return of Street Pass
Activity log also tracked your steps
Source: Nintendo
The activity log on 3DS served a second purpose outside of tracking your software play time. It also tracked your steps and nearby people for the beloved Street Pass system. Sure, it is easier to walk around with a 3DS in your pocket or bag than a Switch 2, since the 3DS is so much smaller. However, it is a hybrid console. It is designed to be taken places so you can play handheld games. Will it be as popular as the 3DS Street Pass? Probably not, as the Switch 2 is not a purely handheld console. That shouldn't matter, though; the feature serves a purpose outside the Street Pass tracking and mini-games. Nintendo might as well take the next step in implementing the system. The 3DS Street Pass feature is often used at gaming conventions, where people have it in their bags or pockets while walking around. Nintendo would be silly to think that the same wouldn't be true for the Switch 2.
I can live with just activity tracking
As much as I, and presumably some 3DS die-hard fans, would like to see Street Pass come back, I would still be happy with better activity tracking on the new console. Street Pass would require Nintendo to make new mini-games, or port the old ones, but just updating the time tracker to work better and provide more precise information would be a smaller lift. This is information that many hardcore Nintendo fans want to have available to them. If Nintendo fixes it, it shouldn't require additional work in the future, making it an easy win for the company, if it does get brought back.
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