Nintendo's new app makes me nostalgic for the Wii

In an unexpected move, Nintendo has dropped a new Switch Direct virtual presentation onto the internet, a mere week in advance of its big Switch 2 event on April 2. In addition to showcasing various first-and-third-party titles targeted for release on the aging console in the coming months, Nintendo has taken the opportunity to shadow drop an all-new mobile app: Nintendo Today!

The new Nintendo Today! app, which was unveiled by company veteran Shigeru Miyamoto, is pitched as a one-stop-shop for all things Nintendo news-related. In many ways, the app feels like a spiritual successor to the iconic Nintendo Channel from the bygone days of the company’s Wii era.

The Nintendo Today! app is available now for download on the Apple App Store for iOS and iPadOS devices, with an Android-based Google Play Store release expected to follow suit. The app is free to use, but it does require you to log in via a Nintendo Account during the setup process.

Naturally, I downloaded Nintendo Today! as soon as I got wind of its release, and I’ve since been playing around with its various features and options. Here are the main selling points of Nintendo’s all-new mobile news app.

Nintendo Today!

Nintendo Today! is a news app from the Japanese gaming giant that provides information on upcoming events and releases, while also offering a fun calendar view.

1 Daily Updates

The Wii’s Nintendo Channel reborn

The meat and potatoes of the new Nintendo Today app is its surfacing of daily updates, news, and other Nintendo-related information. When you first launch the app, you’re greeted with the option to select from various Nintendo franchises that you’d like to receive updates about. Currently, this ‘your favorite game series’ list consists of:

• Super Mario
• The Legend of Zelda
• Animal Crossing
• Splatoon
• Pikmin
• Kirby
• Fire Emblem
• Metroid
• WarioWare
• Donkey Kong
• Classics

These options cover the majority of the most popular first-party and second-party Nintendo intellectual properties (IPs), but it’s the Classics section that intrigues me the most. Nintendo has a spotty track record when it comes to offering up access to its library of retro titles, and so its inclusion here might be a hint at more legacy game content in the near future.

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2 Event Schedule + Animated Calendar

Keep up with Nintendo news via a themed digital calendar

Switch from the main home tab over to the calendar page, and you’re greeted with a large digital date tracker. From here, you’re able to get a birds-eye view of upcoming Nintendo Directs, which are cleanly organized on screen.

There aren’t a lot of options to choose from here — the main option is a toggle to switch the first day of the week from Sunday to Monday — but the calendar’s visuals more than make up for this. By default, there’s a charming set of Super Mario-themed iconography and background art displayed in the background.

There’s a lot of potential here for further development: I’d love for this calendar to sync with my Nintendo Account and display daily Switch gameplay statistics, achievements, and more.

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Other calendar widgets look drab by comparison

I love a good home screen widget, and, thankfully, the Nintendo Today! app launches with day-one support for these mini applets. Currently, there are two sizes to choose from: a large monthly calendar widget, and a smaller content feed widget.

The former is described by the system as follows: “get notifications about game-series calendars and schedule notifications,” while the latter reads “receive various Nintendo-related information every day.” I find both widgets visually attractive, both offering a sense of NIntendo flair.

There’s no word on whether the Android version of Nintendo Today! will launch with support for widgets, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. As much as I’d love an official Material You-themed Zelda widget, I’d be shocked to see such a thing become reality.

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4 Nintendo IP theme packs

Swap out the app’s look to match your personal gaming taste

The default visual style of the Nintendo Today! app is themed around the Super Mario series, but Nintendo makes it easy to swap over to a different design. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Tap on the profile tab in the bottom right-hand corner of the app.
2. Under Settings, tap on Home > Design.
3. From here, you can swipe left or right to toggle between themes.

The current selection of theme packs include Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and Pikmin. Each one changes the app’s entire color palette, background visuals, and accenting. I’d love to see additional Nintendo IPs make the theming cut in a future update — Duck Hunt background sprites, anyone?

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5 The app also includes an unexpected Switch 2 reveal

Was this an accident?

Nintendo / Pocket-lint

Though the app has plenty of great features, one thing that eagle-eyed users might notice is that the Switch 2 console looks a little different on the app. Interestingly, as spotted by Wario64 on X, there appears to be an updated Nintendo Switch 2 render within the Nintendo Today! app’s listing screenshots. Clearly visibile is the mysterious new ‘C’ button on the right Joy Con controller, which had been blanked out by the company in its Switch 2 first-look trailer.