Wii Sports revolutionized Nintendo’s console business when it bundled with every Wii console. That compilation disc included five rudimentary sports titles and showed players the capabilities of the Wii’s groundbreaking motion controllers. It was an instant hit, appealing to a demographic far beyond Nintendo’s casual gaming audience. However, while Nintendo Switch has now outsold the hugely popular Wii and it has its fair share of wide-ranging hits like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a console/handheld hybrid with no other transcendent game experience like the original Wii Sports. Now, with the aptly named Nintendo Switch Sports, Wii Sports fans can relive the glories of the past.
Nintendo Switch Sports brings together six sports and lets you control them using the Switch Joy-Cons motion controls. Tennis, bowling and chambara all return to the Sports series, while this iteration adds soccer, volleyball and badminton. If you purchase the physical version of the Nintendo Switch Sports, you also get a Foot Strap accessory that allows the Joy-Con to track your feet, which can be used in Soccer’s Shootout Mode.
You can play live with family and friends like the original Wii Sports, or play online in a ranked match or against friends on your Nintendo Switch Online roster. Two free updates have also been announced for Nintendo Switch Sports. The first one will launch this summer, adding the ability to use the Leg Strap peripheral for the main game of football. This fall, another free update will add golf to your collection of sports you can play.
Nintendo Switch Sports will launch on Switch on April 29. If you want to check before that, Nintendo will be holding a special online play test from February 18-20 where Nintendo subscribers Switch Online can play bowling, chambara and tennis.
