Nintendo Switch Now Takes Paypal

The Nintendo Switch has been regarded on many fronts as a great return for Nintendo, and with good reason; there’s a lot to like in this system that’s part portable and part stationary system. There’s one more reason to like it now, thanks to a new development: the Switch now accepts Paypal for buying games.

Right now, there are over 100 games available for the Switch, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to slow down any time soon. That’s not half bad for a system that’s only been available since March 3, and it looks like Nintendo’s learned a hard lesson from the Wii U about not having enough games to satisfy players.

Now, it’s that much easier to buy them as not only will Paypal go through the Switch itself, but also for use on the Nintendo web store. Plus, gamers can also buy Wii U games and 3DS games accordingly. Gamers in Canada, Japan, the United States and a healthy swath of Europe—over two dozen countries therein at last report—can get in on this action.

Paypal’s director of merchant communication Chris Morse commented “This collaboration with Nintendo is yet another example of our partner-based approach. Nintendo is the newest of our collaborations with leading technology companies to expand the reach of our products, explore new contexts, increase conversions for our merchants, and give our consumers the flexibility, security, and speed that digital payments can offer.”

In a sense, this is a great leap forward for Nintendo, taking an impressive new step in allowing a mobile payments platform to pay for games. On the other hand, this really isn’t much of a step at all. Microsoft has allowed Paypal payments on Xbox titles for years, and Sony’s done likewise for about as long via the PlayStation Store. Nintendo’s essentially playing catch-up on a development that’s been in play for years on some platforms.

Not that the user base will complain; this almost seems to be Nintendo’s season for playing catch-up. Any advance is an advance worth making, after all, and this is going to make a lot of players happy. Throw in the fact we’re going into the holiday shopping season and Nintendo may wind up just as happy as the players in a flood of new purchases.