Nintendo finally fixed the Switch eShop after nearly a decade by replacing its sluggish web wrapper with a native app

Nearly a decade after launch, Nintendo has fixed the one thing Switch owners have been complaining about since 2017. Firmware update 22.5.0, released for the original Nintendo Switch, converts the eShop from a painfully slow web-based interface into a native app. This brings it in line with what Switch 2 users have had since the console launched last year.

For context, the original eShop was always so sluggish because it was running as a wrapped web app rather than a proper native application. This meant every scroll and page load was fighting against the overhead of a browser session. Switch 2 solved this at launch by building the eShop as a native app from the start. Nintendo has now done the same for the original hardware.

Users who tested the update described the eShop as "buttery smooth", with games showing up in batches as you scroll instead of slowly loading one at a time. Daniel Vuckovic on Bluesky posted a clip of the new experience in action, and the contrast with the old version is stark. It is not quite as fast as Switch 2's eShop, given the hardware difference, but it is a world apart from where it was.

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The patch notes also add that dark mode is finally available for the eShop. The Nintendo eShop color will now reflect the theme color if your theme in System Settings is set to Basic Dark. Previously, the web-based interface had no way to recognize the console's system theme setting, leaving users stuck with the default light theme.

The update brings a few other useful additions. A PIN can now be set to lock access to the eShop and protect saved payment methods. The ZL and ZR buttons now let users skip forward and back 10 seconds when watching trailers or gameplay videos in the eShop and the News app.

It is a shame it took this long, especially with a large portion of the Switch install base already moving on to the sequel. For those still using the original Switch, though, this is a genuinely useful update.