Nintendo just dropped a huge Switch Sports update: here are the patch notes

Version 1.2.0

Nintendo just rolled out Switch Sports update 1.2.0, and there’s a lot to unpack. Here are the big parts with a full patch note rundown. So we already knew this update was coming, but I don’t think I was ready for how massive it is.

Here are the quick bites:

• One-on-one and four-on-four soccer have leg strap support
• You can access a new camera mode via the options, user settings, other menu
• Jump height has been fixed/normalized to avoid too much variance
• Volleyball now has “slide attack” mechanics (move the stick left and right after a bump)
• Bowling physics were adjusted
• Global play is in
• Playing with friends has been enhanced, with Room IDs
• Unstable online connections will now be more visible via a wifi icon in the lower right-hand corner

It’s good stuff! While single-player progression was arguably the most egregious sin the game commits, all of this makes the entire game that much smoother, especially if you play with other people. You can read the full notes below.

Switch Sports update Ver. 1.2.0 (Released July 26, 2022)

Soccer

• One-on-One and Four-on-Four Soccer can now be played using the leg strap.
  • Play Globally On the sport-selection screen, highlight Soccer and press the X Button.
    Play Globally sport-selection screen
  • Play Locally On the screen showing how to hold the Joy-Con controllers, press the + Button.
    Play Locally Joy-Con demonstration screen
  • Play with Friends On the screen showing how to hold the Joy-Con controllers, press the + Button.
    Play with Friends Joy-Con demonstration screen
• A new camera mode has been added. To use it, go to the sport-selection screen, then Options → User Settings → Other (for Two-Hand Mode only).
• The camera can now be reset during play by pressing the X Button.
• Players will no longer jump too high when kicking repeatedly, and it should also be easier to jump to the maximum height (for Two-Hand Mode only).

Volleyball

• You can now perform Slide Attacks, a coordinated move where a player crosses the court before leaping to spike the ball.
  • To do a Slide Attack, move the Stick left and right after bumping the ball. This move is great for catching opponents off guard.
  • To block a Slide Attack, quickly start moving toward the opponent who is getting ready to spike the ball by using the Stick to get into position.
• You can now perform Rocket Serves.
  • When serving, toss the ball high and hit it at its apex to do a Rocket Serve.

Bowling

• Adjusted how the pins fall.
  • It is now slightly harder for the pins to fall when bowling straight.
  • It is now slightly easier for the pins to fall when bowling with a curve.

Play Globally

• S Rank and ∞ Rank (Infinity Rank) have been added to the Pro Leagues.
  • Those at ranks A30 through A39 before the software update will be moved to ranks S0 through S9.
• Added a setting to turn off the display of opponent nicknames and titles.
  • This setting can be found on the sport-selection screen. Go to Options → User Settings → Other.
• Strengthened measures against disruptive behavior.

Play with Friends

• When creating a room, you can now choose to give it a Room ID. This will let you play online matches even if your opponent is not a Friend.
  Creating a Room with a Room ID
  • Host In Make a New Room, check the Room ID (Invite Anyone via ID) option. Make a note of the Room ID you see, then select OK.
    Note: Your Room ID will also be shown on the Member Reception screen.
    Creating a room to play with friends.

    Give the Room ID to those you want to invite to the room, then wait at the Member Reception screen.

  • Invitees Press the + Button in Join Room, then enter the Room ID.
    Join a room by pressing the + Button in Join Room.
• A new difficulty option called Auto Select is available for Bowling when in Play with Friends. This option measures the average skill of participating players to set the overall difficulty.

Overall

• An icon will now appear if the connection to a player becomes unstable during online play.
  • If an opponent’s connection becomes unstable, the icon will appear on your own screen as well.
  • If you see this icon often, please see our troubleshooting for online latency issues.
    Highlighted icon indicating a poor connection quality while playing Tennis in Nintendo Switch Sports.
• A message will now appear when Joy-Con controller connection becomes unstable during play.
  • If this message appears often, please see our troubleshooting for Joy-Con connection issues.
• Several issues have been fixed to improve the gameplay experience.