Nintendo Switch uses NetFront Browser NX

The Nintendo Switch may not have a web browser like the Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS, but it does have a web browser, and it’s called NetFront Browser NX. Some dedicated fans probably recognise it that name, and there’s a good reason for that: that same browser is also used on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Wii U, Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 3DS, and New Nintendo 3DS XL.

And on Friday, Access Co. LTD (the company developing the browser) announced that Nintendo had selected the NetFront Browser NX for the Nintendo Switch. Right now, Nintendo is only using it for the following: Nintendo Account related features, Nintendo eShop, upload of screenshots on SNS and more.

Based on WebKit, the NetFront Browser NX features “ultra-low levels of memory usage”, and supports all the latest web technologies: HTML5, CSS3, Gamepad API, WebP, WebSocket, and HTTP Cache. What’s more, thanks to “proprietary expansion spatial navigation technology”, users get smooth movement when using the arrow keys.

Right now, there is no proper web browser on the Nintendo Switch, because as mentioned above, only features related to Nintendo Account (including the Nintendo eShop) and posting to social media, are available at the moment. But there’s no doubt that when Nintendo finally adds a web browser to the Nintendo Switch, it will be based on the NetFront Browser NX.

Source: Access Co., LTD