The full text of the request sent to Nintendo regarding the inability to use voice reading during the initial setup of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been made public
Nintendo has released the full text of a request sent to Nintendo by a visually impaired user regarding the inability to use the voice read-out function during initial setup of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo's home video game console released on June 5, 2025.
I contacted Nintendo to see if there is currently a way to enable screen reading immediately after powering on the Switch 2 during initial setup.
— Cat (@nyanchan2013) July 1, 2025
The creator of this video is Yukio Nozawa , a visually impaired programmer. Nozawa has been working on accessibility issues, such as hosting game experience sessions for the visually impaired and working on the ' Audio Game Center ' project, which allows users to play games using sound.
When blind people operate computers or game consoles, there is a strong demand from the perspective of accessibility for features that allow them to access the information displayed on the screen through hearing, such as through voice reading, rather than through a GUI (graphical user interface) that relies on sight.
For example, Windows has an ' Accessibility ' feature that allows you to read text aloud, enlarge the text to be displayed, and change the color contrast. This accessibility feature can also be used during setup. In addition, web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge come with a text-to-speech function as standard.
In addition, for game consoles, the text-to-speech function is automatically enabled if there is no operation for a certain period of time during initial setup on the PlayStation 5. For Xbox, it is possible to launch the narrator with a keyboard shortcut. Sony is particularly committed to accessibility, and has released the Access controller , designed to allow people with physical disabilities to play games.
There are many titles in which the main game is designed so that even blind people can play. For example, ' Real Sound ~Kaze no Regret~ ', which was once released for the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, is a radio drama-like game in which there are no images and you can choose your own options. This title was designed to be playable by visually impaired people, and a Braille instruction manual was sent to those who requested it.
In addition, ' Street Fighter 6 ', which is also available on the Nintendo Switch 2, has a wide range of sound accessibility features for visually impaired players, such as changing the sound effects of moves depending on their nature and using sounds to indicate the distance between you and your opponent. In fact, it was a hot topic when a blind player competed in the world championships for 'Street Fighter 6' and won.
[NHK Special] Winning the World Championships! Behind the Strength of a Blind Fighting Gamer... | Games x Humanity: The Changing Face of Humanity and Society | NHK - YouTube
In this way, improving accessibility has become an important issue in the IT and gaming industries, but since he was unable to enable the text-to-speech function during the initial setup of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nozawa contacted Nintendo's official support. After receiving a response from Nintendo, it was confirmed that the initial setup could not be performed using the text-to-speech function, so he sent a letter of protest.
Nintendo's response confirmed that the initial setup cannot be done using the text-to-speech function, so we sent a letter of protest. We have posted the full text below. Instead of thinking, 'I managed it, so it's fine,' we hope that those who own one will join this trend. Now, while it's still available, just as it was just released. https://t.co/FKjdwKSY3e
— Cat (@nyanchan2013) July 2, 2025
Nozawa said, 'I have heard that the text-to-speech function (of the Nintendo Switch 2) is of high quality, and I understand that a lot of effort must have gone into implementing it, and I am naturally grateful for that. Many gamers around me were excited at the news that there was finally a way to access it on the Switch 2. That's why I find the current situation, where users who truly need the benefit of this function cannot access it on their own, extremely contradictory, and even upsetting.'
By the way, you can get a good idea of the Nintendo Switch 2's reading function by watching the following movie.
Switch 2 text-to-speech speed and voice - YouTube
In the past, it has been pointed out that Nintendo's accessibility measures may be lagging behind. At Nintendo's general shareholders meeting in 2024, it was reported that a question was asked, 'Is Nintendo lagging behind in its response to visually impaired people?'
Nintendo and Accessibility | N-Styles
https://n-styles.com/main/archives/2024/07/10-224500.php
Q1 I think there are people out there with visual impairments who want to play games. Could you please explain what Nintendo is doing to help these people?
A1 President and CEO Shuntaro Furukawa: We want many people around the world to be able to play our games. I won't go into specific details here, but we would like to make various efforts to ensure that not only people with visual impairments, but also people who have difficulty playing games, can play our games.
Nintendo fan site N-Styles argues, 'The first question was a strong one, pointing out that Nintendo is not addressing the problem sufficiently, and it felt like the entire room became tense. During the Q&A session, if the questioner's point is contrary to the facts, they should properly deny it. If they are responding properly, they should say, 'We've posted it on the website' or 'We don't think we're lagging behind other companies.' However, this time they avoided making specific references to the points raised, and their answer is in effect an admission that they are slow to respond.'
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