On the tenth of November, 2026, Nintendo quietly moved both the Switch 2 and the original Switch to system version 23.5.0, laying groundwork for a feature that will let players gift eShop purchases within their family groups. The gift itself is not yet possible; it waits for a separate eShop update due on November 17. Alongside it sit modest accessibility gains, including new text-to-speech support for Portuguese (Portugal) and accessibility setup during a new owner's first hours with a Switch 2. In the longer arc of a platform that keeps learning to share and to listen, this is a patient step
Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch Update 23.5.0 Adds Eshop Gifting, Accessibility Setup and Portuguese TTS
The update adds support, but gifting itself waits for November 17.
Mark
So what's actually new in 23.5.0 for most people?
Mimi
The big item is gifting. You'll be able to send eShop products to someone in your Nintendo Account family group, on Switch 2 and the original Switch.
Mark
Can you do it today?
Mimi
No. The update adds support, but the feature itself arrives with an eShop update scheduled for November 17, 2026.
Luke
Worth stressing that date comes from Nintendo's own patch notes. We don't yet know the details, like limits on what can be gifted or how it works across regions.
Mark
And the accessibility changes?
Mimi
Setting accessibility options during first-time setup, plus Portuguese (Portugal) added to Text to Speech and GameChat's text-to-speech conversion. Those are Switch 2 only.
Luke
Right, and the notes don't say what the setup options include beyond pointing to the setup information. I'd be careful about assuming more.
Mark
What about the general fixes?
Luke
Nintendo only says adjustments and fixes were made. Nothing specific is confirmed.
Mimi
The last major update was 23.0.0 in September, which added VRR in docked mode, so this one is smaller in scope.
Il Polso
- Nintendo's 23.5.0 update lands on both Switch 2 and Switch, but the headline feature sits unlit until November 17.
- Family group members are waiting to receive eShop gifts, a capability that exists in the software but not yet in practice.
- Switch 2 owners gain accessibility setup during first-time configuration, letting new users tune settings from the very first boot.
- Portuguese (Portugal) text-to-speech arrives in System Settings and GameChat, widening who can hear the console aloud.
- Everything now converges on the November 17 eShop update, the single date that turns this groundwork into something usable.
On the tenth of November, 2026, Nintendo quietly moved both the Switch 2 and the original Switch to system version 23.5.0, laying groundwork for a feature that will let players gift eShop purchases within their family groups. The gift itself is not yet possible; it waits for a separate eShop update due on November 17. Alongside it sit modest accessibility gains, including new text-to-speech support for Portuguese (Portugal) and accessibility setup during a new owner's first hours with a Switch 2. In the longer arc of a platform that keeps learning to share and to listen, this is a patient step: the infrastructure arrives first, and the people it serves arrive when the doors open.
Nintendo has released system update 23.5.0 for both the Switch 2 and the original Switch, and the most anticipated line in the notes is a promise rather than a present. Gifting Nintendo eShop products to members of a Nintendo Account family group is now supported in the software, but it will not switch on until a separate eShop update arrives on November 17, 2026. Until that day, families must simply wait, with the groundwork already in place.
The accessibility changes belong to the Switch 2 alone. New owners can now set accessibility options during first-time setup, so the console can fit them from the very beginning rather than after a round of menu digging. Inside System Settings, Portuguese (Portugal) has been added to Text to Speech, and to GameChat's "Convert Text to Speech" function, extending spoken support to chat as well.
Nintendo also notes general fixes and improvements without specifying them. This update follows version 23.0.0 from September, which introduced variable refresh rate in docked mode and music in Mii Maker. The next meaningful moment comes on November 17, when the eShop update is due and gifting can finally begin.
Nintendo has pushed a new system update to both the Switch 2 and the original Switch, moving each console to version 23.5.0. The headline addition is groundwork for a gifting feature, though it won't work the moment the update is installed.
The gifting function will let a player send Nintendo eShop products to another member of their Nintendo Account family group. It is scheduled to go live on November 17, 2026, and it depends on a separate Nintendo eShop update arriving that day. Until then, the system update only adds support for the feature. Nintendo describes it as an upcoming capability, and it will be available on both Switch 2 and Switch.
The second piece of the update concerns accessibility, and here the two consoles differ. The accessibility items in the patch notes apply only to Switch 2. The first is the ability to configure accessibility settings during first-time setup, so a new owner can adjust them while getting the console running. Nintendo points to the Switch 2 first-time setup information for details on what those settings cover.
The update also changes accessibility options within System Settings. Portuguese (Portugal) has been added to the list of languages for Text to Speech. It has also been added to the languages available for GameChat's "Convert Text to Speech" function, which extends the same support to the console's chat feature.
As usual, Nintendo says the update includes general adjustments and fixes meant to improve the user experience. The patch notes give no further detail on what those cover.
This follows the last major Switch 2 update, version 23.0.0, which arrived in September. That release brought variable refresh rate support in docked mode on Switch 2, music in Mii Maker, and other changes.
The practical next step falls on November 17, 2026. That is when the eShop update is due, and when the gifting feature should become usable for people in a Nintendo Account family group.
Citazioni salienti
The gifting feature will be available after a Nintendo eShop update, scheduled for November 17, 2026.— Nintendo, patch notes for version 23.5.0
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