SDS waited until the end of the trailer to reveal that MLB The Show 22 will be coming to Nintendo Switch this year. We knew this would eventually be happening as SDS confirmed it in 2019, we just were not sure when it would happen. Now we know.
MLB The Show 22 On Nintendo Switch
It's Ohtani time. Pre-order #MLBTheShow 22. Available 4/5 on PS5, PS4, Xbox X|S, Xbox One, and for the first time ever, Nintendo Switch.
Pre-order: https://t.co/LCivWAsdi4 pic.twitter.com/xekdg9fuhE— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 31, 2022
SDS has not yet said everything involved with the Switch version, but it’s relatively easy to put together the pieces just based on the FAQ up on its official site. It more or less looks like the Switch version will work like the PS4 and Xbox One versions. In short, this means we should expect basically all the same functionality found in the “last-gen” versions of the series.
This is more functionality than I was expecting going into things. You will have cross-platform play here, which means all consoles will remain tied together online for matchmaking (unless you turn it off). There will be cross progression so you can bring your Road to the Show player to other consoles. You can bring your stubs from Diamond Dynasty to other consoles (assuming you did not purchase them with real money, those stay on the specific console). There will also be cross saves, so your other information can transfer between consoles as well.
Considering MLB The Show 22 will be on Game Pass yet again this year, this does open up the opportunity for your Show experience to go “portable” if you want. You could conceivably play on your Xbox at home and then bring the experience on the road (franchise mode, Road to the Show) with your Switch if you have multiple consoles.
No Stadium Creator On Switch
This does also mean the Switch version has the negatives of the last-gen consoles as well. This means you can’t play at created stadiums, and there will be no Stadium Creator on the Nintendo Switch version. As cool as it would be to have a portable Stadium Creator, this was expected heading into things.
One other note about the Switch version that might separate it from the last-gen consoles is you will still need to download something even if you own the cartridge. This is because the Switch cartridges are smaller than what you have on PS4/Xbox One, so SDS gets around that (like many other developers) by having you download any extra stuff they could not fit onto the cartridge itself. It’s a tale as old as time for Nintendo as it relates to having wonky cartridge systems that differ from the competition.
Bottom Line
PC players remain out in the cold, but this is an exciting next step for The Show series. Having a “portable” baseball game is huge, and all that remains is seeing how the performance holds up when in portable mode vs. docked mode. Most developers seem to have gotten a handle on portable mode these days, so the hope is SDS nails it as well. However, considering The Show is very much about low latency and higher frame rates, the portable mode still will likely not be where “competitive” folks ever play the game. Regardless, this could be a nice option now for single-player fans.
