Can a nintendo switch be used by two children at once?

[presentadvice]

I was going to get one for my kids as a sharing present, (ie for both of them) but the eldest was outraged at this saying he wants one just for himself.

And that made me wonder - can it be used by two children at once? Or do they actually need one each to be able to play the same game together?

I no nothing about gaming or consoles, as you can tell.

Yes there are two gaming controls so they can play with each other.

They have to play the same game together at the same time.

The can also connect it to the TV so they can both play together on the big screen. If you get more controls, more can join in (depending on the game). As others have said, they have to play the same game together though.

As long as it is the one that connects to the tv they can both play the game together

Yes, your eldest is being silly. One Switch per family is perfect - lots of the games are meant to be played together. You can actually have up to 4 players for some games, though it depends how many controllers you have.

You can use it as a one person hand -held gaming device when it is taken off the cradle it sits in. But it's much better on a tv screen when more can play. If you get mario kart then 4 can play providing you buy extra controllers. There are probably other games that can have 4 people playing too.

You don't even need to connect it to a TV, though obviously it's nicer to have a larger screen with multiple players.

You can detach the orange and blue bits, OP, and they are then like mini controllers. If you have the orange and blue bits attached, then it's single player.

Switch yes
Switch lite no

Thanks everyone! That's helpful!

Mumsnet is so great for stuff like this : )))

I also think that even if only one person could play at once, it is an expensive item and it's fine for children to share and take turns. I would be having a word with a child who was outraged about having to share something that pricy with his sibling.

You want to buy the regular Switch or the OLED one as the controllers come off the sides for 2-player games and it also has a dock so you can connect it to your TV. That's the best way to play 2-player games and to share it.

I share my Switch with my 8yo. The parental controls are really good and easy enough for me to bypass too. We can play individually but also together on the TV (Mario Kart is one of our favourites)

The backs of the game cases show how many players can play in each mode. Ideally you're looking for Tabletop Mode (where you can detach the red/blue controllers) and the number of players underneath to be more than one. Usually teen shop assistants in places like Game are really helpful

The Nintendo eShop also allows you to download demos which is ideal to know if it's a game that works well for your kids or will just cause arguments! Some are more collaborative 2-player and others are competitive.