How to Stream Your Nintendo Switch on Discord

Discord has become the go-to platform for gamers to socialize, chat, and show off their gaming skills. With text, voice, video, and screen sharing capabilities, it’s perfect for group activities

Discord is available on most platforms, even on consoles. The Nintendo Switch is one such console that doesn’t make the list of those with native Discord support. However, there is a workaround to stream your Switch gameplay on Discord. This is what we’ll be discussing today.

Requirements For Streaming Switch On Discord

Before streaming your Switch on Discord, there are a couple of things that you’ll need:

• A PC or laptop
• If your laptop or PC has an HDMI port, you won’t need this. Since most PCs don’t have one, you’ll be needing a video capture card.

• A video streaming software. The 2 best and free options would be the VLC Media Player and OBS Studio. OBS Studio is also available to download through Steam.
• Finally, your Switch must be Docked.

Streaming The Switch on Discord

To begin streaming your Switch, you need to first set up your Switch and capture card which you can do by following our detailed guide, or by simply following the steps below:

Setting up the Switch and Capture Card

1. Ensure that your Docked Switch is not connected to any TVs or any other device. Also make sure that the Type-C cables are connected properly to the Switch.
2. Connect your capture card to your PC. If it has its own software, install it according to the given instructions. Set up the capture card along lines of the recommended settings.
3. Now using a HDMI cable, connect your Switch to the capture card. The Dock has an HDMI Out port so make sure you plug the HDMI cable into the HDMI In port on the capture card.
4. Power on your Switch.
5. On the Switch, navigate to System Settings, choose TV Resolution. Set the resolution to 1080p and select Full RGB Range. This will guarantee the best possible output settings.

Setting up VLC for streaming

As mentioned above, we need VLC or OBS to output our stream through the capture card. VLC can be set up for this by following these instructions:

1. Open Notepad on your PC. Copy and paste the below code. The name Game Capture HD60 S belongs to a specific capture card so substitute it with your capture card’s name.

   C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe” dshow:// :dshow-vdev=”Game Capture HD60 S (Video) (#01)” :dshow-adev=”Game Capture HD60 S (Audio) (#01)” :dshow-aspect-ratio=”16:9″ :dshow-audio-samplerate=48000 :dshow-audio-channels=2 :live-caching=0 :dshow-fps=60

2. Open up VLC. Click on Media. From the drop-down, select Open Capture Device.
   

   

3. A window should appear. Make sure that the Capture Mode is set as DirectShow. Set the Video device name and Audio device name to be the same as your capture card’s.
   

   

4. Now click on the Show more options checkbox.
   

   

5. Several other options should appear below. Copy the aforementioned code from the Notepad and paste it in the Edit Options bar.
   

   

6. Click on Cancel and close VLC.
7. On your desktop, find the VLC icon and right-click on it. From the menu, select Properties.
   

   

8. In the Properties window, there should be Target bar present. Copy the code from your Notepad again and paste it here.
   

   

   By doing this, a shortcut will be created for streaming your Switch any time you connect it to PC for streaming on Discord.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter any issues during this setup process, you can try to troubleshoot the problem by ensuring a few things:

• If you experience lag or low-quality video during the stream, try closing any other applications that may be using system resources.
• If you’re using OBS, try adjusting the bitrate or resolution of the stream to optimize the stream quality.
• If you’re using VLC, try adjusting the settings to improve the video quality.
• Some capture cards may not be compatible with this method, so you may need to purchase a different capture card or use an alternative method.
• Streaming gameplay may require significant system resources and might not work well for users with low-end hardware or slower internet connections.
• Depending on the capture card and software used, there may be some latency or delay in the stream, which may affect your gaming experience.

Starting the stream on Discord

Open up Discord and follow these steps:

1. Join a voice channel. Select the Screen Share option.
   

   

2. The Screen Share menu should appear. Select VLC from the available apps.
   

   

3. After modifying the stream settings on Discord, click on Go Live to begin streaming your Switch. Any time you want to stop, click on the X on the preview thumbnail.
   

   

Conclusion

Now that both PlayStation and Xbox have joined the bandwagon, it really is unfortunate that the Switch doesn’t have native Discord support. However, with this workaround, you’ll be able to enjoy all your favorite exclusives along with your friends and let them join in on the fun.

If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out our other equally informative guides on the Nintendo Switch.