The Nintendo Switch only includes 32GB of internal storage and some of that is reserved for the system, meaning a microSD card purchase is a must. But what if you’ve filled both the internal memory and your card when a game needs patching? The latest system update solves that problem.
As My Nintendo News reports, Nintendo has just released Version 12.1.0 of the Switch system software, and the following is listed as new functionality: “If there is not enough space remaining on the system memory (internal storage) or microSD card when downloading game software update data, you can now delete old data for that software, enabling you to download the new data.”
So rather than a patch being unable to install, your Switch will allow the deletion of old data associated with the game to make room. Nintendo does point out that if you choose to do this, “you won’t be able to play the game until the new data has finished downloading.” Switch game patches don’t take particularly long to install in my experience, so this is no great hardship. Other than that, Nintendo lists “general system stability improvements” as the only other patch notes, which is typically the catch-all for “we’ve fixed a number of bugs not worth detailing.”
Version 12.1.0 was released yesterday and therefore should be available the next time you turn on your Switch. In most cases it will have been downloaded automatically while in sleep mode, but you can easily check in the System Settings menu whether a new update is waiting to be installed.
