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Nintendo speeds up the Switch eShop with an obvious fix

Buying digital games just got a lot less tedious.

Rob LeFebvre/Engadget

When you go to buy a digital game on Nintendo's Wii U or 3DS consoles, you only have to enter your payment information once. The systems store your credit card number so you can make your next purchase without having to type that string of digits in each time. Nintendo's hot new mobile/TV-based Switch, however, did not have this same ability. Thankfully, the gaming company has tweaked the Switch eShop today with the feature, making it even easier to spend all your money on digital downloads.

This is only one of the consumer-friendly moves Nintendo has made for it's Switch purchasing fans. In February of this year, the company made sure that your purchases would be tied to your Nintendo account, bringing the system much more in line with Sony and Microsoft's consoles, which already allowed it.

We've confirmed the update on our own Switches -- you need to buy a game or add funds using your credit card, then click the new "Save" checkbox before you hit the Next button. Nintendo's also written a little note: "If you already have a credit card stored, that information will be overwritten." Proceed as normal and the next time you purchase an item you'll be able to use the stored info.

Luckily, you won't have to perform an update on your Switch to get the new feature, as the eShop is web-based. Nintendo has made the change on their end and you can save your credit card info now to be ready for Thursday's releases like Minecraft.