Nintendo Switch Online recently added Nintendo 64 functionality to the little hybrid handheld. However, the whole Online part of the equation introduces new problems that weren’t a thing during the 64-bit era. For instance, during internet play, you may see an error saying your connection with the other player is unstable. The notice that the problem may affect gameplay is a bit obvious considering the resulting lag. Is there any way to fix this issue?
Switch Online: Your connection with the other player is unstable
Nintendo Switch Online multiplayer functions rely on internet connections. If any player has a weak connection, your connection to the other player or players will be unstable. This will result in stuttering video, audio, and general lag. You can fix an unstable connection on your side by ensuring you have a strong link to your internet source. Unfortunately, it’s not always so easy with other players.
Put simply, the unstable connection error is caused by a bad internet connection. Someone in the party — you or one of the others — is bogging down the whole group. The only way to fix it is for everyone to ensure they have a stable connection that meets basic speed requirements.
Enjoy the nightmare. #Nintendo64 #NintendoSwitchOnline #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/cdio7PJTKX
— Daan Koopman (@NintenDaan) October 26, 2021
Unfortunately, understanding the cause of the problem is more difficult. The connection may be bad because of a bad WiFi signal. In that case, the fix is to simply move closer to the modem or router. Alternatively, the connection may be bad because of limited bandwidth. Turning off other devices or software using the internet, allowing more speed to be used for the game, should fix that.
Of course, it could just be a bad connection in general. Satellite internet, mobile hotspots, public WiFi; any number of things could result in this sort of lag. It could even be down to Nintendo’s own servers, which caused instability shortly after N64 games launched. That’s all this error really amounts to — lag from an unstable connection — but getting to the root of that problem could be difficult or outright impossible.
In any case, if your Nintendo Switch Online connection to the other player is unstable, it’s because at least one of you has a weak internet connection. Moving closer to the router or disabling anything that might take extra bandwidth is the easiest fix.
