The Nintendo Switch may become a pretty good comic book e-reader when InkyPen launches for the system in November.
InkyPen is a subscription-based service that allows you to read comics on supported devices. Starting in November, those supported devices will include the Nintendo Switch. That makes it one of the few third-party media subscription apps available through the Nintendo Switch. For a console that is infamously lacking Netflix support, it’s pretty strange (and very welcome) to see a comic book reader service coming to the Switch.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the service itself is fairly generous. The UK price hasn’t been revealed yet, but if it’s anything like the US launch, InkyPen will grant you access to over 10,000 mangas, graphic novels, and other comic-related publications for around £6 a month. Most of the comics included are international and indie, so don’t expect to see any comics from Marvel, DC, and the other big industry players just yet.
The good news is that InkyPen’s service will let Switch users read whatever comics are available on the go via the console’s handheld functionality and send the comics to their TVs for big-screen viewing (presumably when you’re not sitting on a lovely looking wooden pier by the side of a lake). You’re also able to zoom in to pages and flip through comics via the Switch’s touch screen or controls.
InkyPen sounds like a decent enough deal but, again, it feels like the real story here is Nintendo slowly expanding the Switch’s app store and making room for apps that allow you to use your Switch for more than just gaming. While we certainly understand why Nintendo would want to keep the Switch’s app store free of every service out there – and why they want an efficient, minimalist UI – it’s also nice to know that they’re not completely opposed to the idea of opening their doors to certain services.
Of course, they may also just want to expand the Switch’s app selection in time for the launch of the Nintendo Switch’s premium online service…