Nintendo Switch’s day one patch has arrived, ushering the return of the dreaded Friend Code system (or at least a softer variation of it). But Nintendo also promised the patch would include a way to connect to public hotspots, which seemed to run counter to the claim that the Switch won’t have a browser given so many public hotspots require you to log in to a captive portal. So how does Nintendo reconcile this paradox? Simply put, by having a browser that can only be used in very limited situations.

The browser is intended for one basic reason: logging in to public hotspots. So far we’ve tried both Starbucks and Vox Media’s own guest network. Logging into the local Google Starbucks portal brings up the familiar coffee-infused webpage that you’d see if logging in from a phone or laptop. From there, you can navigate the page with the touchscreen.

There are workarounds, however. Even though you can’t launch the browser from the main menu nor can you enter in manual URLs, you can sneak your way on to Facebook by going into User Settings to link your social profile, then clicking a link on the page. You can use that loophole to browse through all of Facebook, and even watch Facebook video. I was able to check my news feed, browse Facebook pages, and even watch videos. It’s janky, but it works — sort of.

There are a few other features on the browser. A small blue dot represents the mouse pointer, which you can move with the left joystick, while the right joystick is used for zooming in and out of the full page. You can also hit the Plus button to see a page information screen, which simply shows the web address and tells you whether or not your connection is encrypted.

This is, clearly, not something Nintendo expected. Indeed, the little blue mouse pointer never appeared. Instead, navigation was done either through touchscreen or by navigating through various page elements one box at a time. Zooming in and out would cause the page elements to overlap in weird ways. It’s something that you can experience, but it’s not something you’ll really want to.

You also can’t leave Facebook, it seems: every link I clicked that would take me to an external site would instead pop up an error page blocking me.

Hints of browser functionality can be seen elsewhere in the Switch’s menu system — when logging into the eShop, for example, the Switch asks if you want to save your password with familiar Save / Not Now / Never for this Site options.

Are these signs that Nintendo will enable the browser down the line? Not really, no, but the foundation is there.

Update: According to a press release, the Switch uses the NetFront Browser NX made by Access, which also made browsers for 3DS and Wii U. (Thanks, Dylan Staley!)

Nintendo Switch hardware review