With less than a month until the Nintendo Switch is set to hit stores, we're still getting news about the system's full capabilities in dribs and drabs from both official and unofficial sources. This weekend, the announcement of a"Global Testfire" beta test event in March contained the stealth announcement of a wired LAN mode for the system.

From the press release (emphasis added):

In addition to this, a new feature called LAN Play will be added to Splatoon 2, allowing up to 10 docked systems—eight players and two spectators—to connect via wired LAN. This feature allows players to create local Private Battle tournaments without the need for an Internet connection. Local wireless play is perfect for your regular gaming get-togethers, but LAN Play is where it’s at when you want to organize a serious tournament event with your fellow players.

The wired LAN feature might be somewhat surprising, since the Nintendo Switch doesn't sport a standard Ethernet port on its TV-connected dock (unlike the Xbox One and PS4, which both have Ethernet ports that allow for easy LAN connections). Instead, it seems you'll need a separate USB-to-Ethernet adapter for every system you want to connect via a wired connection—this officially licensed option from accessory maker Hori retails for $30, but others will likely work just as well.

Similar USB-to-Ethernet adapters worked on both the Wii and Wii U but couldn't be used for true LAN connections. Instead, those wired connections had to be routed through Nintendo's centralized online service, even for matches against systems wired to the very same router/Ethernet switch. That means players on those consoles were and are at the mercy of Nintendo's servers for multiconsole play—when Nintendo shut off the Wii's online gameplay servers in 2014 , even local multiconsole matches in games likebecame impossible without some serious hacking

For true multiscreen LAN party capabilities on a previous Nintendo console, you have to go back to the GameCube days, when you could connect up to eight systems together via LAN for truly insane, split-screen-free Mario Kart Double Dash matches. It's a setup you can still often find replicated at gaming conventions like MAGFest.

If you don't want to mess with a lot of adapters, switches, and TV connections, the Switch also has native support for wireless LAN connections in its undocked, portable mode. That wireless LAN only supports up to eight consoles at a time, though—two fewer than Splatoon's wired LANs, which add two "spectator" screens to the eight-player action.

It's unclear whether the Switch's wired LAN connection can support more than 10 docked consoles at a time in other games or whether titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will also include LAN support. We've reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update this story if we hear back.