Summary
- After dozens of leaks and speculation, Nintendo Switch 2 is real and is coming very soon.
- In its reveal, Nintendo shared that the Switch 2 would be backwards compatible with Switch 1 games.
- On the subject of backwards compatibility, a Nintendo spokesperson said it was the “best direction” to take the successor.
In case you missed it, Nintendo finally broke its silence and announced and revealed the upcoming successor to the Nintendo Switch, appropriately named the Switch 2. There was a lot to unpack from the near-three-minute trailer, including the presence of a new Mario Kart game, plus the hardware itself.
Of course, you didn’t miss the Switch 2 reveal, it’s just fun to say “In case you missed it.”
In the video, Nintendo affirmed that when the Switch 2 does launch that it will play Switch 2 “exclusive” games, along with being backwards compatible with games from the original Switch. It’s important to note that “certain” base Switch games “may not be supported or fully compatible” with the console, though more details will be revealed.
Now, in a statement to Game File’s Stephen Totilo, Nintendo shared that making the Switch 2 backwards compatible was ultimately the “best direction” to take the console. In an email blast, Totilo shared what a Nintendo spokesperson shared about backwards compatibility.
“Nintendo Switch is played by many consumers, and we decided that the best direction to take would be for consumers to be able to play their already purchased Nintendo Switch software on the successor to Nintendo Switch. As a result of that thinking, Nintendo Switch 2 plays Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.”
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It Always Made Sense
For the most part, Nintendo has been good about backwards compatibility when it comes to its consoles. For example, the Wii had a slot to play GameCube games, and the Wii U was similarly backwards compatible with the Wii. On the handheld side, the 3DS could play other DS games, while the original DS could play Game Boy Advance titles.
In other words, it’s mostly par for the course, but an industry analyst offered another viewpoint. In an interview with GamesRadar, Serkan Toto shared that the feature was “unavoidable.” He added, “Nintendo sold 1 billion Switch 1 games, and it makes sense to let buyers of the new device carry over their library.”
When you think of things that way, then things make a lot more sense. Any decision but backwards compatibility on the Switch 2 would likely have been met with uproar. But that situation has been avoided, and now we wait for information regarding which titles won’t be supported, if any at all.
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