Following Nintendo’s recent Corporate Management Policy Briefing, the company took to Twitter to share some exciting news: games from the Nintendo Switch will be compatible with its upcoming console, which fans are temporarily dubbing the “Switch 2.”
Diving into the details from the briefing, available on Nintendo’s official website, there’s a lot to unpack regarding their current position in the console market. The company boasts an impressive 146 million units sold from the Switch Family, and it’s interesting to note that more games have been played on the Switch than on any other piece of Nintendo hardware. There’s a 59-page document packed with sales stats and historical insights, but one of the key takeaways is the confirmation that services like Nintendo Switch Online (and other music components) will persist with the arrival of the Switch 2.
For those familiar with Microsoft and Sony’s approaches to console compatibility, Nintendo’s announcement might not come as much of a shock. Microsoft has set a high standard with its fantastic backward compatibility features, including FPS and resolution enhancements, across titles originally released on Xbox and Xbox 360, now playable on newer consoles like the Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. On the other hand, Sony has been more conservative. While the PlayStation 3 supported a wide range of older titles, the PlayStation 5 predominantly offers backward compatibility with PS4 games, with some PS2 and PS1 classics available through emulation. Unfortunately for PS3 fans, those titles are mostly confined to the realm of cloud streaming on the PS4 and PS5, which has been a bit of a downer for some in the PlayStation community.
Nintendo’s track record with backward compatibility was quite solid—until the Switch came along. The Wii U could handle games from both the Wii and GameCube and featured a Virtual Console to fill in the library’s older gaps. Similarly, the Nintendo 3DS could play Nintendo DS games, though none of the 3DS models supported the older Game Boy Advance titles or other pre-dual screen handheld games from Nintendo’s earlier days.
With the introduction of the Nintendo Switch, which unified their handheld and home console experience and shifted from PowerPC to Arm architecture, backward compatibility took a backseat. Fortunately, the success and versatility of the Switch’s Nvidia-powered hardware seem to have convinced Nintendo to maintain this framework. This decision will surely please current Switch owners, as their existing game libraries will transition smoothly to whatever the future holds with the Switch 2.
Beyond compatibility, there’s hope that those games that were somewhat limited by the original hardware, like the “Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” will be able to run smoother at higher frame rates, surpassing the 60 FPS cap. This progress also sidesteps reliance on emulators that Nintendo often seeks to curb—since emulators for the Switch could potentially extend their function to the Switch 2 as well.
Stay tuned for more updates as Nintendo continues to unveil its plans for the next generation of gaming.
