In a deft move of diversion, Nintendo anticipated investor disappointment in its ‘numbers are down’ six-month financials and changed the conversation by revealing a tidbit about the Switch 2: the successor to the Switch want be backwards compatible with current Switch software.
Confirmed by company president Shuntaro Furukawa himself in a tweet and his investor presentation, the games you own on your current Switch will be playable on the next system. And the fans were happy and relieved.
It should also be noted that Nintendo Switch Online will migrate, so probably subscribers will retain access to most (if not all) retro games, DLC, and peripheral perks of the service on the new console. He is ‘probably’ doing some work there, and Furukawa also said that more details will be released in due course.
Want each game be compatible? Will this apply to digital and physical purchases? You’d assume so, especially given the reaction if it turns out he wasn’t case, but you know what they say about assumptions. There are almost always caveats about backwards compatibility – at least there will be a Labo star. However, for Switch OLED and Lite owners, it’s already a reality and, despite our admiration for Nintendo’s cardboard experiment, most users will live just fine without it.
For anyone who’s spent the last seven and a half years amassing a hefty Switch library, knowing that access carries over as and when you upgrade to the next console is fantastic news. Rumors suggested this would be the case and it was widely assumed, but then again, assumptions can bite you in the butt.
This news also reiterates that the shape of the Switch 2 will be largely the same as the current console. Of course, new controllers could be radically different and the system could simply be compatible with the current Joy-Con, but it seems more likely that the current software will be playable without the use of old accessories – especially given that you’ll be able to buy ‘old’ games on the Switch 2 alone.
For people worried that Metroid Prime 4 might get lost in the excitement of next year’s Switch 2 arrival (assuming MP4 makes its nebulous ‘2025’ window, of course), this multi-gen announcement means everyone’s invited to the party , whether you’re branching out for a new ferocity or sticking to an old reliable. It’s the best of both worlds… except for people who were hoping that the game could take advantage of the improved technology to deliver a more immersive, Switch-2-friendly experience. But hey, you can’t please everyone.
Questions remain – big ones. Will your current catalog of Switch games improve performance or resolution thanks to upgraded hardware? (Also see: Will Link’s Awakening’s and Echoes of Wisdom’s questionable framerates be ironed out on Switch 2?) Will Nintendo sell Deluxe upgrades of current-gen games that somehow take advantage of the new Switch? Could we – and this would be utopian-level stuff – reach a glorified nexus point where all entries in the series have ever been made available to play on a single system?
The current Switch is nowhere near offering that, with only a handful of Zelda and Mario, primarily DS/3DS entries, unplayable on the Switch in some form. Another generation’s worth of remakes and re-releases could see all the main entries in Nintendo’s biggest series in one place, officially, for the first time.
Could we reach the glorious nexus point where all entries in the series ever made are available to play on one system?
Backward compatibility also means there’s no console to jump to to escape your backlog. He’s coming along for the ride!
In fact, you could argue that continued access to the Switch catalog is good insurance for Nintendo in case it’s unable to maintain the monthly release rhythm that has served this generation so well. Got a two-month gap in the Switch 2’s first-year release schedule? Why not pair it with a quality Switch 1 game? I’m looking at you again, Prime 4. Remember, looting the previous generation console for underappreciated gems isn’t an option this time around, but that doesn’t mean the Switch 2 can’t still benefit from its predecessor’s software.
Seen this way, backward compatibility isn’t just a token, no-brainer feature, but something more important to the success of the Switch’s successor (five times faster, please) than a feel-good ticker. Along with the sequel to the Nintendo Accounts system, the next system will be just that: a sequel.
It also means that Nintendo will have to up their game with future entries in their core series. AND Splatoon 4 which looks a lot like Splatoon 3 and Splatoon 2 might be a less appealing look if its predecessors remain right therejust a few clicks away.
Likewise, the next Animal Crossing will have to distance itself from New Horizons and offer something truly fresh and exciting. Backwards compatibility makes it easier than ever to just keep playing the ‘old’ — especially for more casual Switch players who still enjoy the evergreens or those who just picked them up. You’d hope this would keep Nintendo honest and hungry to encourage innovation and new ideas on the software side.
For some of us who enjoy ‘weird’ Nintendo, hopefully the Switch 2 will bring some as well What Th- on the hardware side, because we all need Surprise and Delight™ in our lives, but it’s encouraging to see this sensible consumer-friendly feature confirmed, even as we await the reveal. Things are looking up in Nintendo land.
