Response: Rest assured everyone, your switch backlog isn’t going anywhere
In a clever move, Nintendo anticipated investor disappointment ‘numbers are falling’ six-month financial and changed the conversation by revealing a tidbit about Switch 2: the Switched successor will Backwards compatible with current Switch software.
Confirmed by company president Shuntaro Furukawa himself in both his tweet and investor presentation, the games you own on your current Switch will be playable on the next system. And the fandom rejoiced and breathed a sigh of relief.
Also of note, Nintendo Switch Online is moving, so maybe Subscribers will also maintain access to most (if not all) of the classic games, DLC, and peripheral benefits of that service on the new console. ‘Maybe’ some improvements are being made there, and Furukawa also said that more details will be announced in due course.
Will all Is the game compatible? This will apply to digital And physical purchases? You’d assume so, especially given the backlash if it turns out didn’t this case, but you know what they say about assumptions. There are almost always warnings about backwards compatibility – there will be at least one Labo asterisk. However, for OLED and Lite Switch owners, it’s already a reality and, despite our admiration for Nintendo’s cardboard experiment, most users will get by just fine without one. It.
For anyone who’s spent the last seven and a half years amassing a large Switch library, knowing that access will continue when you upgrade to your next console is great news. Rumors suggest This will be the case and it has been widely assumed, but again, assumptions can give you a headache.
The news also reiterates that the Switch 2’s form factor will be essentially the same as the current console. Sure, new controller maybe completely different, and the system may only be compatible with the current Joy-Con, but it seems like the current software will be playable without using old accessories – especially since you can buy ‘old’ games on the Switch 2 itself.
For those interested in that Metroid Prime 4 might get lost in the excitement over the Switch 2’s arrival next year (assuming MP4 gives a vague ‘2025’ date, of course), this cross-gen announcement means everyone’s invited Join the party, whether you shell out for the new attraction or have fun with the ol’ trusty. It’s the best of both worlds… except for those who are hoping that game can take advantage of improved technology for a more impressive experience, exclusively for the Switch-2. But hey, you can’t please everyone.
Questions remain – big questions. Does your current Switch game catalog get a performance or resolution boost thanks to upgraded hardware? (See also: Will The awakening of connection‘sand Echoes of wisdomWill its poor frame rate be smoothed out on the Switch 2?) Will Nintendo sell Deluxe upgrades of current-gen games that take advantage of the new Switch somehow? Maybe – and this would be something of a utopian level – we reach a sweet spot where every series entry ever created is available to play on a single system?
The current Switch isn’t far off from offering that, with only a handful of Zelda and Mario, mainly DS/3DS entries, not being playable on the Switch in some form. Another generation’s worth of remakes and re-releases could very well see all the major entries in Nintendo’s biggest franchises in one place for the first time.
Could we ever reach a glorious nexus where every series entry ever created is available to play on a single system?
Backward compatibility also means there are no jumping consoles to get rid of in your backlog. It’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 can’t keep up with the monthly release pace that has served this generation so well. Is there a two-month gap in the Switch 2’s first year’s release schedule? Why not plug it in with a quality Switch 1 game? Looking back at you, Prime 4. Remember, looting last-gen consoles for underrated gems isn’t an option this time, but that doesn’t mean the Switch 2 still isn’t can benefit from its predecessor’s software.
Looked at this way, backwards compatibility isn’t simply a token, peace-of-mind feature, but something more important to the success of the Switch’s successor (five times fast, please) than a pleasant, readily available check mark. Along with the continuation of the Nintendo Account system, the next system will be just that: a continuation.
It also means that Nintendo will have to up its game with future entries in its core series. ONE Splatoon 4 That feels like terrible Splatoon 3 And Splatoon 2 might be a less attractive prospect if its predecessors were sitting right therejust a few clicks away.
Likewise, the next Animal Crossing will need to be avoided New horizon and offer something truly new and exciting. Backwards compatibility makes continuing to play ‘old’ more convenient than ever — especially for more casual Switch players who still enjoy evergreens, or those who just picked them up. You’d hope this would keep Nintendo honest and hungry to promote innovation and new ideas on the software side.
For some of us who thrive on ‘weird’ Nintendo, we hope the Switch 2 will also bring a little What- on the hardware side, because we all need that wonder and joy™ in our lives, but it’s exciting to see this affordable, consumer-friendly feature confirmed, even as we wait for the reveal. Things are looking up in Nintendo land.
