TL;DR
- Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with the original Switch.
- This comes after leaks that the new console would indeed run original Switch titles.
- The company also said that the Nintendo Switch Online service would be available on the new device.
Nintendo confirmed the existence of a successor to the Nintendo Switch a while ago, but the company has otherwise been silent for the most part. Now, it’s revealed a key detail about the upcoming console.
Nintendo announced on X and in a corporate briefing that the Nintendo Switch 2 will indeed be backwards compatible with Switch games. That means you don’t have to give up your current library of Switch games if you buy the Switch 2.
This isn’t a surprise as previous reports asserted that the Switch 2 would play Switch titles. The new console is also said to be an NVIDIA Tegra-powered hybrid home/portable console like the old one, which lent more credence to backward compatibility rumors.
Nevertheless, Nintendo doesn’t historically have the best history with backward compatibility. The company ensured that almost all its handheld consoles could play games from previous machines. But when it comes to home consoles, only the Wii and Wii U offered backward compatibility. This issue is largely due to Nintendo home consoles often being a drastic evolution from one generation to the next in terms of console design, controllers, game formats, and more. So we’re glad to see confirmation of the ability to play original Switch games on the new console.
Nintendo also announced that the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service will be available on the Switch 2. Fingers crossed that the entire collection of retro games come across to the new console.
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