Nintendo Confirms Switch 2 Will Support Backward Compatibility with Switch Games

Following their Corporate Management Policy Briefing, Nintendo took to Twitter to reveal that games made for the Nintendo Switch will be playable on its upcoming console, which many are now dubbing the “Switch 2.”

The comprehensive briefing, available on Nintendo’s official site, not only touches on this exciting news but also delves into Nintendo’s impressive standing within the console hardware market. The company highlighted the staggering sales of 146 million units from the Nintendo Switch family and pointed out that more games have been enjoyed on the Switch than on any other Nintendo system. This detailed 59-page document is a treasure trove of sales figures and historical insights, confirming that services like Nintendo Switch Online—even music and more—will continue to be supported on the new Switch 2.

If you’re accustomed to consoles from Sony or Microsoft, this announcement might not come as a huge surprise. Microsoft has set a high standard with Xbox, offering fantastic backward compatibility, complete with FPS Boost and Resolution Boost, for titles originally released on the Xbox and Xbox 360 when played on Xbox One or Xbox Series consoles. On the Sony side, while the PlayStation’s backward compatibility has seen limitations since the PS3 era, the PS5 manages near-perfect compatibility with PS4 titles and offers access to a variety of PS2 and PS1 games via emulation. However, the PS3 experience is limited to cloud streaming on both the PS4 and PS5, which has left some PlayStation fans wanting more.

Traditionally, Nintendo has done reasonably well with backward compatibility—at least until the arrival of the Nintendo Switch. The Wii U could run games directly from Wii and GameCube discs and also featured a Virtual Console to cover nearly all gaps from Nintendo’s earlier catalogs. Similarly, the Nintendo 3DS could handle DS games, though it dropped support for Game Boy Advance and other older handheld titles.

But when the Switch came along, fusing Nintendo’s handheld and home console lines while switching from PowerPC to Arm CPU architecture, backward compatibility was left behind. Thankfully, it seems the Switch’s powerful, Nvidia-driven mobile tech has won Nintendo over, meaning today’s Switch game purchases should seamlessly transition to gameplay on the upcoming Switch 2.

With any luck, titles that have been hampered by the original hardware, like “Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” might finally break free of those limitations and run at a smooth 60 FPS. All this without the need for emulators, which Nintendo has been quick to crack down on. Their suspicion is probably well-founded; just as the Dolphin emulator can run GameCube and Wii titles, unchecked Switch emulators might easily handle Switch 2 games, too.

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