The upcoming successor to the Nintendo Switch (which is likely to arrive in 2025) will be backward compatible with the original console. So if you're a die-hard fan of a particular Nintendo Switch 1 game, you'll be able to enjoy it on the Nintendo Switch 2. Or whatever its name is.
See also: Nintendo Switch Online – Playtest registrations open
“In today’s management policy update, we announced that the successor to the Nintendo Switch will be compatible with the Nintendo Switch software,” the post reads. In addition, the company will ensure that Nintendo Switch Online “will continue to be available on the successor device.” More detailed information about the successor will be provided “at a later date,” the Nintendo team promises.
Ars Technica reports that Nintendo also released a full policy update. In it, Nintendo emphasized that it believes it is important for the company's future to maintain the strong relationship it has built with the Nintendo Switch's over 100 million active users by carrying it over to the next console.
See also: Nintendo: Has it shut down the Switch emulator Ryujinx?
The company also clarified that, in addition to playing existing Nintendo Switch games, consumers will be able to choose from a wide range of new titles released for the successor.
By confirming backward compatibility before revealing other details about the new hardware, Nintendo acknowledges that maintaining access to thousands of games is crucial to the success of its successor. With “more software played on Nintendo Switch than on any other Nintendo hardware,” as noted in the update, this decision likely reflects the importance of maintaining continuity for gamers.
See also: Nintendo promises Switch 2 before April 2025
Nintendo's handheld consoles, including the Game Boy and DS/3DS lines , have long offered full backward compatibility with previous generations, a trend that continued on home consoles from the GameCube to the Wii U. The Switch, however, broke with this tradition as it was a hybrid system and also cut off access to individual downloadable Virtual Console games from previous consoles.
Source: phonearena
