Following a recent Corporate Management Policy Briefing, Nintendo broke some exciting news that has fans buzzing. They took to Twitter to confirm that games currently played on the Nintendo Switch will continue to work on its upcoming successor, the much-anticipated ‘Switch 2.’
If you’re interested in the nitty-gritty, Nintendo has shared an in-depth overview of its current position in the hardware market on their website. In this comprehensive 59-page document, they boast impressive figures, like the sale of 146 million units from the Nintendo Switch Family. They also highlight that more software has been enjoyed on the Switch than any other Nintendo platform to date. The briefing also assures fans that the Nintendo Switch Online service will soldier on, even after the Switch 2 rolls out.
For those well-versed in the console world, especially users of Sony or Microsoft’s systems, this news might seem rather predictable. Microsoft’s Xbox has consistently led the way in backward compatibility, allowing older games to benefit from enhancements like FPS Boost and Resolution Boost on newer consoles. On the other hand, Sony’s track record is more patchy. Since the PS3, which embraced all previous PlayStation libraries, backward compatibility has been restricted. Nevertheless, the PS5 supports PS4 games almost perfectly, with some PS1 and PS2 games available through emulation. The PS3 games, however, require cloud streaming on the newer consoles, a limitation that has frustrated many PlayStation enthusiasts.
Nintendo’s approach to backward compatibility has seen ups and downs. Before the Switch arrived, consoles like the Wii U could run games from both the Wii and GameCube via discs, and its Virtual Console bridged many legacy gaps. Meanwhile, the 3DS could play DS titles, though it didn’t support Game Boy Advance games.
The shift to the Nintendo Switch marked a pivotal change. By merging their handheld and home console lines and transitioning from PowerPC to Arm CPU cores, Nintendo put an end to previous-gen compatibility. The silver lining is that the Switch’s success seems to have convinced Nintendo to stick with the Nvidia-powered setup, which means your current Switch library should still be playable when the new console hits the shelves.
This backwards compatibility could also breathe new life into titles that were hindered by the hardware limitations of previous consoles. Fans can look forward to classics like “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” potentially running at over 60 FPS, eliminating the need for emulators that Nintendo is keen on stifling. This move will not only preserve the beloved games of today but also keep the excitement alive for the next generation of Nintendo gaming.
