Bilawal Bashir 
A Nintendo Switch 2 is coming and a new leak shed light on backwards compatibility and gave some context about what specs it has.
Leaker Im A Hero Too wound up at the center of a strange controversy when someone pretended to be them and made some wild leaks. Subjects included a Bloodborne anime, marketing plans for Kingdom Hearts 4, and details on the Nintendo Switch 2. According to the real Im A Hero Too, much of this was fake but they did emerge to give their takes on some of the topics their imitator discussed.
Included in that were specific claims about the Nintendo Switch 2 devkit. Devkits are modified versions of gaming hardware that are used when developing new video games.
Im A Hero Too has accurately leaked details related to Sega and Square Enix games on a few occasions, including the reveal of Persona 3 Reload at an Xbox showcase event. They reported some details on the Nintendo Switch 2 that weren’t covered in previous reports from video game media outlets.
Will the Nintendo Switch 2 have backwards compatibility?
Leaks on the Nintendo Switch 2 devkit suggest that it will have backwards compatibility with Nintendo Switch titles. A few Switch games have allegedly been tested on the new hardware. Nintendo has not yet made its backwards compatibility plans explicit.
According to Im A Hero Too on the ResetEra forum, the Switch 2 will use its own new style of cartridges but it is unknown whether it can accept cartridges for the original Switch. It is possible that backwards compatibility will be limited to digital games. No details about the cartridge’s size or storage capacity were disclosed.
Outside the Switch, all previous Nintendo handheld devices have had backwards compatibility. Most were able to fit cartridges from previous devices. Nintendo executives have indicated that the company plans to make the transition away from the current Switch easy for gamers, but it hasn’t yet confirmed whether players will be able to move games forward.
How powerful is the Nintendo Switch 2?
It is unknown what the Nintendo Switch 2’s specs will be. Neither Nintendo nor Im A Hero Too gave details on what parts it will use or how powerful it will be. However, Im A Hero Too gave anecdotal evidence suggesting it will be a considerable upgrade from the original Switch.
While the leak didn’t disclose the power of new hardware, it says Square Enix was able to port Final Fantasy 7 Remake to the devkit. Not only that, but they claim it “looks and runs like a PS5 game” on the Switch 2 development kit.
The leak also emphasizes that porting Final Fantasy 7 Remake didn’t take much time and that it could be a launch title on the platform. This is the second leak related to porting Final Fantasy 7 Remake in the last month, with Xbox possibly revealing that the game will be ported to its consoles.
If the leaks are true, fans are looking at a substantial upgrade in horsepower between the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was originally released on PS4 and received significant praise for its graphics. This could foretell the Switch 2 having some extra features in its backwards compatibility like upscaling.
The devkit reportedly comes with a camera, perhaps Nintendo is looking to add a VR or AR component to its latest console. Nintendo isn’t a stranger to this as the Nintendo 3DS handheld had AR functionality, albeit with limited support.
