Gab Hernandez 
While Nintendo continues to be dodgy regarding an actual Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, it has officially started teasing features; starting with backwards compatibility.
After Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed the Switch 2’s existence, eagle-eyed fans have kept a close eye on the news. The Switch successor was an open secret even before Nintendo’s official confirmation, and after the reveal, even more hints about its features dropped. The Switch 2’s performance upgrades excited several fans the most.
Although the OG Switch was undeniably successful, the hardware felt weak on day one. Never even mind on year seven. Thankfully, the Switch 2 could finally let players experience their favorite Nintendo Switch games on much better hardware.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?
Nintendo has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility, with no qualifiers or conditions attached to that announcement.
Furukawa confirmed this information at a Corporate Management Policy Briefing held in November 2024. He also shared the news on Twitter in English to keep international fans in the loop.
Reports of Switch 2’s backwards compatibility have been swirling around since early 2024. Games industry analysts speculated earlier in the year that the Switch 2 would support backwards compatibility. Nintendo historically has strong backwards compatibility support, save for the Switch. Given that Nintendo finally has a preserved digital storefront, there’s an incentive to allow players to keep, and keep growing, their vast libraries.
Still, fans ought to breathe a sigh of relief. The industry is trending away from backwards compatibility, and Nintendo is prolific in producing remakes, remasters, and enhanced ports. While fans generally expected backwards compatibility, it hasn’t ever been guaranteed. This continued an already good day for Nintendo fans, who got further confirmation of 4K support.
The hope now for fans is the possibility of next-gen upgrade patches for existing games.
Despite the Switch 2’s success, performance remains a blight among fans. Ports of AAA titles in particular suffer in the transition from PlayStation or Xbox to the Switch. Even so, any performance boost is welcome after seven years on the same console.
The ability to play first-party hits like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet or Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom without lag is plenty of incentive to pick up a Switch 2. PlayStation 4 games have enjoyed patches that offer higher framerates on PlayStation 5. Running the Switch’s best games on better hardware would be a treat for hardcore gamers.
A deeper library from the get-go is undeniably tempting for any Nintendo fan. As 2024 draws to a close, fans hope to get a glimpse of Switch 2 sooner rather than later.
