The Nintendo Switch is one of history's best gaming handhelds and even something worth considering over a gaming laptop, which is precisely why there's so much excitement surrounding the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2. We don't know too much about the Switch 2 just yet, but the reveal confirmed that Switch 2 would be backward compatible with Switch games.
If Nintendo handles backward compatibility the right way, this could be the Switch 2's killer feature that turns it into one of the most successful consoles ever, like the original, but it could just as easily be a forgettable feature that doesn't move the needle one way or the other. So, here are the top three ways how backward compatibility on the Switch 2 could be a game-changer.
10 games that would make the Switch 2 Nintendo's best console ever
Give me these and I'm set
3 If there's support for most Switch games
Hopefully, the only missing entries are oddities like Labo
The Nintendo Switch has a gigantic library of games, including a huge swath of exclusives alongside multi-platform releases. When I say gigantic, I mean nearly 5,000 games, depending on how you count them all. The good news is that Switch 2's backward compatibility is confirmed, but we don't know exactly which games will be supported and which won't be.
In the reveal trailer, Nintendo says, "Switch 2 plays both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." This is fairly boilerplate stuff for an announcement of this kind, as we saw when PS5's backward compatibility was announced, but the devil's in the details.
There's a huge difference between pretty much every Switch game working on Switch 2, aside from games with unique functionality like Nintendo Labo and Switch 2's backward compatibility being hit-or-miss. To truly leverage the might of the original Switch's library, Switch 2 needs to be able to play the majority of the original's games, just like PS5 does with PS4 games.
I'm ridiculously excited about the Nintendo Switch 2
I'm a life-long gamer, and while my first console was the PlayStation 2, I quickly became enamored with the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii when those were released. I moved on to the Nintendo 3DS, skipped the Wii U, and picked up a Nintendo Switch shortly after its launch. While most of my gaming these days is on a PC, there's something particularly special about the offerings on Nintendo's platforms that you can't get anywhere else, and the unique form factor means that it's something I can't just get on a PC either. While PC gaming handhelds have filled that void for me, the original Switch still holds a special place in my heart and I'm so excited for what the Nintendo Switch 2 can bring.
2 If there's a modern online gaming experience
Something like Xbox Live or PlayStation Network
As it stands right now on Switch, you can't DM your friends, and you can't hop into a party chat without a smartphone. You can't earn achievements or share your screen with the press of a button. You get none of these features, but Nintendo will still sell you a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Meanwhile, Xbox has supported most of this functionality for nearly 20 years.
If Nintendo can actually bring a modern online gaming experience to bear with Switch 2, playing original Switch games on the new console could feel totally different. Imagine unlocking achievements in Breath of the Wild or sitting in a party chat with your friends as you play Mario Party. Imagine showing off your Animal Crossing island to your buddies over stream.
Gaming changed a lot from the Xbox/PS2 era to the Xbox 360/PS3 era, and a big part of that came down to the widespread adoption of a modern online gaming experience. If Nintendo can get to even the late 2000s in terms of its online services, that will go a long way toward making old games play like new and get tons of gamers interested in picking up a Switch 2.
Place your bets — when will the Switch 2 launch?
Nintendo has finally stopped teasing fans and unveiled the Switch 2 earlier today. The console got its first official trailer, but it didn't reveal much that wasn't already known from the numerous leaks over the past few weeks, and among the missing details were the price and launch date. We were simply given a vague 2025 window. So, it's time to put down your (playful) bets. When do you think the system is launching considering the first showcase of games will be on April 2nd? Personally, seeing as hands-on events are mostly happening between Aprril and early May, I'm betting on a launch in early to mid-June. South Korea is getting the latest of the hands-on events, ending on June 1st, but to be fair, South Korea also received the original Switch several months after most worldwide markets, so I think the same could happen here and this date wouldn't mean that much. As for a price, my bets are on a $400 system, but I wouldn't be too shocked to see that move up or down by up to $50.
1 If old games play better on new hardware
Give us FPS Boost/Boost Mode, Nintendo
Playing on Switch is convenient, and on a smaller screen, you don't need 4K output or even the highest-resolution shadows or ambient occlusion. Some sacrifices are definitely worth making from a performance and visual fidelity perspective on a handheld device. That said, it's undeniable that playing games on the Switch is just the worst way — by far — to experience many games.
This doesn't just go for multi-platform releases, either. Thanks to advancements in emulation, many Switch games play a lot better on PC. The fact of the matter is that games on Switch are often blurry and run at much lower framerates than they would anywhere else. And that 'anywhere else' now includes an ever-growing list of other gaming handhelds, like the Steam Deck.
Both Sony and Microsoft have developed technologies that enable older games to look and run significantly better on newer hardware, even without developers themselves deploying patches. Whether it's by way of a similar feature or simply a push from Nintendo to get developers to update their games for Switch 2, this new console needs to run games better than the original.
I was done with consoles ... until the Switch 2 was teased
Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo. You know full well how to lure me back in for that dreaded Pokeball capture. I've not touched a console aside from the original Switch here and there for years, but this was largely due to how uncomfortable I found the Switch to be for longer periods and the Joycons were anything but reliable. This all looks to change with the Switch 2. Nintendo may well have answered all my complaints and I'm properly excited for something that's not a PC part. Bravo!
With the above, Switch 2 could be a game-changer
If the Nintendo Switch 2 launches with support for just about every original Switch game, a fresh take on online gaming services, and ways to play older games at higher resolutions and framerates, even without a ton of heavy-hitter exclusives, it could take the world by storm once again.
On the other hand, anemic backward compatibility, dated online features, and the same performance you got back in 2017 could instantly make millions of original Switch owners decide to stick with the console they have for a few more years, maybe forever.