Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to play older OG Switch games

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After confirming the existence of the Nintendo Switch’s successor, the Nintendo Switch 2, the company remained silent for a while. Now, it has revealed interesting details about the upcoming console. 

In a corporate briefing, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed that the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 will be backward compatible with games made for the original Switch.

Backward compatibility with older Switch games means users won’t have to abandon their current game libraries for the upcoming console. The older games will run on the new console.

Nintendo Switch Online subscription service will be available on the Switch 2

This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about…

— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024

While not an official confirmation, Nintendo Switch 2’s backward compatibility is excellent news. However, it isn’t surprising, as previous reports asserted that the Switch 2 would run older Switch titles. 

The console is also tipped to be an Nvidia Tegra-powered hybrid home/portable console like the old one, further establishing the backward compatibility rumor. 

That said, Nintendo doesn’t have the best history with backward compatibility. While almost all the company’s handheld consoles had backward compatibility, the same can’t be said for the home consoles. 

Only Wii and Wii U offered backward compatibility, and the console’s radical evolution from one generation to the next is the primary contributing factor to this issue.

Nintendo also revealed a few of its sales figures during the briefing on the hardware and software. 

For the fiscal year ending March 2025, Nintendo revised its sales forecast from 13.5 million to 12.5 million.

This is a direct 17% drop in revenue and an overall 69% drop in profit compared to the previous fiscal year. 

Nintendo also announced that Nintendo Switch Online, the company’s subscription service, will be available on Switch 2.

What do you think about this exciting news about the Nintendo Switch 2? Are you excited to get one, and does the backward compatibility solidify your purchase decision? Tell us below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.