Nintendo Switch 2: Backwards Compatibility

The end of the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal trailer answers one bigger question right away: yes, it will support Nintendo Switch games, both physically and digitally. That's what you would expect from such a successor, since Nintendo has a long history of offering direct backwards compatibility in some form. The Wii U effectively came with a built-in Wii, for example. In fact, the Nintendo Switch was the first Nintendo console in 16 years and the first Nintendo handheld ever to not support games from the previous systems, which was mainly due to the different format. But after successfully building this new brand, another full reset of their customers' libraries would have been questionable at best. People have big Switch collections and want to carry them over, naturally.

However, Nintendo notes that some games may not be fully compatible or supported at all, which is curious. One reason might be the lack of certain hardware features, where the infrared depth sensor from the right Joy-Con comes to mind, which seemingly got cut. And you can't blame them for leaving this out, since only very few titles actually made use of it, like 1-2-Switch, Ring Fit Adventure, or the Nintendo LABO stuff.

But this also raises the question of hardware compatibility. That is arguably also quite important and should be easier than ever in times of Bluetooth. In the very least I still expect my Pro Controllers to work, as well as most of the Retro Controllers (SNES, N64, SEGA Mega Drive), where all of them can be connected via USB. You won't be able to connect the classic Joy-Cons any longer or the NES controllers, at least not physically, but maybe you can still connect them via Bluetooth. In which case you could technically still play the games in question, just not out of the box.

It's also safe to assume that Nintendo will carry over the Nintendo Switch Online gaming libraries with all games still present... You don't want that Virtual Console reset for a fourth time. And on stronger hardware they can expand them with GameCube and Wii titles in the future, potentially even Nintendo DS and 3DS, since they could use the Joy-Con mouse functionality for touch inputs. Wii U probably can't be emulated just yet, but that's not required anyway, since almost all Wii U games got ported over to the Nintendo Switch already. But there is the prospect that the Nintendo Switch 2 might offer all of Nintendo's history combined at some point... Which would be delightful.

Nintendo Switch 2 Announced

The Nintendo Switch 2 was just announced, finally showing the world what they already had expected. This blog didn't really follow any of the Nintendo Switch 2 leaks from the last weeks and months, but if you did, then there was no surprise for you here – from the console's name, its design, and even the exact date of this reveal... It's a bit sad how a company that used to be absolutely airtight has become an open book these days.

Anyway, you can watch the reveal trailer on Youtube. The Switch 2 looks sexy, but this is in many ways highly unconventional for Nintendo... Which might be a good thing, given their history of ups and downs with their consoles. It looks like they want to avoid the pitfall of another Wii U at any cost.

It already starts with the name. Never before has a Nintendo system had a "2" in its name. That's really Sony's thing, where the PlayStation got stringently numbered from 1 to 6. Microsoft on the other hand tries to confuse its customers as much as possible with its different Xbox brands, while Nintendo has been somewhat in the middle of this. We got the Nintendo Entertainment System and then the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Then we got the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo GameCube, the Wii and finally the Wii U. And the handheld systems went from Game Boy to Game Boy Advance to Nintendo DS to Nintendo 3DS, with multiple iterations in-between.

And some of this was certainly a bit confusing for the customers, the Wii U being the prime example, where people thought of it as an accessory for the Wii a first. But a "Nintendo Switch 2" leaves no doubt. It's simple and clear that this is the successor to the Nintendo Switch. It's also really just that...

That's the next unconventional thing for Nintendo: they are being very conventional. We're looking at a bigger Nintendo Switch here with better performance. The only "gimmick", which they are using to make the Switch 2 stand out, is that the Joy-Cons are attached magnetically, instead of being slid into holsters. This makes the whole system look a lot cleaner and also should make it easier to detach them... in theory.

Leaks have indicated that you will also be able to use the Joy-Cons like a mouse, but the reveal trailer only hints at this. Hopefully this will see more depth than the HD Rumble or the infrared sensor of the previous Joy-Cons, where the latter seemingly got dropped. And hopefully the sticks will be improved, making them less prone to drift, but they look very similar to the old ones. They should be bigger, though, and overall the system should be much more comfortable for players with large hands (like myself).

But otherwise there doesn't seem to be something experimental, like the Wii U GamePad or a controller with three handles. Nintendo has always been innovating to some degree, but after the massive success of their last innovation – the Nintendo Switch – they certainly will want to hold onto it for as long as possible. And thus they give people exactly what they have been asking for, and not much else.

Despite the lack of innovation, the focus of this reveal was on the system itself, which is another unconventional move of Nintendo, who likes to put their games at the front. You don't buy a Nintendo system for its looks, you buy it for its games. They have given us some short footage of the next Mario Kart, which seemingly can be played with up to 24 players at one, twice as many as in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. But that's it. We will have wait until a Nintendo Direct on April 2nd to learn more and hopefully see other games.

I personally also didn't expect them to show this today, despite the fact that every leaker and industry-insider on the internet told us so. Why not? Well, today is the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for the Nintendo Switch, which will now be completely overshadowed. Nintendo usually waits until the week after their next release, before they make new announcements, just to have the focus on the new product and let people digest it over the weekend. But I was clearly wrong.

It's still saddening to see how many fans have treated Nintendo's marketing in the last days. This may be an overpriced port, where a lot of people don't care for it, but it was announced months ago and naturally Nintendo will give this their attention. But everyone was just like, "Nintendo Switch 2 where?" Well, here it is...

Nintendo Music: The Wind Waker Added

Let's start the Zelda year 2025 with some small news, where another game has been added to the Nintendo Music catalogue – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It's based on the original Japanese soundtrack for the GameCube title, which comes with 133 tracks in total, including the "Game Demo Theme" at the end, which is from the Master Quest bonus disc trailer.

Curiously, they haven't linked The Wind Waker HD from the Wii U to this, but the remaster also got its own soundtrack in Japan with the "Sound Selection". They also had adjusted the quality here and there, which might mean that The Wind Waker HD will get an individual entry in the future of Nintendo Music. The same might be also true for Ocarina of Time 3D at some point, which got its own CD for the 25th Anniversary.

But before they add any of these more redundant soundtracks, they should focus on getting as many of the other (Zelda) games in there as possible. Tears of the Kingdom and Echoes of Wisdom would be especially nice to have.

Dawn of a New Year – 2025

It's the dawn of a new year, but also the dusk of an era: the Nintendo Switch is getting eight years old in March and its successor should be revealed by then, but in March at the latest, according to Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa (see the message from May). You can now start holding your breath.

There have been a ton of rumors and a variety of leaks flying around in the last months, where we may or may not already have a good picture of how the Nintendo Switch 2 will look like, but it doesn't really matter much. What matters are the games that come with it and here we already had a substantial code name leak that has proven to be correct: we got a new Zelda game code-named "Edward" in 2024, which means that Nintendo is probably working on "U-King-O" as well, a remaster of Breath of the Wild for the next system, code-named "Ounce". And if that's all true, then this will likely be what Zelda fans can look forward to in 2025.

It may feel too soon for a remaster of Breath of the Wild, but keep in mind that Breath of the Wild is also getting eight years old soon. It has been this long and this is the next 3D Zelda in line to get a remaster or remake after Skyward Sword HD in 2021. In addition to better visuals, it could also profit from a better integration of its DLC contents, as well as many of the quality of life improvements that came with Tears of the Kingdom. But let's talk a bit more about this in the next weeks...

At least this time we won't get a dual release, where new Zelda game launches for two Nintendo systems at once, put right between the old and the new. This role might go to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, however, where we have seen a first trailer back in June and where we know that this will still come to the Nintendo Switch, as promised many years ago. But it's getting quite late for that and Retro Studios might be able to offer a much better looking version for the Switch successor.

But being the third most successful video game system after the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS, the Nintendo Switch will certainly see some more support going forward for its massive install base alone, with titles such as Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, both coming in the next three months. Maybe we will finally get those ports of The Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD in 2025? Or will we have to settle for the GameCube versions of these games as part of Nintendo Switch 2 Online offerings? Let's find out together...

Happy New Year!