Nintendo has pushed out another Switch 2 system update with typically minimal patch notes. But as delightful as the company’s endless quest for “stability improvements” undoubtedly are, users have also starting spotting some undocumented backward compatibility improvements affecting the previously broken likes of Portal 2.
Switch 2’s latest update – officially titled Ver. 20.2.0 – arrived overnight, delivering two specifically documented (if not especially thrilling) enhancements for the console. Firstly, it fixed an issue where parental control settings were not being copied from Switch 1 to Switch 2 during system transfer, and then came those “general system stability improvements”.
However, word of some secret sauce hidden amid Ver. 20.2.0’s mundane documented fixes started circulating soon after. Prominent Switch data miner OatmealDome, for instance, noted it also addressed “some problems” with Switch 1 backwards compatibility. “I can personally confirm that Portal 2 no longer crashes after updating,” they added.
Owners had previously found a temporary fix for Portal 2’s crashing problem – the issue was seemingly remedied by setting Switch 2 to aeroplane mode before launching the game – but workarounds are needed no more. Alongside user reports of a fix, Nintendo has – as of today, 15th June – now officially updated Portal 2’s eShop listing to confirm its compatibility with Switch 2. “Supported,” reads the new note. “Game behaviour is consistent with Nintendo Switch.”
Other previously wonky games have also been hit with the magic fixing stick following Ver. 20.2.0’s release – Crypt of the Necrodancer is another highlighted by users and relabelled as compatible on eShop – but the full extent of Nintendo’s tinkering is not yet known. At least we’ve got those stability improvements to enjoy while the investigations continue.