Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 console doesn’t actually run the original Switch’s games natively, as the two hardwares are incompatible.
One of the first things that we knew for absolute certain about the Switch successor was that it would be backwards compatible. “At today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch,” company president Shuntaro Furukawa said in November.
But, while this means Switch 2 owners will still be able to play most of the games from the original Switch’s library, this isn’t possible because the two consoles are compatible at a hardware level, which would have been handy. Rather, it’s all possible thanks to a workaround Nintendo has managed to implement.
During a recent Ask the Developer Q&A, Nintendo’s Kouichi Kawamoto said the Switch 2 team always wanted the new system to play the original console’s games, but “were told there’d be technical challenges” getting it to work.
“When we first started Switch 2 development, the focus was on enhancing its performance as hardware, namely, expanding its capacity,” added Takuhiro Dohta. “So, compatibility was a lower priority.”
But, it was still something the team wanted to ensure, and in the end the Switch 2 developers settled on “the challenge of using new technology to run Switch games”.
Said Dohta: “If we tried to use technology like software emulators, we’d have to run Switch 2 at full capacity, but that would mean the battery wouldn’t last so long, so we did something that’s somewhere in between a software emulator and hardware compatibility.”
The team goes through many checks to make sure original Switch games run smoothly on Switch 2, but the developers noted “it might not be that all Switch games run perfectly” in time for the console’s launch this summer.
This method of playing older games explains why a few titles have some compatibility issues, though fixes are in the works. And while only one Switch game is completely unplayable on Switch 2, others will still require the use of original Joy-Con due to specific controls or peripherals.
“But we will continue our efforts so that we can support as many Switch games as possible,” Kawamoto said.
For more, our Tom has already taken the upcoming console for a spin. You can read his thoughts on his time with the Switch 2 in Eurogamer’s feature: Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on reveals a proper generational upgrade, though its biggest new idea remains unproven.
Meanwhile, here’s everything announced at this week’s Switch 2 Direct, including pricing and more.