Nintendo confirms the Switch’s software compatibility with its successor consoles

The games will also run on a successor model for Nintendo’s Switch game console, which has not yet been introduced. The company said this while presenting its last quarterly figures. In addition, successors will also be able to use the “Switch Online” internet service and previous player accounts with Nintendo, for example to play with other users.

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The Nintendo Switch was launched on the market in 2017, so there has been long speculation about a successor model for this game console, which can be used both on the go and on TV at home. The Japanese company commented on it for the first time this spring. Accordingly, Nintendo is looking to announce a Switch successor this fiscal year. The fiscal year ends in March 2025 – so there should be concrete information about the new Nintendo console by then.

But it is not that far yet, information is coming little by little. Nintendo is now again confirming that there will be more information about the Switch successor later this fiscal year, but previously announced the new game console’s software compatibility with its predecessor. So Switch titles will be playable with successor models as well. Since the multiplayer service “Switch Online” will also be available, it can be assumed that Nintendo will not change the name of the Switch successor. So you hope for “Switch 2”.

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Compatibility with excellent questions

It’s unclear whether previous game cartridges, modules containing game software, can also be plugged into the Switch 2, or whether older titles will only be usable digitally, for example as downloads. It’s also unclear whether previous Switch games will be able to run at higher resolutions or refresh rates due to the successor’s expected improved hardware platform. It is not yet known whether the new titles for Switch 2 will be compatible with the previous Switch if the game modules are comparable.

Financially, Nintendo recorded significant losses in the first half of the current fiscal year. Revenue declined by 34 percent year-on-year, operating profit by 57 percent and net profit by 60 percent. Nintendo writesThis is probably mainly due to the Switch’s sales figures, which are now over eight years old. In the last six months, 4.72 million units of this game console were sold, but this is 31 percent less than last year. The number of Switch games sold has also declined by about 28 percent, from 97.1 million titles last year to 70.3 million games recently.

success console switch

Nevertheless, Nintendo continues to celebrate the Switch as a success and a total of 146 million units of this game console have been sold so far and 1.3 billion Switch games have been sold by the end of September 2024. The latter is a record for the Japanese company, as never before have so many titles been sold for a Nintendo console as the Switch.

Nintendo also points to the 127 million users who have picked up a Switch and played with it at least once in the past year. This number has actually increased from last year, when there were 122 million players. This is why new games will be released for the Switch next year, even though the Switch successor is expected to appear in 2025.

(FDS)