The Switch 2 might not be backwards compatible with Switch 1 games? This could be a massive mistake for Nintendo.

So there is concern from lots of websites saying that the Switch 2 might not be backwards compatible with Switch 1 games. This is likely because Switch 1 games have GPU drivers statically embedded into the the games themselves, so they can only work with the Nvidia Tegra X1 GPU (no flexibility here). The Switch 2 will obviously have a newer GPU, meaning that Switch 1 games will fail to work unless the games are re-compiled with the new GPU drivers. This would mean only a tiny fraction of the Switch library will be playable on Switch 2 since most developers won’t bother recompiling their games.

The only way the Switch 2 can play all Switch 1 games is if Nintendo or Nvidia create a translation layer to automatically convert the GPU drivers and shaders for the Switch 2 GPU to understand. But I don’t know if this is possible without the games being patched.

In either case, it is incredibly STUPID for Nintendo’s engineers to make GPU drivers statically embedded into the games themselves. Why the heck they did this when they knew it would make backwards compatibility difficult is beyond me.

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/nintendo-switch-2-may-lack-backwards-compatibility-this-could-be-a-major-problem

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nintendo-switch-2-may-lack-backwards-compatibility-this-could-be-a-major-problem/ar-AA18k5CD

Your thoughts? Is this an epic, humiliating mistake, considering that backwards compatibility is the norm nowadays?

Xbox does what Nintendont. :P

@lavamelon:

Going into the Switch WE ALL should have known this by now. It's Nintendo's modus operandi. This is why I'm not in a rush for the Switch era to end. Let everything that was going to come out, release first and remember not to sell it. lol

This is a jab at game preservation above all and Nintendo has zero interest in it. So I hope you guys don't plan on getting rid of your Switches in the future!

Our best friend here will be Nintendo's online services. I'm betting that they plan on adding more games and consoles in the future too so we'll probably be streaming Switch games in future devices.

Yeah, it's not unexpected but it's still disappointing. And considering the source I first saw talking about this I take it as almost a certainty.

Nintendo already stated your digital games will carry over to the future system

I take rumors, speculations, and leaks on the Switch's alleged successor with a grain of salt until they are confirmed by an official source -- Nintendo.

Too many gamers are taking unconfirmed information as gospel. We should not be doing that.

Their fans will rebuy games at $70 with no enhancements. It isn't Nintendo that is stupid...

It’s funny how their are concerns for a console no one knows nothing about 😂

I would be more shocked if they were. Have you seen the Wii U ports sales numbers? Nintendo is forever trying to find ways to charge again for games they already sold you.

I doubt it especially if they continuing the Switch line. Rumors are Nvidia still supplying the chip to Nintendo so I can't see how this going to cause a compatibility issue.

@ghostofgolden: As they should. They’re in business to make money, not be stupid and lose money.

@ghostofgolden: But the Wii U is a failed console, so of course they need to start fresh with a new console. Plus the Wii U had the ancient PowerPC CPU, so they had to switch to ARM CPUs, making backwards compatibility impossible anyways. Not much that could be done here.

The Switch is a completely different story from the Wii U. One is a failure, the other is a success. I won’t buy a Switch 2 if it has no backwards compatibility.

@mesome713: Do we have a source on Nintendo confirming digital games will carry over to the new system? I haven’t seen them confirm anything yet.

@lavamelon: techhog must be raging right now. I told him Nintendo would go with amd for switch 2.

@blaznwiipspman1: If the AMD chip can emulate Switch 1 games while remaining at an affordable price (needs to be cheaper than Valve Steam Deck) then I’m all in for Nintendo going AMD.

And they have a rabid fanbase that’ll line up to pay $70 for literal cardboard or $25 to unlock fast travel in a “remaster”. I say Nintendo should drain its fans for as much as it can.

@Postosuchus: Nintendo’s fanbase are nowhere near as loyal as you think they are. If they were, the Wii U wouldn’t have failed so bad. Sure a few devoted fans would buy remastered games, but their numbers are small compared to mainstream players.

It's not like I expected Switch 2 to be able to play Switch games. It's not a crime to not let Switch games run on Switch 2, and Nintendo gets more money that way.

Now, Nintendo could be nice towards their customers and have Switch 2 be BC, but I don't even remember the last time Nintendo were nice to their customers.

Massive L for Nintendo(fans) if true.

@Postosuchus: Bro, you sound like a clown. LABO flopped, deal with it.

@lavamelon: This is only source we have. Its from Nintendo themselves.

@mesome713: That looks like it’s saying your Nintendo account will transfer onto Switch 2. Not sure if it’s saying your games will be carried over

@Litchie: Nintendo will lose some of their customers if the Switch 2 cannot play Switch 1 games (I am one of those customers that Nintendo will lose). Not everybody wants to re-purchase the same games, apart from a few loyal fans.

If they made it BC, how would they resell you games that you already own?

@lavamelon: Why would you repurchase the games again? You already have the game and a Switch. Making a new console read old games cost more money. And the percentage that play old game is small. Also, Nintendos next console better be digital only or they lose more customers.

Gamers want cheap digital consoles. Gamers want digital games. Physical games is stupid. Who would buy a physical copy of a movie or music cd?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Labo#Sales

Labo sold over a million. For cardboard that Nintendo charged $70 for. I’m sure Nintendo is verrrry unhappy with the profits they made off this abomination.

Sure. But they will gain much more money by people double dipping than they will lose from people like you. Nintendo doesn't care about you or your games, they're a company trying to get as much money as possible. We could've had a Nintendo account decades ago that saves all your purchases, no problem. Like Steam. But Nintendo noticed that making people buy the same shit several times nets them more money.

@mesome713: I don’t care about physical vs digital games, I care about backwards compatibility. Most of my Switch games are digital anyways.

If Switch 2 cannot play Switch 1 games I won’t buy it. Backwards compatibility is the norm nowadays. Just ask PC gamers about how happy they are with playing older games. They absolutely love it.

Not like Microsoft didn't just take a backseat on BC just recently.

@Postosuchus: Bro it wasnt even $70 and was heavily discounted. Clown harder please.

@lavamelon: Tons of old PC games no longer work. And are no longer supported with updates to make them work. Plus PC isnt innovative like Nintendo is, they just copy Nintendo.

In a time when with an XSX you can play your games going all the way back to the first, 2001 OG Xbox.

For the next N machine to come out without at the very least BC to their last machine would be truly disgusting for their fanbase to just say oh well, I'll buy it anyway. :(

Rather they should be making it known right now in no uncertain terms that would be absolutely unacceptable. :P

Meh, re-selling you games at full price is the Nintendo way.

Yeah it’s very much a real possibility that Nintendo’s next system won’t be backwards compatible with the Switch. I’m prepared for that to happen but I sure as hell hope that it won’t be the case. I think it would be a very big mistake for Nintendo to not have it backwards compatible though. If Nintendo think that they could resell all these current Switch games again then I feel that they are in for a rude awakening. The reason all these Wii U ports are selling so well is because hardly anyone had a Wii U so all these Switch owners have the chance to play legitimately great games that were on a failed platform. That won’t be the case going from the Switch to their next system though.

@mesome713: Is that your excuse for going out and paying Nintendo for the privilege of owning a cardboard box? And I noticed you avoided mentioning the extra $25 for fast-travel in a remaster; too hard to justify that one? You Nintendo fans are big bloated udders ripe for the milking and I’ll enjoy seeing what new ridiculous schemes they come up with that you fans will rush out to purchase and run damage control for.

@Postosuchus: Bro you’re really hating on DLC that can be resold?

Excellent. They will be re-releasing literally everything for the Switch 2 in native 1080p, and call it new games. This will be your yearly library for the year to come. Please be excited. Lots of damage controlling will be happening from our local sheep, all saying bs such as "oh its so cooool that they're re-releasing X game. I never had the opportunity of buying it when it was first released on the Switch, so i am very glad that its coming out on the Switch 2". Laughable shit.

It will be AMD, duh. You honestly think we the consumers are the only idiots being ripped off by NVIDIA? AMD's new upcoming APU's are vastly more powerful anyway, Nintendo would be dumb not to move sides.

wow you downed sony for being evil just for this. yet nin is ok to do it?

They could go the backwards emulation route. But the Switch 2 would need to be sufficiently more powerful than the first Switch to make emulation viable.

I really hope this isn't true.

No need to get worked up over rumours: Relax. Nintendo haven't done anything stupid.....yet. If MS can get OG xbox games to run on the 360, X1 and XS then ninendo certainly can get Switch games to run on whatever it is they are working next. Whether they would put the effort in or not: That another matter.

We don't even know what nintendos plans are with their next system. It could be anything.

It could just be a switch phone with switch specs.Or a slighlty more powerful switch but with a more modern take of the screen in the 3DS.

It could be a console that directly competes with the PS5/XSX.

It could be a technical showcase of fully pathtraced games using a GPU optimised only to run the likes of Quake 2 RTX/Portal RTX and render any direct comparisons to the PS5 and XSX moot. Think of all the RTX remakes! We had Ocarina 3D....now Ocarina RT. Mario Galaxy 2 RT edition. Ray traced Kirby!

Or the Nintendo Quest basically (highly unlikely mind).

They may not even use Nvidia. It could be AMD. Or they may just work with ARM alone on an ARM/Mali based SOC. Or get a GPU from that new Chinese GPU company (that would be a hoot). Hell an Ecore/Arc based intel system could be on the cards for all we know.

I have a few digital games so hope this isn't true.

Xbox could help out Nintendo here with X-Cloud and BC technology. If the game wont work then use streaming, otherwise MS engineers can do magic with these issues.

The DS plays GBA games. The 3DS plays DS games. The Wii plays Gamecube games. The Wii U plays Wii games. Really, the Switch is the first console they've put out since the Gamecube that isn't backwards compatible. I'd hardly say it's their modus operandi when they have been a whole lot better at backwards compatibility than their competition has.

@PurpleMan5000: I agree with you. The only reason why the Switch is not backwards compatible with Wii U is due to technical differences. Wii U has IBM PowerPC CPU instead of ARM, and uses a controller with a built in screen. The only way the Switch could be backwards compatible with Wii U is if the Switch itself was just an overclocked Wii U.

This is nothing more than a theory being discussed because Wii U games couldn’t be played on the Switch and because one YTer thinks it’s a possibility due to NVIDIA technology, that’s it.

At this time we have no clue about the internals of the next Switch to confidently say any of this, it’s all “well, Nintendo could be Nintendo and screw people over to try to get them to re-buy games like Mario Kart 8.” I mean I get it but that means Nintendo would piss all their good will away. My guess, the Switch will be backwards compatible, they won’t screw gamers over, and all of the panic going on over this will be for nothing.

@nnoyinghusband: *That one YouTuber is a game developer that is familiar with working with the Switch. It's not like it's DreamcastGuy or ReviewTechUsa.

I really want Techhog89 opinion on this, but we lost him to 4chan.

Is that where he is now? I was wondering what happened to him.

Edit: OT. Here's my thoughts on this: