One of the big draws of the Switch 2 is that the console will be backwards compatible with the Switch games library, barring a few exceptions. Nintendo has also explained that not every game will operate smoothly at launch on the Switch 2, as the hybrid console doesn’t natively run Switch games. Instead, Nintendo uses a workaround method involving hardware and software to get Switch games working on the Switch 2.
“When we first started Switch 2 development, the focus was on enhancing its performance as hardware, namely, expanding its capacity,” Nintendo’s Takuhiro Dohta explained. “So, compatibility was a lower priority. For example, Nintendo DS games were playable on Nintendo 3DS, and Wii games were playable on Wii U, but it was difficult to achieve the same level of compatibility with Switch 2, because the hardware-design approach was different from those systems.”
Nintendo Switch 2 – Official System Overview Trailer
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Dohta added that if Nintendo chose to “use technology like software emulators” it would require running the Switch 2 at full capacity and it would result in the console running out of battery power more quickly. “We did something that’s somewhere in between a software emulator and hardware compatibility,” Dohta explained. Nintendo will still work to ensure that games run as smoothly as possible ahead of the Switch 2’s launch in June, but developers have cautioned that not every game will be ready when the console arrives.
So far, games like Alan Wake Remastered, Fall Guys, and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection have undefined compatibility issues, while other games like Rocket League and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus have what Nintendo calls startup issues. You can check out our list of games with Switch 2 compatibility issues for more information.
This week has been an informative one for potential Switch 2 owners, as not only did we get an official release date–June 5–for the console, but also more details on its price and launch games. Nintendo has also shown off some other interesting facts about the Switch 2, like its accessibility features, changes to the eShop, and a closer look at its user interface.