SUMMARY
- Nintendo Switch 2 is the company's latest rumored handheld device.
- Many leaks have talked about the device including several new features that were absent from the original Switch.
Nintendo Switch 2 has been rumored for quite some time now. There have been multiple leaks and rumors about Nintendo’s new handheld on the internet, from specifications to design.
Adding to the list of already circulating rumors is another leak, suggesting that the new Nintendo device will include a massive feature that was missing from the preceding device.
Nintendo Switch to have backward compatibility
According to a reliable leaker, Nintendo Switch 2 will offer backward compatibility. This claim is another hint that the upcoming Nintendo console will have access to the entire Switch library right at launch. The Switch was Nintendo’s return to physical game cartridges. Thus it was fundamentally unable to offer traditional backward compatibility with the Wii U catalog in place.
Rumors via Universo Nintendo:
– Switch 2 is gonna have backwards compatibility with OG Switch titles
– Both for physical and digital games
– Devs can enhance their Switch 1 games to take advantage of the added processing power
– Reiterates a Direct is coming next week, and the…— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) February 11, 2024
Wii U’s physically released titles used a Blu-ray-derived format called Optical Disc. Although some fans were hopeful that the Nintendo Switch being a hybrid console would support playing digital versions of Wii U games, however, that did not happen.
This is possible since the two systems make use of completely different chip architectures. However, when the news about Nintendo Switch 2 began circulating, fans expected Switch 2 to come with backward compatibility or it would just be a misfire. Given the recent leak, it seems like fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
Switch 2 Backward Compatibility in its testing phase
Fans will indeed be pleased to know that Switch will support backward compatibility and that they will be able to play Switch games on the new console. For more assurance, the fans will be further pleased to know that the next Nintendo console’s backward compatibility is under testing according to industry insider NateTheHate.
The leaker, on ResetEra forums, wrote that the capabilities of Switch 2’s backward compatibility capabilities are currently being tested after already they were presented to Nintendo’s developer partners. That being said the leaker has not yet revealed whether the console offers significant performance improvements when players play Switch’s games. He says that the benefits are “major unknown.”
Nintendo Switch 2 apparently launches later this year with a new Nvidia processor and 8 inch IPS Display pic.twitter.com/yo7FEmk1hJ
— Anthony (@TheGalox_) February 11, 2024
Back in September 2023, a leaker had also reported that the Switch 2 will be able to run Breath of the Wild at 60fps in 4K. The leaker shared that the information was revealed during a developer presentation that Nintendo had allegedly held behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023.
That being said, it must be noted that NateTheHate is the only industry insider to believe that the next Nintendo console will offer backward compatibility so far. Thus the details need to be taken with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, some rumors even suggest that Nintendo Switch 2, could be launched in 2024.