New Nintendo Switch 2 cartridge patent seems to prove backwards compatibility-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

It looks like the Switch 2 will also have a cartridge slot (Nintendo)

A patent from Nintendo describes a new cartridge format that is presumably the one going to be used in the upcoming Switch 2.

Leaks from inside Nintendo are incredible rare, but as we get closer to the official announcement of their next console – nicknamed the Nintendo Switch 2 by fans – there’s an increasing amount of information coming out of component providers and other industry sources.

Earlier this week there was the suggestion that the Switch 2 has two fans, implying it’s considerably more powerful than the current model, and now there’s a new patent which, given the timing (it was only registered in June), can only be for the new console.

On the face of it, it doesn’t seem to do anything different to the current model, and there’s no indication of its capacity, but it once again implies that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible.

Rumours of backwards compatibility go back years and it’s the one thing that Nintendo themselves have hinted about with the new console. Although more recent rumours have suggested that physical compatibility with Switch cartridges may only be supported in a more expensive model.

A cartridge slot takes up a lot of space internally, so it’s something that adds to the cost in terms of the component itself and having to build around it – making the console larger as a result.

It doesn’t look any different (Nintendo)

None of that is mentioned by the very blandly written patent, but the hope is that the capacity of the cartridge will be bigger than the current ones, since many larger games don’t properly fit on them and have had to rely on a significant install as well.

The issue of storage is a serious one for the Switch 2, because if it is more powerful, and therefore can run PlayStation 4 style games, most are not going to fit on a current Switch cartridge and will need to take up a lot of internal storage.

Call Of Duty, for example, is infamous for its bloated file size, and yet Microsoft has been insistent that it wants to bring it to Nintendo formats.

That could well be why Nintendo needs a new cartridge format but, as with everything else relating to the Switch, it needs an official announcement to confirm.

Patent or not though it would now be a major disappointment if Nintendo did not announce that the Switch 2 was backwards compatible, thereby giving fans access to the entire existing library of Switch games.

Yep, that’s a video game cartridge alright (Nintendo)

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