Nintendo confirms Switch 2 is backwards compatible with 2024 unveil in doubt-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

Nintendo said something! (Nintendo)

Nintendo has spoken about the Switch 2 for the first time in months and it’s all good news – except for anyone hoping for a reveal this year.

After a string of left field announcements, including the Alarmo clock and a new music app, Nintendo has finally shared some details about the successor to the Switch.

The company previously confirmed it would announce its next console before April 2025, and while many rumours pointed to a reveal this year, the company has stayed mute on the subject ever since.

But a new detail has emerged from Nintendo’s earnings call this week, where it reaffirmed plans to reveal the console before the end of the fiscal year, and also confirmed some details about the console, dubbed the Switch 2 by fans.

In a post on X, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa announced its next console will be backwards compatible with Nintendo Switch software. The system’s online subscription service, Nintendo Switch Online, will also be available on the next system.

‘This is Furukawa,’ the post begins. ‘At today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well.

‘Further information about the successor to Nintendo Switch, including its compatibility with Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date.’

Nintendo casually tweets Switch 2 details (Nintendo)

The latter suggests the console will have some other cross-functionality with the original Switch, possibly related to the Joy-Con controllers.

While the console was widely expected to be backwards compatible, it’s still nice to have it confirmed. The presence of Nintendo Switch Online isn’t surprising either, but it might be disappointing for those hoping for a virtual console comeback from the Wii era, where you could actually buy individual retro games instead of being forced into a subscription.

It’s still unclear when exactly Nintendo will reveal its next console, but analysts have started to sour on 2024’s chances. Speaking to Eurogamer following Nintendo’s recent financials, games industry analyst Serkan Toto said: ‘Nintendo is unpredictable, but I do believe a reveal before the end of the year is very unlikely.’

Toto claims Switch sales would ‘implode even further’ over Christmas if they announced a Switch 2 before the end of the year, adding: ‘Instead, Nintendo is a lot more likely to wait until early January to the show the new device. For 2024, the ship has sailed.’

While we know relatively little about the Nintendo Switch 2 officially, there have been many leaks over recent months, seemingly outing the system’s technical specifications, images of the console, and magnetic Joy-Con controllers.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership might be the last major Switch game (Nintendo)

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