There's A Good Reason Switch 2 Won't Play All Of Your Original Switch Games

The industry’s worst-kept secret is finally out. Nintendo announced Thursday morning that the Switch 2 is real and is due sometime later this year. The two-minute reveal trailer confirmed many details floating around the internet about the device, including its magnetic Joy-cons and bigger screen. It also hinted at some rumored features including the controller’s mouse functionality and a not-so-subtle hint at a brand new Mario Kart game.

At the end of the trailer, however, Nintendo gave a few added details regarding the Switch 2’s most important feature. While the company confirmed months ago that the console will be backward compatible with both physical and digital original Switch games, the feature now has a literal asterisk next to it in the trailer: “Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.”

While this seems like Nintendo walking back the game-changing feature ever-so-slightly, there’s a very good chance this caveat is nowhere near as big a deal as it may seem.

The most important thing to note about the Switch 2 is how its form factor differs from the original. It is a larger device that does away with controllers that slide into place at either side of the console. With the tease that the new Joy-cons will have mouse-like features, there’s also the possibility that the innards of the original controllers are getting an overhaul as well.

In eight years, the Switch has amassed a comprehensive library of games. The majority of these games function as most others would (buttons and motion controls), but a handful of other, more experimental titles don’t. It’s these few exceptions that Nintendo is likely referring to at the end of its reveal trailer.

Experimental titles like 2018’s Nintendo Labo, a series of cardboard toys and novelties players build and incorporate the Switch hardware, are the perfect example of games that might not work as intended with the new hardware. Labo’s Toy-Con RC Car is specifically made for the slotting in of the original Joy-Con and uses the controller’s IR sensors for “seeing” its surroundings. Other DIY crafts like the Toy-con motorbike and the steering wheel are made to size for the original controllers. Larger joy-cons simply won’t work in its place.

Other games like 2019’s Ring Fit Adventure use a pilates ring with a special slot for a Joy-con to track player workouts. Without an updated peripheral that attaches to controllers via magnets, there’s a good chance Ring Fit won’t make the jump to the new console.

This sort of exception is commonplace for legacy accessories in gaming. Peripherals like the Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Move didn’t work on successor consoles, making certain games unplayable despite backward compatibility. Even some Game Boy Advanced games, like the obscure Hideo Kojima-produced RPG Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand were a pain to play on the DS and DS Lite thanks to hardware-specific features.

Losing access to these games may be a bummer as Nintendo Labo and Ring Fit both absolutely rule. But those are minor exceptions that the majority of players will be happy to trade if it means the rest of their library will be ready to play on the new device on day one. In the case of super successful titles like Ring Fit Adventure, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a proper sequel release on the Switch 2 with additional workouts and single-player games that take advantage of the hardware upgrade.

Nintendo’s warning about the Switch 2’s backward compatibility is likely Nintendo getting ahead of a relatively small technicality. As for the rest of the excellent Switch catalog, it’ll likely work as well as players expect it to.