2 weeks Ago By Theunis Jansen van Rensburg
Nintendo has yet to announce its highly anticipated Switch successor, but one major detail has been confirmed: it will support current Switch games and allow users to retain their Nintendo Switch Online accounts and services. This news came from Nintendo’s recent midyear policy briefing, with more specifics to follow in the future. Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Review: Fabulous foldable In the same briefing, Nintendo shared updated figures for the current Switch’s performance.
Over the last three months, it sold 4.72 million units—down 31 percent from the same period last year but impressive considering it’s eight years post-launch. Altogether, the Switch has reached 146 million units sold, setting a new record with 1.
3 billion games sold as of September 30, 2024. While Switch Online subscriptions dipped slightly to about 34 million, demand for the premium tier with the Expansion Pack library continues to grow. Nintendo highlighted that “More software has been played on Nintendo Switch than on any other Nintendo hardware.
” Unlike previous consoles, the Switch 2 is expected to support backward compatibility, a feature often missing in console transitions. For instance, the Xbox Series X and PS5 are mostly backward-compatible, but due to the transition from Wii U discs to Switch cartridges, the current Switch isn’t. For now, accessing legacy Nintendo games depends on remasters or availability on Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo has also confirmed the Switch successor is slated to be revealed by the end of this fiscal year (March 2025), all while preserving its connection with over 100 million active Switch users. Beyond player convenience, backward compatibility also addresses video game preservation—an ongoing concern as a recent Video Game History Foundation report states that 87 percent of pre-2010 games are “critically endangered.” Meanwhile, Nintendo has been busy with new projects, including a museum opening, a test for a mystery MMO, an alarm clock reveal, and a music streaming app launch—all without revealing more about its next console.
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