Summary

• Backward compatibility could be a game-changer for Nintendo Switch's successor, paving the way for smoother transitions and exciting possibilities.
• Metroid Prime 4 stole the show at the June Nintendo Direct, hinting at a new era for Nintendo and potentially confirming Switch 2's future success.
• Nintendo's strong lineup of games hints at the possibility of backward compatibility for the Switch's successor, exciting fans for what's to come.

The Nintendo Switch's successor is the device on everyone's lips, and though not much is known about the mysterious console, that doesn't mean that there won't be speculation. The console, expected to borrow plenty from the design ethos of the Nintendo Switch, is coming over the horizon and is expected next year. But there's one key feature that players are clamoring for.

Backward compatibility has become key in the modern gaming world, with consoles like the Xbox Series family and PlayStation 5 including it to ensure a smooth transition for upgraders. Nintendo has a less-than-perfect track record for this, though, with their for classic consoles being spotty with each new piece of hardware. But some new reveals have hinted that this spottiness could finally be coming to an end.

June's Nintendo Direct Was A Big One

It May Have Hinted At An Feature For The Switch 2

Rumored as the last Nintendo Direct before the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, June's presentation from Nintendo proved to be more fruitful than expected. The return of the Mario & Luigi franchise is a true delight, The Legend of Zelda taking a new direction with a new protagonist is fascinating, and a Super Mario Party title set to take the series to new horizons made the show a blast. But one game stole the show.

Metroid Prime 4 finally made its grand trailer debut, revealing its subtitle to be Beyond, some action-packed gameplay and a fresh look at a menacing new antagonist for Samus. It's been five years since production on the game started anew, so this is something that Nintendo's community has been waiting incredibly patiently for — and it looks like the wait has paid off. The game is coming next year, too, confirming that soon, the 18-year wait between Metroid Prime titles would come to an end.

It's an incredibly exciting time to be a fan of the shooter series, with the Nintendo Direct presentation finally putting to rest concerns that the game simply may never see the light of day. Retro Studios has finally delivered, and a new era of Metroid is here — but it could, equally, usher in a new era for Nintendo, too. There's little chance Nintendo would push the game to the end of the Nintendo Switch's life cycle if they didn't intend to give it a home on their new console, too.

Metroid Prime 4 And Friends Could Have Just Confirmed Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility

Unlikely New Games Will Just Release On The Nintendo Switch

Nintendo was expected to have a limited arsenal of games to wheel out in a Nintendo Direct presentation as it simply doesn't have much time left to offer the Switch console, and yet, it has offered a smorgasbord of titles yet to come this year and next. These new games revealed at Nintendo Direct in June point to the strong possibility that they will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 as well as the Switch, which lends credence to the idea that they will be backward compatible.

That said, the honest answer is that no one knows yet. Nintendo's plans are often beyond even the most vigilant theorizer's expectations, announcing games that defy expectations in a huge way. That doesn't mean, though, that Nintendo can't be paying attention to the wider gaming world's interest in backward compatibility over two console generations and surely can't miss the fact that players want to keep playing their Switch games on their new console.

After all, they've done it before. The Game Boy Advance came to the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo DS came to the Nintendo 3DS, so there's a chance that the Nintendo Switch 2 will also be backward compatible.

Nintendo May Have Just Prevented Its Switch Successor From Failing

A Great Lineup Of Launch Titles

Nintendo seems to have, perhaps unwittingly, revealed that the likes of Metroid Prime 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be coming to the Nintendo Switch as well as whatever console comes next. It's great news for fans who have wondered what launch titles for the new hardware could be, and it looks like one of these headliners could be it. There is much more to be unveiled, especially as hopes are high for a new 3D Mario adventure, but at least for now, there is a taste of what's sure to come.

The Nintendo Switch's successor has to do an awful lot of work if it wants to stand up against its predecessor's successes and resist becoming another failure like the Wii U. One of the key factors in this is the chance to play the library of games that consumers already own from their Switch days — and now, as Metroid Prime 4 and its compatriots may have proved, players might not have so much to worry about. The wait for the new console is brutal, but with backward compatibility hinted here, it's going to make holding on a little bit easier.