A week before the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo confirmed that a separate Direct presentation focused on Nintendo Switch 1 games will stream on Thursday, March 27. The company confirmed that there would be "no updates about Nintendo Switch 2" in the video.

The presentation goes live tomorrow at 10 a.m. EDT and will last around 30 minutes. Rumors about a Nintendo Direct this week ran rampant, with speculation that such a presentation would focus on the last remaining big titles for the Nintendo Switch before revealing more about its successor on April 2. But two Nintendo Direct presentations so close to each other is largely unprecedented for the company, indicating a carefully planned transition between the two Switch platforms. It's safe to say that this Direct could act as a swan song for the beloved hybrid console that shook up the industry.

The Original Nintendo Switch May Still Have Some Life Left

Nintendo And Third Parties Still Have Enough To Show

It's clear that the Switch is reaching the end of its lifecycle, with Nintendo's last remaining titles for the platform including Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It would make sense for those two games to headline tomorrow's Direct to send off the aging console. At the same time, plenty of third-party companies certainly have titles that are preparing for release or in the midst of development for the platform, which hit the markets over eight years ago.

The Nintendo Switch is a haven for indie games, which, for the most part, don't require the horsepower that modern AAA games require and that the Switch can run perfectly. Because of the large install base that the Switch has built up for the better part of the decade, expect to see smaller developers and studios continue to the original Switch even with the Switch 2's presence. And of course, these games are almost certainly playable on the Switch 2 through backwards compatibility.

Nintendo Must Be Careful With This Console Transition

Concerns About The Potential Switch 2 Price And Launch Strategy

In some ways, the success of the original Nintendo Switch could hamper the Nintendo Switch 2. The Switch 1 is a massive sales success, and with reports of Nintendo's apparent release strategy for Switch 2 games have raised eyebrows about how the company is ing the device. With so many people still attached to their Switch, regardless of how old it is, Nintendo will have to cater to people who stick with it.

Nintendo has a delicate balance to play, having to satisfy Switch 1 owners who can't make the upgrade yet, while also giving Switch 2 early adopters justification to shell out several hundreds of dollars for the new console. Thursday's Nintendo Direct will have to show Switch 1 mainstays that they won't be left behind even amidst excitement for the shiny new hardware. But also, next week's Nintendo Switch 2 presentation has to make waves to hype up the platform. We'll be watching the Direct tomorrow to see just how much left can be squeezed out of the original Nintendo Switch.

Source: Nintendo of America/X