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[marjo]

I'm primarily a PC gamer, and so I tend to take backwards compatibility for granted. I love being able to play games from my Steam library that are 10 or 15 years old without issue. Xbox Series and PS5 have also done a great job with backwards compatibly, and to me at least, seem to have normalized the idea in the console space. If a Switch 2 were announced without backwards compatibility, would that influence your purchasing decision?

 

[adamsapple]

If a Switch 2 were announced without backwards compatibility, would that influence your purchasing decision?

Not that I am a shoe-in Nintendo buyer anyway, but yes as a general purchaser, it would effect my purchase if the next console I buy isn't backwards compatible with the entire previous generation.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

For me it's super important - I want physical backwards compatibility for something like the Switch.

 

[graywolf323]

given the nature of the Switch it’d go from a Day 1 purchase for me to pick it up down the road when there’s enough games that I want for it (kinda like the original Switch)

and if they handled it like the Switch where they ported a LOT of the Wii U games… (so porting all their first party stuff from Switch 1 to 2 and then charging you full price again), I very well might not buy it out of principle/spite

 

[killatopak]

Very important for me.

I dunno about everybody else but I loved physical BC on GBA, DS and 3DS

 

[Mister Wolf]

Very important. We want free resolution and framerate patches for Xenoblade 1-3, BOTW, and TOTK.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

BC is no longer a “will it run?” matter for me. It has to sport improvements for me to bother.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I'm over here looking at my PSVR.
I bought the PSVR2. Big mistake.

Looking at the Switch I don't think I would feel quite so abandoned.
I would probly still buy the Switch 2 without back compat.

 

[Roman Empire]

In this day and age not being able to carry on with your digital library is a backward take (pun intended). They better not pull that with "Switch 2", and then try to sell "remastered" versions of the game at full price. Knowing Nintendo, I don't doubt they will try that out.

 

[Skyfox]

Deleted comment

 

[SEGA_2012]

Very, VERY , VERY important.

 

[L*][*N*K]

I’d buy it either way but honestly it is shooting themselves in the foot if isn’t backwards compatible

 

[ungalo]

I doubt the console will be impressive in itself so yes it's important.

 

[Wizz-Art]

It's the only reason I'll buy the next Nintendo console, physical BC is a must!

 

[UltimaKilo]

Not very important. The next Nintendo Hardware will sell based on its new exclusives, not 6 year old software.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

No backwards compatibility with my Switch 1 carts = no day one buy. Simple as that.

 

[jshackles]

I have enough Switch games to last me through basically all of the next generation. If the next Switch isn't backwards compatible (with physical carts) then I think I'll skip Nintendo's next gen.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Will determine if I buy it at release or when there's enough native games I deem worth playing.

 

[Diseased Yak]

An absolute deal breaker for me. I'd go from rabid F5'ing to get a pre-order day 1/second 1, to shrugging and picking up one a year or two later off the shelf somewhere, once a game I cared enough about to snag it for.

 

[Hudo]

if they want to keep people locked into their ecosystem then BC shouldn't even be a question anymore. It's essential. Otherwise you kinda "soft reset" your customers when moving platforms. And each time you give them the opportunity to change ecosystems (to a competitor).

 

[T-Cake]

It wouldn't matter to me as I'd be totally new to a Nintendo gaming device if I bought the Switch 2. So I expect quite a few remasters of their popular titles to pop up if there is no BC. It really needs 4K capability of some sort for me to buy it though as it'll be connected to the TV 90% of the time.

 

[DonJorginho]

Would change it from a day one purchase to like a year two purchase, so yeah, it matters.

 

[Interfectum]

For me it's not important at all. For the marketplace it's massively important. I'd be shocked if they left it out.

 

[Bernoulli]

If they use same cartridges it's going to hold back the switch 2

 

[Dcr1d3r]

Nintendo should definitely make their next gen system backwards compatible....it's a no-brainier imo!

 

[RoboFu]

Affect? sure.. will I still buy one.. sure... I just will not be as happy about it... but still pretty happy??? sure...

 

[BlackTron]

It's the only reason I'll buy the next Nintendo console, physical BC is a must!

I want BC too but you guys are weird. If the only feature you want is NS games, the system is already out

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

If they use same cartridges it's going to hold back the switch 2

Th Gameboy Advance had one slot for GBA games and a retro slot for Gameboy and Gameboy color cartridges. So we had precedence.

 

[Regginator]

Yes.

If the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, I'll get it day one. I would sell off the old one or give it to my little sisters.
But if it isn't backwards compatible, I'll definitely get one eventually but not within the first year or two, unless the launch line-up is absolutely insane but that's unlikely.

 

[Svejk]

It definitely will be... but I'd LMAO if it wasn't. To simply to see the reactions to that is worth trading in my Switch collecting dust here.

 

[R6Rider]

Would hold off on getting a Switch 2 if no backward compatibility.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Expect to see more Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Packs.

 

[AV]

Yes. If it's a true Switch 2 there's absolutely zero excuse for no BC on all the digital stuff I bought.

If it's some weird new shit where BC wouldn't work, fair enough, but I really doubt that's the case. I cannot honestly see a world where Nintendo go back to splitting their consoles and handhelds.

 

[Fbh]

Overall I think important. People want to carry over their purchases and library, I think it will instantly make the Switch 2 more appealing and it also keeps Nintendo from just being able to recycle the same games for the first few years as they did with the WiiU stuff on Switch.

For me personally not that much as I almost exclusively buy Nintendo stuff physical and then resell so I don't have much of library other than some digital only games like Cadence of Hyrule.

 

[acm2000]

i highly doubt the average switch owner would care, its never mattered before for them.

kids these days get what they want.

 

[Shifty1897]

I've invested too much into the ecosystem to leave it behind.

 

[diffusionx]

BC just eliminates the friction of moving to a new console. If you look at what companies like Apple have done, they have eliminated basically all friction in moving to a new phone. I just don't think it is acceptable to do it any other way these days. But if Switch 2 was not BC, I'd just wait until and when there are enough Switch 2 games to justify the purchase and to some extent when I am ready to put my Switch 1 in the closet.

 

[cireza]

If it is BC, then it means it has to retain most of the features of the current console, including these shitty joycons. This could also compromise their hardware solution. Honestly, I am not looking forward to this.

 

[Dacvak]

If it is BC, then it means it has to retain most of the features of the current console, including these shitty joycons. This could also compromise their hardware solution. Honestly, I am not looking forward to this.

There’s no reason why the form factor of the joycons couldn’t change for the Switch 2. Wasn’t there already that rumor about Nintendo filing a patent for hall sensor-like sticks?

 

[Dacvak]

BC just eliminates the friction of moving to a new console. If you look at what companies like Apple have done, they have eliminated basically all friction in moving to a new phone. I just don't think it is acceptable to do it any other way these days. But if Switch 2 was not BC, I'd just wait until and when there are enough Switch 2 games to justify the purchase and to some extent when I am ready to put my Switch 1 in the closet.

Apple and Android are shining examples of how to eliminate friction when switching devices. I could snap my phone in half, go buy a new one, sign in, and a few hours later it will be exactly the same.

In fact I’m gonna have to do that when I get home from this business trip and have the 15 to upgrade to. It’s so unbelievably easy. Same with android.

 

[cireza]

There’s no reason why the form factor of the joycons couldn’t change for the Switch 2. Wasn’t there already that rumor about Nintendo filing a patent for hall sensor-like sticks?

The shit non-d-pad will return and buttons+sticks will remain vertically aligned (for that one guy who is going to play with a single joycon as a controller). This has been utter shit for 6 years now, not looking forward for 6 or 7 more years of this.

 

[alf717]

It wont affect my purchase but it will suck if it isn't a feature. If there is a game drought a back catalogue is a great way to fill the gap. Even better would be the ability to enhance the original games with better fps than the original Switch.

 

[StereoVsn]

If it doesn't have BC, I will think about picking it up in a few years and that's a maybe.

 

[Topher]

If people cannot bring their Switch libraries forward to the new Switch then a large percentage of those people will wait until the new Switch has a library that makes it worth buying.

 

[Buggy Loop]

If Switch games aren't BC on Switch 2 and they want to fleece again for 60$ high res versions of the previous gen, i'm out.

 

[Sleepwalker]

I plan on keeping my switch so not that important but would be nice.

 

[midnightAI]

Not at all,, IF it affects how powerful the Switch 2 could be AND/OR it hobbles new games made for it... I still have the original Switch.

I got the original PS3 with back compat then never played a single PS2 game on it.

 

[gaming_again]

Dealbreaker. The days of me buying a Nintendo console day one, no questions asked, are long gone.

 

[Kings Field]

if it didn’t have BC I wouldn’t buy a switch 2 at launch like i have for every other console. I have 30 games on my switch backlog so that’s a big determining factor for me at least until I get caught up on some of these games.

 

[Walter Matthau]

Just a nice to have for me, but understand why its inclusion will likely be critical to Nintendo to help shift the base over as quickly as possible and having BC could potentially entice a few extra buyers who managed to go this long without buying the original Switch.

My eyes are bigger than my stomach when it comes to how frequently I think I'll utilize BC. It doesn't seem to even really matter if it's a case where I owned the prior console (e.g. GBA > DS, PS1 > PS2, etc.) or if it's new to me (e.g. Wii > Wii U). I mostly just stick to games that were made for the console I'm actually playing on.