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As we have gotten farther from the Change‘s early 2017 launch, there was rather a lot of chatter and hypothesis concerning the system’s inevitable successor. And amongst Change house owners, there’s loads of concern over whether or not an upcoming “Change 2” might be backward suitable with the 1000’s of video games already obtainable on the present Change.
For now, Nintendo is remaining frustratingly obscure on that key query. In an investor Q&A (partially translated by Twitter consumer Cheesemeister), Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated that “whereas our firm is at all times contemplating varied specs for future {hardware}, I’ll chorus from making particular feedback about future {hardware} right here… Our firm desires to proceed providing distinctive methods to play with its built-in {hardware} and software program enterprise, so please stay up for it.”
It is laborious to learn an excessive amount of into that non-answer, contemplating that Nintendo hasn’t formally introduced any particulars about its subsequent console {hardware} but. Later in that very same Q&A, although, Furukawa famous that “as for the transition from Nintendo Change to the next-generation machine, we wish to do as a lot as potential so as to easily transition our clients, whereas using the Nintendo Account.”
That is not utterly new data; Nintendo stated in a 2020 investor presentation slide that it deliberate to make use of the Nintendo Account for its “Built-in {Hardware}-Software program Subsequent gaming system” releasing in “20XX.” Nonetheless, a brand new quote stressing a “easy transition” and a legacy account administration system might be seen as a touch that Nintendo plans to let Change gamers deliver their sport libraries ahead to new {hardware}.
Trying backward
Nintendo has an extended historical past of backward compatibility on its transportable programs, every certainly one of which may play video games from the earlier technology in a series working from the unique Recreation Boy to the Nintendo 3DS line. Extra lately, the corporate carried out the same chain of backward compatibility from the Gamecube by the Wii U, the latter of which may even play downloadable video games transferred over from the Wii.
Andrew Cunningham
However Nintendo broke its chain of backward compatibility with the Change, which merged each of Nintendo’s {hardware} strains into a brand new “hybrid” platform. In the meantime, each Microsoft and Sony had been more and more targeted on backward compatibility as a marketable characteristic on their newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
From a sport growth standpoint, Nintendo’s personal Shigeru Miyamoto famous in November 2022 that previously, software program growth environments “couldn’t be introduced ahead when the {hardware} modified, and it will change into unimaginable to play software program launched for earlier {hardware} with out making modifications.” Extra lately, although, the combination of these growth environments throughout {hardware} has meant that “usually talking, it has change into simpler to implement an atmosphere the place software program launched for previous {hardware} could be performed on new {hardware},” Miyamoto stated.
