Earlier in the year, we saw reports that the successor to the Nintendo Switch, colloquially known as the Switch 2, will feature backwards compatibility with the current handheld console hybrid. More recently, we have gotten confirmation of this, somewhat, in the form of the company’s mid-year policy briefing.
The document naturally contains a lot of numbers, indicating that it’s supposed to be some sort of supplemental presentation to an investors’ call. But page 49 specifically mentions this backward compatibility of the successor to the current Switch. One page prior, the company talks about also making the Nintendo Switch Online subscription available to its next generation hardware.
This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about…
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024
Separately, the game company’s official X account, specifically its Japanese HQ, mentions the same regarding backwards compatibility and the online sub. It also reiterates that more details about the successor model, now including details about its backwards compatibility, “will be announced at a later date”.
That later date should come by May 2025, which is when the successor model is rumoured to be launched. Initially slated for March, the company reportedly told devs that the device had to be pushed to its next fiscal year. Incidentally, its purported prototype and its specs have already made their way online.
(Source: Nintendo [1, PDF], [2])
