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Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with Switch

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285 points ashitlerferad | 8 comments | 06 Nov 24 14:32 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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LinAGKar ◴[06 Nov 24 17:02 UTC] No.42065332[source]▶
It would really be surprising if it wasn't backwards compatible. The Switch breaking backwards compatibility was exceptional, apart from that every Nintendo console since the Wii on the stationary side and the GameBoy Color on the handheld side had at least one generation of backwards compatibility.
replies(2): >>42065641 #>>42070500 #
1. BHSPitMonkey ◴[06 Nov 24 17:19 UTC] No.42065641[source]▶
That's an oddly cherry-picked version of a pattern. There was no compatibility between the NES, SNES, N64, or GameCube. Wii and Wii U each supported their predecessor's games, but the Switch did not. Those 2 out of 7 were outliers
replies(3): >>42065857 #>>42065874 #>>42067426 #
2. BudaDude ◴[06 Nov 24 17:32 UTC] No.42065857[source]▶
You are forgetting the handheld line

Gameboy Color supported OG Gameboy games

GBA supported GBC games

DS supported GBA and(?) GBC games - Could be wrong about that

3DS supported DS games.

replies(2): >>42066181 #>>42070687 #
3. Sakos ◴[06 Nov 24 17:33 UTC] No.42065874[source]▶
The important part is that backwards compatibility became a focus after the Gamecube and it has been ever since. Like, this is just a fact. The Wii supported Gamecube games and controllers. Even the WiiU had the internal capability to run GC games, it just lacked the disc drive for it, and it ran Wii games just fine. The same goes for every single of their portable consoles (GB games work on the GBC, GB and GBC games work on the GBA, GBA games work on the Nintendo DS, etc).
4. Dwedit ◴[06 Nov 24 17:48 UTC] No.42066181[source]▶
DS did not support GBC games.
replies(1): >>42067866 #
5. echelon ◴[06 Nov 24 18:58 UTC] No.42067426[source]▶
CPU and GPU architectures used to wildly change from one generation to the next. Backwards compatibility wasn't always practical or feasible.

Now we've arrived at a fairly locked in set of architectures.

6. ◴[06 Nov 24 19:26 UTC] No.42067866{3}[source]▶
7. ihuman ◴[06 Nov 24 22:41 UTC] No.42070687[source]▶
The GBA (original and SP) also supported OG Gameboy games, but the Gameboy Micro only supported GBA games

The 3DS also had games from other consoles for sale in the eShop, but they were emulated (GB, GBC, Game Gear, NES, SNES). If you bought a 3DS before the price drop, you could also play some GBA games. These are also running natively, not emulation https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/...

replies(1): >>42071766 #
8. Dwedit ◴[07 Nov 24 00:26 UTC] No.42071766{3}[source]▶
Game Boy Micro can still enter GBC mode, it just can't read any cartridges. It's missing the switch which is normally triggered by the cartridge shape, and also missing the voltage conversion circuitry.