“Switch 2 doesn’t include any components from the original console.” Nintendo explains why backward compatibility isn’t perfect: it relies on hybrid emulation that mixes software with new hardware adaptation.

This might not come as a total surprise, but it’s worth repeating: Nintendo Switch 2 will offer backward compatibility with many titles from the original system. That said, not every game will run flawlessly—or at all. While Nintendo has shared an extensive list of games confirmed to work, as well as others pending approval, it’s now clear that this compatibility is achieved through hybrid emulation since the new hardware “doesn’t contain any Switch components.”

This Is How Backward Compatibility Works on Switch 2

In a post-Nintendo Direct interview, Takuhiro Dohta from Nintendo’s Planning Department revealed that boosting hardware performance and capacity took precedence over legacy software support. He referenced how systems like the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U maintained backward compatibility by incorporating hardware from previous generations.

However, the Switch 2 doesn’t include any of the specific architecture from the original Switch, making native execution impossible for certain games. To solve this, producer Kouichi Kawamoto explained that Nintendo uses a hybrid approach—part software emulation, part hardware-level translation. The process converts Switch game data into a format the new system can interpret in real time, avoiding the power drain of traditional emulators.

This solution, however, has its limits. Nintendo has already released a preliminary list of incompatible games—including titles like Doom Eternal. Some others, like Fall Guys, Factorio, and Alien: Isolation, may launch but with noticeable issues. Future updates could expand compatibility, especially with help from third-party developers. Still, over 15,000 third-party games and 122 first-party Nintendo titles are confirmed to run on the Switch 2.

Source: 3djuegos