At the moment out of all the console makers around, only Microsoft and the Xbox One have backwards compatibility, which means that developers and publishers who want to make older Xbox 360 games playable on the Xbox One can do so, and gamers who want to play older games can choose from a compatible list.Sony has spoken about how the PS4 will not be backwards compatible with the PS3, and unfortunately it seems that neither will the Nintendo Switch. In an interview with TIME, Nintendo’s President Tatsumi Kimishima was asked about whether the Switch could emulate Wii U games or if gamers had to rely on ports instead, in which he replied by confirming that the Switch will not have backwards compatibility.
According to Kimishima, “Switch is not backward compatible with games designed for other systems, and is not currently compatible with controllers designed for other systems. Support for certain controllers may be considered for a future update. In some cases, games from past systems may be re-released for the Nintendo Switch system as either enhanced or original versions.”
That being said, it should be noted that Nintendo exec Shigeru Miyamoto recently claimed that they had “mastered” Unreal Engine 4 and that PC ports could be brought onto the Switch in less than a year.
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