Nintendo made its own Switch emulator… for the Nintendo Switch 2

It turns out even the Nintendo Switch 2 is emulating Switch games.

Apr 3, 2025 - 12:27

Nintendo made its own Switch emulator… for the Nintendo Switch 2

Credit: Curtis Joe / Android Authority

An interview with Switch 2 devs revealed that the Nintendo Switch 2 plays Switch 1 games via emulation.
The two systems do not have compatible hardware, so a different solution was required.
Nintendo has cracked down on Nintendo Switch emulators in the past years, despite admitting emulation is legal.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been announced, and the good news for anyone upgrading is that it will be (mostly) backwards compatible. However, an interview with the developers behind the console revealed that compatibility required a unique solution, and that solution is emulation.

Unlike previous generational leaps like the Nintendo DS to the 3DS or the Nintendo Wii to the Wii U, the hardware in the Switch 2 bears little resemblance to the Switch 1. In their words, “those systems were compatible because Nintendo 3DS contained Nintendo DS hardware and Wii U contained Wii hardware. However, Switch 2 doesn’t contain any Switch hardware.”