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Nintendo Switch Joy-Con

Nintendo Switch Reportedly Not Backwards Compatible With Physical 3DS Or Wii U Games

This article is over 8 years old and may contain outdated information

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Some sad news for fans that are wanting to buy the Nintendo Switch console. It sounds like the device will not be backwards compatible with both physical Wii U and 3DS video games.

Famitsu has posted a new article all about the Nintendo Switch console. It answers a few burning questions that weren’t revealed during the debut trailer that aired yesterday.

Here’s a rough translation about backwards compatibility with 3DS and Wii U games: “Since the Nintendo Switch is not a Wii U or Nintendo 3DS successor machine, you can not play with Wii U disk software and Nintendo 3DS card.

This does not mean that the console is not fully backwards compatible. We saw Wii U video games such as Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 being played on the new console. It’s possible Wii U video games might be offered for you to download digitally.

It makes sense for Wii U discs not to work on the Switch because it looks like it doesn’t have a disc drive. It’s disappointing to hear that 3DS game cartridges don’t work.

Most of the other information we know before, or will be revealed at a later date. The battery life and specs are to be revealed shortly before launch.


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