When Nintendo formally revealed the Swap 2 again in January, it confirmed long-standing rumors that the brand new handheld console would get pleasure from backward compatibility with the video games from the unique Swap—bodily and digitally. Excellent news, however there was one disclaimer: “Sure Nintendo Swap video games might not be supported on or absolutely suitable with Nintendo Swap 2.”
That despatched some gamers into, if not a panic, no less than a interval of confusion. On condition that the unique Swap launched in 2017, many have constructed sizable collections in that point, and the uncertainty over which amongst them would proceed to be playable on the brand new era of {hardware} was trigger for concern. However issues are wanting higher than anticipated, with the Swap 2 supporting a number of the most area of interest titles within the Swap library, even those who required bodily peripherals distinctive to the unique {hardware}.
In an replace posted to Nintendo’s official web site, the corporate revealed that just about 100% of first-party video games stay suitable with Swap 2 {hardware}, with “no points discovered throughout primary compatibility testing” for 122 video games printed by Nintendo. On a bar chart, a tiny sliver of purple, indicating “not suitable,” quantities to simply one recreation.
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkatu
That unlucky outlier? Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Equipment, Nintendo’s bold build-it-yourself digital actuality headset fabricated from cardboard. All the Labo line was aimed toward youngsters, offering tactile experiences the place you’d construct steering wheels or robotic fits, then play devoted video games constructed across the kit-bashed devices. The VR Equipment took issues to a different degree, offering the supplies to construct rudimentary goggles and a mock blaster. When constructed, the Swap pill slotted into place whereas lenses break up the onscreen picture right into a “My first VR”-level expertise.
It is that particular bodily mixture of console and cardboard that makes Labo VR Equipment the one unique Swap recreation incompatible with Swap 2. Nintendo explains that “the Nintendo Swap 2 console can’t be inserted into the Toy-Con VR Goggles accent, so this recreation can’t be performed.” That is it. The Swap 2 merely would not match the headset, so VR Equipment turns into the one first-party recreation jettisoned into the tides of gaming historical past.
Even different Labo video games can be utilized on Swap 2, because of what might show to be the brand new console’s secret weapon relating to backward compatibility—you’ll be able to nonetheless use unique Swap Pleasure-Cons on Swap 2. Nintendo says that if “you might have Nintendo Swap Pleasure-Con controllers and join them wirelessly to Nintendo Swap 2, you’ll be able to play [select] video games as you’d on Nintendo Swap.” That is nice information, opening the doorways for much extra of the Swap’s software program library to stay accessible than anticipated.
A Wholesome Selection
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkatu
Maybe the largest shock is that Swap 2 will proceed to help Ring Match Journey. When the brand new console was introduced with that caveat about compatibility, I used to be certain Ring Match can be minimize from the roster, primarily due to {hardware} compatibility. The health role-playing recreation requires the right-hand Pleasure-Con controller to be bodily slotted onto its Pilates-style ring peripheral, which makes use of a slide bracket that would not accommodate a brand new, magnetically related Pleasure-Con 2 from the Swap 2.
