'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' versions of original Switch games confirmed

Nintendo's big Switch 2 reveal stream and party is happening next week on April 2, but that hasn't stopped the company from hosting a final old-school Switch Nintendo Direct, which took place earlier today. In addition to a new trailer for Metroid Prime 4, new versions of classic PlayStation games, a new official Nintendo news app, and a Virtual Game Card system that will let you share digital games between systems and family, we also inadvertently got information on how the Switch 2 will hands cross-generation gaming.

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Nintendo's new Virtual Game Card system will let you share digital games, image credit: Nintendo.

As spotted by Wario64 on social media, Nintendo's official breakdown of the new Virtual Game Card feature mentions both "Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games" and "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games." This implies that games that will get separate releases on both systems, such as Metroid Prime 4, will have two versions hit retail - the Switch edition and the Switch 2 edition.

This is similar to how Sony transitioned from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5, where cross-generation games were released in two separate versions covering the old and the new. Microsoft's approach was and is a little more user-friendly, as a single Xbox version of a game covers all compatible hardware.

Here's the full text from Nintendo.

"Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games can only be loaded on a Nintendo Switch 2 system."

This also confirms that the Switch 2 will be getting console-exclusive releases. At first, we believe this will mainly cover third-party games for Switch 2, titles like Assassin's Creed Shadows, which would be impossible to run on the aging original Switch hardware. "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition," for games like Metroid Prime 4, means two versions are coming. It also implies that there's a possibility Nintendo won't release next-gen patches or upgrades for original Switch games inserted into the Switch 2. Instead, we might see Nintendo Switch 2 Edition versions of hit games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom get a standard release. We hope this isn't the case and only applies to future cross-gen releases, as we'd love to see Nintendo leverage the Switch 2's improved hardware to make existing games run faster and look better via a patch or update.