Switch players don't need to worry much about Switch 2's arrival

Despite Switch 2’s arrival, which is expected to hit the market later this year, original Nintendo Switch players may not need to worry about it as much.

Switch 2 has backward compatibility, just like on PS5 and Xbox Series, which means that you can play your original Switch games on the new console as well.

Derek Strickland, an analyst over at TweakTown, also believes in Switch’s longevity. The console has a 129 million annual player base, and Nintendo’s dual-hardware ecosystem means that both systems will be supported for at least the next 4 to 5 years.

Though, there’s still an interesting competition coming in the handheld PC market, and especially what Xbox has been cooking for handheld devices.

In this year’s interview with Bloomberg, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that Microsoft has plans to release an Xbox handheld, but it’s still several years away. The Redmond company is currently working on prototypes and gathering insights from the market to shape the device.

So, in the meantime, Microsoft will focus on improving the Xbox app for existing handheld devices. One of the efforts it’s doing is by making several Xbox games playable on the upcoming Switch 2. Also, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said (via VGC) that there’s a chance of EA supporting Switch 2, with franchises like Madden and EA Sports FC coming out for the handheld.

Switch has also recently surpassed 150 million units sold, making it Nintendo’s best-selling home console, and is coming dangerously close to the sales figures of the DS and Sony’s PS2, the highest-selling gaming console of all time.