Yesterday, Nintendo dropped a surprise Direct presentation for the Switch 1. Surprising, that is, because they’re holding the first big Switch 2 Direct in under a week (2nd April). Surely they would want to save their new and unannounced games for the new console?

Games

I think most people were expecting a handful of comparatively smaller games, post and Indy titles. That’s what I was expecting, at least. And that is, more or less, what was revealed – at least in terms of games. There were a lot of JRPGs.

They also showed off Metroid Prime 4. We did already know about this game and have had trailers. But this was the first proper deep dive into the mechanics and story, and it looks awesome.

Prime 4 will probably be the last big Switch 1 game, though I reckon there’ll be a ‘deluxe’ version on Switch 2 (and hopefully the missing HD remasters of Prime 2 and 3). Still, I did notice that some of the games announced, like Tomodachi Life, won’t be released until 2026.

They don’t say if Tomodachi Life will be in early or late 2026 (my bet is on the former). But, regardless, the Switch 2 will have been released by then, suggesting that Nintendo is going to keep supporting Switch 1 after the launch. At least for a little while.

That’s not surprising. Nintendo often keeps its old hardware around after releasing something new. It’s to hedge their bets I think. It presumably means that if the new hardware fails, they can still rely on the old hardware.

Still, I reckon there’s a good chance that they’ll keep the Switch 1 around as a budget option as Sony did with the PS2. Switch 1 has never had a price cut in its eight-year lifespan. If Nintendo combined a price cut with a constant stream of smaller games – like Tomodachi Life – and the enormous catalogue of big games that it already has, Switch 1 could have a second burst of life. Its numbers might even surpass the DS and PS2.

Virtual Game Cards

The main announcement wasn’t a game, it was the Virtual Game Card. I suspect the Direct was held chiefly to promote this feature.

This is, basically, a system for sharing virtual games between consoles. It’s kind of like Steam Family Sharing, but way more convoluted and a little confusing. It will basically treat digital games as if they had game cards that have to be inserted and ejected. This will allow them to be inserted into multiple different Switch systems (2 per person).

I have mixed features about this feature. Depending on how you use your Switch, it might be an upgrade or a downgrade. It was already possible to play your digital games across multiple devices by logging in on both. That did require an internet connection, though. If the new system can be used offline, it will facilitate the mobile gaming aspect. If you only play your Switch(s) at home, it’s extra steps. It could also affect multiplayer, forcing families to buy multiple copies of the same game.

On the flip side, it does allow you to lend out your digital games to other people, for up to 14 days. That is a useful feature, and it is something that I could see myself using. So that’s pretty good.

Backwards Compatibility

The Virtual Game Card is probably being introduced to facilitate the move to Switch 2. And they did say it would work across platforms.

It was previously confirmed that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, with both physical and digital games. The virtual game cards should allow people to play their digital games on the Switch 2 without any great inconvenience and without having to connect their Switch 2 to the internet.

Notably, this could allow people to move their digital games from Switch 2 to Switch 1 (where compatible). It points to the idea of a prolonged Switch 1 lifespan.

When the Wii U launched, it was possible to transfer all of your Wii data over to it. It involved a long but pretty fun animation of Pikmin collecting and ‘carrying’ your data from one system to the other. But it also wiped the Wii’s memory, effectively returning it to factory settings and forcing you to set aside your Wii entirely.

By allowing people to move their digital Switch 1 games back and forth between Switch 1 and 2, Nintendo gives people an inbuilt reason to keep their Switch 1 around, perhaps for use by a friend or family member. It hasn’t been stripped of functionality or its digital library. Again, this indicates that Nintendo wants to maintain the Switch 1 ecosystem as a budget or secondary option.

The ability to lend out digital games could also help to preserve the Switch 1 ecosystem by reducing the cost of participation between friends.

Final Thoughts

On balance, the surprise Switch 1 Direct kind of felt like Nintendo is cleaning house, preparing for the Switch 2’s launch. They confirmed, essentially, that they’ll continue to support the Switch 1 with smaller games, introduced a new mechanic that will facilitate backwards compatibility whilst maintaining the Switch 1 ecosystem, and showed off the last big Switch 1 game. They also announced a Nintendo news app, which I don’t have anything to say about but will probably be quite helpful, I guess.

-Dexter