Many of us have just naturally assumed that the next console from Nintendo will be backwards compatible. The Nintendo Switch has been a massive success for the company, so it would be incredibly foolish for Nintendo to potentially throw away all of that hard work by making a brand new console without backwards compatibility. However, a new video by YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer, a well respected expert in video game hardware and developer for NightDive Studios, has suggested the company could have a mountain to climb in regards to its rumored next-gen console.

According to Modern Vintage Gamer (thanks VGC), modern Switch titles may be incompatible with any improved chips that Nintendo may use for its beefed up Switch console. The Nintendo Switch currently uses the Tegra X1 developed by Nvidia, a fairly outdated chip that many strongly believe Nintendo plans to replace. It's not confirmed, but if Nintendo were to move on from the Tegra X1 to a different chip, current Switch games wouldn't be able to run on new hardware "without recompiling the games to target that hardware."

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It's not all doom and gloom though, as MVG outlines several solutions that Nintendo could go for, although none of them come without issues. Nintendo could go for emulation as seen with the Xbox Series X, though keeping the Switch a managable size would be difficult considering it's primarily a handheld device. It's also suggested that Nintendo and Nvidia make the Tegra X1 compatible with their next chip, although MVG points out this could mean a lot more work for both parties.

He then suggests that Nintendo could include the Tegra X1 in a new Switch system alongside the new chip, similar to what Nintendo did with the Wii that allowed GameCube games to run on the system. Production costs are the downside to that plan, as is the fact physical games would need to fit on existing Switch cartridges which may be extremely difficult depending on the size of each game.

We then get to the more likely scenario, but one which would render a lot of the Switch's current library unplayable on next-gen hardware. MVG suggests that current Switch titles could be playable if Nintendo was to retroactively update each one, but with thousands of Switch games on the market, that would be next to impossible. It's suggested that Nintendo could make its first-party games backwards compatible and leave it up to third-party developers to update their own titles, meaning not every game would make the leap.

Of coure, all of this rides on whether Nintendo decides to move on from the Tegra X1, though fans and those in the know are pretty adamant they will do so considering the age of the chip. While it's likely all of Nintendo's first party offerings will be playable on next-gen hardware, we could potentially see its third party library decrease substantially. It might be a good idea to keep that Switch around for now.

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