Nintendo Switch 2 will include an awesome feature we've been desperately waiting for
Nintendo will address one of the biggest frustrations players have with its online account system
Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to release towards the end of 2024, but even though we’ll have to wait a little longer until we know exactly what Nintendo’s successor to its popular console will entail, the company’s president has shared some extremely welcome news.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told shareholders in a Q&A meeting (thanks, Genki) that he wants to ensure a “smooth transition” for customers from the Switch, by allowing them to carry their Nintendo Accounts over to its next-generation console.
There are currently over 290 million Nintendo Accounts across console and mobile. And those accounts include your unique ID, past purchases, friends list, and digital content, which means if the Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible – and I sincerely hope it is – you’ll be able to access Switch games and DLC you’ve already paid for.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Nintendo Switch 2 online accounts
🙌 Nintendo has announced that account migration will be possible on Switch 2
🙏 That means you’ll be able to take your current Nintendo Account with you
👏 And keep your purchases, ID, and profile that you’ve built up over the years
🥳 This is a first for Nintendo systems, as this hasn’t previously been the case
It also means that Nintendo’s growing library of classic SNES, NES, Genesis, N64, GBA, and Game Boy titles that are available to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers won’t disappear at the start of the next generation, only to slowly be built back over time in yet another repackaged form.
This is a significant development as account migration hasn’t been a feature of previous Nintendo systems. Nintendo has typically restarted its account and online services, leading to people losing access to their precious library of titles that have been amassed over many years unless they retained their old console. Even then, Nintendo has sunsetted several online services in recent times such as the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShop.
It’s also made owning multiple Nintendo Switch consoles a pain, as you have to transfer your games and save data in a convoluted way, and you lose access to your library on the original console you migrated your data from.
The move finally brings Nintendo in line with Microsoft and Sony, who have had cross-platform account systems since the Xbox 360 and PS3 days, letting gamers take their IDs, achievements, and purchases with them when a new console arrives. Of course, we’ll need to see if Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible to really benefit from this, but being able to keep your account data is still a massive benefit that consumers have come to expect.