Okay, so it’s safe to say we are securely in the Nintendo Switch 2 hype cycle, however, Nintendo has already confirmed a slew of new games for the original Nintendo Switch, including a new Tamodachi Life in 2026. However, this has made me think about how cloud gaming could keep the original Nintendo Switch alive for those that can’t afford the new console.
Nintendo Won’t Want To Leave Its Huge Userbase Behind:
Let’s start with the obvious: the Nintendo Switch line of consoles has sold over 150 million systems since the platform launched. That is an insane number of active devices that could be used to play future Nintendo games, even if they are not native titles. Many gamers expect the Nintendo Switch 2 to be the home of the next big game in series such as The Legend Of Zelda, which could potentially sell millions of copies on both generations of the Switch hardware after release. By offering Nintendo Switch 2 games on Nintendo Switch via cloud gaming, the potential extra sales could easily boost the popularity of Nintendo’s beloved IPs.
Nintendo Already Offers Cloud Versions Of Video Games:
Now, let’s move on to the next point. Nintendo already offers cloud versions for a number of titles, including games such as Control and several titles in the Kingdom Hearts series of games. With cloud games already existing on the Nintendo Switch, it makes a lot of sense for Nintendo to put its own future titles on the cloud gaming platform for Nintendo Switch as a way to keep growing its cloud platform and to sell more games to a wider userbase.
Will It Happen?:
Now, let’s look at the likelihood of this happening, and it looks like Nintendo isn’t likely to do this largely because the are going to have all their focus on Nintendo Switch 2. There is a possibility that Nintendo could offer some cloud games through the Nintendo Eshop or their Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. It would definitely be interesting to see if Nintendo follows what Xbox did with allowing newer generation games to be streamed to last generation hardware through cloud gaming. Alas, we will have to wait and see if this becomes a reality.
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