NS Not Being Backwards Compatible Isn't a Bad Thing

When the Nintendo Switch was unveiled last week, some of our questions were answered but there are still things about the Big N's console, handheld, tablet hybrid that we don't know. Price has yet to be revealed and the spec of the NS are still a mystery. As I watched the reveal trailer, one thing I did suspect is that the NS would not be backwards compatible with Wii U games. Nintendo was quick to confirm my suspicious by stating that the NS is in fact not a backwards compatible game machine. And I'm actually OK with that.

I was never planning to shelve my Wii U when I picked up an NS. It may have been a bigger failure than the GCN, but I still love the thing and I have plenty of reasons to keep it hooked up. We have no idea when Splatoon 2 is being released for the NS so the original Splatoon will more than likely remain a highly replayed game for a few more years. The same goes for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Super Mario Maker, Pokken Tournament and other high profile online Wii U games.

Want to play Super Mario Maker on a console
in HD? Gonna need a Wii U for that.

Quite a few people are bummed that the NS won't run 3DS games. Call me crazy, but the NS doing 3DS games never even crossed my mind. Yeah, the NS runs on game cards, but I was of the mind that Nintendo wanted to keep the 3DS games on the 3DS. Nintendo may have struggled with the Wii U but the 3DS continues to outsell all of the big three home consoles.

I'm one of those weirdos that never did a system transfer to dump all of my digital Wii downloads on my Wii U. Heck, my Wii is still hooked up and whenever I play Wii games, I do it on the Wii. I still have plenty of space to fill on my Wii U hard drive so I'd rather save that for other Wii U downloads. I'm all about saving space but the Wii takes up so little of it, that I'm in no hurry to unhook it and box it in the closet.

Will Nintendo distribute games on the NS digitally? Without question. Just because the system is card based, doesn't mean Nintendo is saying goodbye to digital distribution. The 3DS runs on game cards and that thing has enjoyed a wealth of digital games, both old and new. But I didn't see anyone using a stylus during the NS reveal trailer so Nintendo could very well be planning to leave the Wii U behind. As much as its gonna hurt to see the Wii U go, it is looking like the only way to play Wii U games will be on a Wii U, giving gamers a very valid reason to pick one up if they haven't done so.

By leaving out backwards compatibility, Nintendo is sending out a message. And that message is that they are focusing on the NS, strictly the NS. As much as I enjoy having a system incorporate backwards compatibility, I don't see Nintendo's neglecting it as a bad thing. It will help keep the system cost down and Nintendo needs all the edge they can get if they want to sell more NS units the Wii Us. For two console generations, Nintendo has used backwards compatibility but with the NS, it seems like Nintendo wants to make a fresh start by leaving the past behind. Completely.