Will We Be Able To Play Switch 2 Games On Modded Switch?

[FluffyLunamoth]

That will literally never happen. An N64 can't run GameCube games, why in the WORLD would you think a Switch could run Switch 2 games? That makes no sense.

 

[NotRexed]

That will literally never happen. An N64 can't run GameCube games, why in the WORLD would you think a Switch could run Switch 2 games? That makes no sense.

N64 And Gamecube are 2 Completely different consoles. Switch 2 Is already based from The original switch, meaning it shares a lot of similarities. If they use the same type of game file, then it would probably be possible. Think about a low end pc using windows 10 and a high end pc with windows 11. Hardware and software wise, they are different but still share a lot of similarities like .exe for applications. Of course we dont know this for switch 2, but it could happen

 

[Captain-Z]

N64 And Gamecube are 2 Completely different consoles. Switch 2 Is already based from The original switch, meaning it shares a lot of similarities. If they use the same type of game file, then it would probably be possible. Think about a low end pc using windows 10 and a high end pc with windows 11. Hardware and software wise, they are different but still share a lot of similarities like .exe for applications. Of course we dont know this for switch 2, but it could happen

No, it's already been confirmed that the Switch 2 uses a different gpu architecture than the Switch 1. All modern PC's run the same x64 architecture, that's why they can run the same executable files. In contrast 32bit Windows systems can't run x64 code, even if they both use the same .exe format.

Even if they did share the same architecture though that still wouldn't make running switch 2 games on switch 1 possible. The Wii, for example is basically just a supped up GameCube, same software format and everything. Yet there's still no special hack to lets you run Wii code on GCN. The software is just too demanding.

And as for your emulation via Windows idea, that still doesn't help. Just because a particular device runs Windows doesn't mean it's going to be able to run every Windows program. You would still need to program the emulator for the Switch 2's gpu.

Ultimately, while it is theoretically possible to write an emulator for Switch 2's gpu on Switch 1, and you may be able to "tweak" the game to run better on the slower hardware, it would take a lot of work and you aren't ever going to get very good results. It might work for some very undemanding games, but certainly not Mario Kart.

But even if you wanted to try it it's not as simple as running a switch nsp on a switch 1. It's simply not going to be compatible. Running a .exe on different PC's is easy because PC hardware and software are standardized. That is not the case here.

 

[nyder]

Bless your heart.

 

[kingaz]

There's no getting around it: if you want to play Switch 2 games, you'll either need to grab a Switch 2 or wait an indeterminate amount of time for an emulator to come out. Or wait for another Nintendo console and hope it has backwards compatibility. And either way, it's not going to work on a Switch 1. Putting aside the disparity in technical specifications, the two systems are different enough that Nintendo needed to implement a translation layer for the Switch 2 to run Switch 1 games; they do not run natively.

 

[WhoIAm]

it would be really funny to see a Switch 2 emulator running on Switch 1 via Linux. It could actually happen. (Playable framerates not included.)

 

[masagrator]

it would be really funny to see a Switch 2 emulator running on Switch 1 via Linux. It could actually happen. (Playable framerates not included.)

Switch 2 will have 9 GB of RAM dedicated to games. Switch supports max 8 GB of RAM. To emulate Switch 2 you will need at least 12 GB of RAM, otherwise games will simply crash.

 

[hippy dave]

Switch 2 will have 9 GB of RAM dedicated to games. Switch supports max 8 GB of RAM. To emulate Switch 2 you will need at least 12 GB of RAM, otherwise games will simply crash.

Swap file! Who needs more than one frame an hour anyway?

 

[Gamatik]

Can I play PS2 games on my PS1 ? They both use discs so it might just work

 

[Marc_LFD]

Can I play PS2 games on my PS1 ? They both use discs so it might just work

Even something like Tekken 3 Arcade via the Tekken 5 disc isn't playable, but I guess in that case someone could make it work.

After all these years Tekken 3 is still my favorite Tekken game.

 

[LeddaZ]

Windows is possible, and so is linux and other OS's

Windows has no drivers for Tegra SoCs, only the setup has been booted as a proof of concept but nothing usable was released, and likely will never be. Also the processing power would be absolutely not enough.

 

[Dan-the-Rebirth]

Switch1 gets emulated on the switch2. The upgrade is something like a mod. The same way you can play a 4k modded xci of BotW on a PC.
The switch 2 upgraded games are switch 1 modules(maybe colored red. But I bet is the same inside) with download code for the Mod.

 

[pinbi7]

Hypotheticly , if i wanted to convert a switch 2 game card to punch cards , how many punch cards would i need?

 

[Moseii]

Hypotheticly , if i wanted to convert a switch 2 game card to punch cards , how many punch cards would i need?

"A typical IBM punch card was 80 columns wide by 12 rows. So if it contained binary information it could contain 960 bits of information"

if we assume a switch2 game is 20GB

20 gigabyte = 171798691840 bit

171798691840 ÷ 960 = 178,956,970.667

so you would roughly need 179 million punch cards to store one switch2 game

 

[ChibiMofo]

N64 And Gamecube are 2 Completely different consoles. Switch 2 Is already based from The original switch, meaning it shares a lot of similarities. If they use the same type of game file, then it would probably be possible. Think about a low end pc using windows 10 and a high end pc with windows 11. Hardware and software wise, they are different but still share a lot of similarities like .exe for applications. Of course we dont know this for switch 2, but it could happen

No, it could NOT happen. Zero percent chance. Never, ever going to happen. You fundamentally do not understand the technology you are talking about. The Switch 2 is not just a faster Switch 1 with a compatible GPU and CPU. If that were the case, it STILL wouldn't happen, just like how the Wii was 100% compatible with GameCube games, but the GC could never run Wii games. Or how the Wii U was 100% compatible with Wii games, but the Wii could never run Wii U games. Those were the same architectures only faster, so the games did not run on some kind of emulator or compatibility layer. Just like your analogy of older PCs being able to run newer software, it requires that the architecture (x86) be the same only faster. Switch 2, on the other hand, is a new and incompatible architecture, which is why so many Switch 1 games will not run on it at launch and patches are being worked on to allow them to run through the software that Nintendo has developed to allow Switch 1 games to be translated on the fly to run on Switch 2.

I really can't believe that any of you actually thought that you'd be able to run Switch 2 games on Switch 1. The memory requirements of some of them would prevent even a port. I really thought the OP must be trolling.

Post automatically merged: May 27, 2025

People still may find a way to emulate it on switch. Even if they dont, People will 100% find a way to emulate it on windows, and you can run windows on a modded switch, therefore being able to play switch 2 games on a modded switch one way or another

1. Uh, no. You CANNOT run Windows 10 or 11 on a modded Switch. Just stop.
2. Even if you could, running it would be so incredibly slow on that hardware and leave so little memory left over that you COULD NOT POSSIBLE GET AN EMULATOR AND THE NSP GAME INTO THE AVAILABLE RAM!!!! It is IMPOSSIBLE. Understand that. It is not a matter of some clever hacker/programmer coming along and pulling something cool off. It is simply impossible.

The only thing you got right is that the Switch 2 will eventually be emulated on Windows. That cannot even begin to happen until the Switch 2 is hacked and details of how it actually works are able to be deciphered. But none of that work or knowledge will ever in the future history of humanity allow a Switch 2 emulator of ANY kind, much less a Windows version with all the overhead Windows itself would demand, to run on original Switch hardware. You gotta let that dream end today.

Oh, and Donkey Kong Bananza would run at about 3 frames per minute even if you could find a way (the Switch 2 GPU can do many things that the Switch cannot that most games could not possible be made to work at any framerate). So there's that...

 

[Kraken_X]

The Switch1 can run Android. Android is a popular platform for emulators. You can also emulate Windows programs on Android using Winlator.

So theoretically, once a Switch 2 emulator is made, it could get ported to Android and then it would run on the Switch. I fully expect someone to make it happen at some point, even if just for the lulz and cred.

However, each time you emulate, there is performance overhead, and the Switch 1 is way less powerful than the Switch 2 even without the performance hit from emulation. So don't expect to ever run the new Donkey Kong or Mario Kart, but homebrew tech demos and 2d Indie games that use like 5-10% of the Switch 2's power? Almost certainly. But not for a very long time. The Switch 2 needs to be hacked, then an emulator needs to be made, and then the emulator needs to be ported to Android or made compatible with Winlator.

 

[orangy57]

Switch 2 is using a newer architecture (which includes ray tracing) and the games will be searching for those OpenGL/Vulkan raytracing extensions which are baked into whatever hardware you're using. If you don't have the hardware to do raytracing, there's no reasonable software workaround. It's why my still fast GTX 1080 can't play the new indiana jones game, it just physically does not have the transistor-level GPU instructions etched into the die that are required to run the software. I get the feeling that lots of people's really fast PCs and phones are going to be completely unable to emulate the switch 2 just because of this.

Also shaders will be compiled specifically for the switch 2's hardware and not for the switch 1, it would require an entire emulator just to recompile the shaders for the switch's hardware on top of the whole missing Vulkan extensions thing. Also the switch 1 is SUPER SLOW NOWADAYS, there's a 90% chance that it's slower than whatever phone you're currently using, no matter how cheap and crappy it is. You can buy an 80 dollar no contract phone that's on-par with the performance of the switch today.

If anyone decides to make this happen for shits and gigs expect it to run at the same performance as the 3ds's own gacube emeleter

 

[MysticStarlight]

This is like asking if the Wii can run Wii U games.

 

[CMDreamer]

[...] I dont see any reason why they would change the file type [...]

This is your first mistake.

and even if they do someone would probably be able to emulate them on switch.

Never gonna happen.

I really dont think performance is an issue as with a modded switch you would be able to tweak a lot of things to make it run smooth

A modded Switch console is by no means the same as a Switch 2.

so what are your opinions?

You should research a lot more about Switch and Switch 2 diferences.

 

[Jayro]

The SoC's between systems are NOT binary-compatible. Hence why Switch 1 games are relying on an abstraction layer for compatibility on Switch 2. So there's NO WAY Switch 2 content will run on Switch 1 unless Nintendo directly authorizes and codes for it.

This is like asking if the Wii can run Wii U games.

Still to this very day, I can not see any graphical differences between the GameCube and the Wii. It feels more of a GameCube that's had a revised mid-lifecycle upgrade, more than anything. The bump up in specs was pathetic, as was a mere 512MB of system storage, even for the time. 2 to 4GB would have been affordable and ideal, at the bare minimum. (I'm getting off-topic, sorry)