Your OG Switch Isn’t Quite Dead Yet, Even in the Switch 2 Era

Don’t abandon your OG Switch just yet, even if you’re jonesing to break the seal on your new Nintendo Switch 2 in the coming days. Overnight, Nintendo dropped a heap of updates to its original Switch games in time for its sequel handheld’s Thursday launch. There’s more beyond compatibility patches streaming to your favorite Switch games for the updated hardware. GameShare may help your Switch 2 become a portal for playing with friends on their older hardware with just a single copy of a game. Hell, if you don’t plan on getting a Switch 2 any time soon, this feature may tide you over until the inevitable Switch 2 OLED.

We now have a far better idea of how well original Switch games will run on the Switch 2. Some games are getting heftier improvements than others. Most notably, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will now run at an “improved framerate”—likely 60 fps—and it will support higher resolutions. Nintendo revealed its own special trailer for the game running with increased performance, and it may be enough to give the 3-year-old title that was so broken at launch a new lease on life.

Serebii Update: A trailer for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet for Nintendo Switch 2 has been released on the Nintendo Today app https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/JQlc66YobG

— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) June 2, 2025

There are several games, like the two Switch Legend of Zelda titles, that are receiving upgrade packs you’ll need to pay for separately if you’re not buying the Switch 2 version of the game. However, games like Super Mario Odyssey and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom are receiving patches to optimize the games for the Switch 2’s 1080p handheld and 4K docked resolutions. ARMS, Nintendo’s forgotten springy-limb fighting game, is supposed to get optimized for the Switch 2 Joy-Con’s improved gyro controls. We’ve already had some experience with the new motion and rumble on Nintendo’s controllers, and I can’t help but wonder if these improvements are enough to dust off that old game card that has sat idle for eight years.

Nintendo’s first-party games aren’t the only ones getting an upgrade. No Man’s Sky is receiving a free Switch 2 edition that will finally allow for multiplayer alongside the improved visual capabilities on the new handheld. As spotted by gaming deal hound Wario64, Nintendo’s support site shows Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Kirby Star Allies, Kirby’s Dream Buffet, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe are receiving Switch 2 updates. Older Xenoblade and Pikmin games are currently out of luck, at least according to the latest posts on Nintendo’s support site.

a few more games that received Switch 2 updates (Several adjustments have been made to improve gameplay on Nintendo Switch 2.)

-Super Mario Bros. Wonder-Kirby Star Allies-Kirby's Dream Buffet pic.twitter.com/QGqVfmPFuo

— Wario64 (@Wario64) June 4, 2025

Many of these first-party updates relate to GameShare. It’s one of the few features conspicuously missing from our recent hands-on with the Switch 2, but it’s one of the functions I’m most interested in considering how many of my friends still have access to their original Switch. With Switch 2, GameShare lets you and up to three friends access a select few games for co-op gameplay. Better yet, if you’re playing over local wireless, your friends can use your original Switch to play alongside you without needing to buy an extra copy of the game.

Nintendo shared more details about how this will work on the Nintendo Today! app. For instance, in Super Mario Odyssey, you can play the co-op mode where one player controls Mario while the other inhabits the orbiting sentient Cappy hat. Similarly, in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, you can play the two-player modes without needing to both use the same screen.

If you’re playing online, GameShare is tied with Nintendo’s new GameChat feature that lets players talk, stream games, and video chat with each other while on Switch 2. This means you’ll be restricted to playing with Switch 2 units only, as the original Switch doesn’t support any of this screen-sharing functionality. We would also love to see more games support this feature. I’m not the only one imagining how nice it would be to play Super Smash Bros. with my friends on the road without needing to huddle around a single, miniature display.

Considering the rising price of Nintendo’s first-party titles—not to mention its limitations on game card file sizes incentivizing developers to adopt download-only games—GameShare is one of the few true pro-consumer upgrades coming to Switch 2. It means you and your friends don’t necessarily need to all own a copy of these select games. As long as one of your friend group owns a Switch 2, the rest of your friends can play together in the same room or online.