Nintendo Switch games will be playable on newer gaming consoles in future

Nintendo Switch update: Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has said that software for company's Switch console would be playable on successor device.

Kyoto-based gaming company has said it plans to make an anuncement about a successor device during financial year ending March 2025 but has t provided furr details.

"Nintendo Switch is currently being played with by many customers so we decided it would be optimal for m to be able to play ir Switch software on successor model," Furukawa said.

"Customers will be able to enjoy games y own and choose ir next title from lineup of games already on market," Furukawa told a manment policy briefing.

Offering backwards compatibility could help encour consumers to transition to new device and boost appeal of existing software.

"It's t a big surprise but might be ar hint next device will be similar to current one," said Serkan Toto, founder of Kantan Games consultancy.

Nintendo has sold more than 1.3 billion software units for Switch, which is in its eighth year on market and has an install base of more than 145 million units.

Kyoto-based gaming company has had success in extending lifecycle of hybrid home-portable Switch with hit games and a series of hardware refreshes.

Hardware sales are losing steam, with Nintendo on Tuesday cutting its full-year sales Switch forecast by 7% to 12.5 million units ahead of key year-end shopping season.

"We are t surprised by miss on (hardware) side, given that Nintendo's target markets appear fairly saturated in most geographies," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a client te.

"Software sales picked up in 2Q and are expected to continue in 3Q," Goyal wrote.

Nintendo sold 39.6 million software units in second quarter ended September, a 29% increase compared to three months earlier.

company's shares climbed 6% in Tokyo, compared to a 3% rise in benchmark index.