Nintendo Accounts to Ease Transition to New Console

While acknowledging rumors, Nintendo plans integration of user accounts and libraries to facilitate transition to next console.

Nintendo has confirmed plans to utilize its Nintendo Account system to ease player transition to its next gaming platform. The company has distributed development kits for the rumored 'Switch 2' to key partners, with a launch planned for the second half of 2024.
Nintendo of America President, Doug Bowser, emphasized in an interview that the implementation of the Nintendo Account system will reduce the disruption from transitioning between console generations, a traditional challenge facing console manufacturers.
Speculation is circulating about the possibility of the next Nintendo console being backward compatible, allowing players to carry over previously purchased games. Such a function would mark a significant departure from Nintendo's previous consoles, where games bought on older platforms could not be transferred to newer ones.
Nintendo Account was introduced a year before the release of the Switch in 2017 to unify user experiences across Nintendo’s mobile games, online stores, and consoles. It offers rewards to players for completing challenges and sharing friends lists across platforms.
Nintendo's previous consoles have a track record of backward compatibility. This includes the Wii supporting GameCube discs, the Wii U supporting Wii discs, and on the handheld side, the DS supporting Game Boy Advance cartridges, and the 3DS supporting DS cartridges.