Backward compatibility has always been a thorny issue for new consoles. Just weeks before the PS5 released in 2020, Sony refused to acknowledge whether it existed despite pressure from critics and fans.

The Switch 2 is unlikely to be priced any lower than $349, the current cost of an OLED Switch model. $399 seems like a safe bet — the same price as the base Steam Deck. Any more than this and Nintendo will face uncomfortable comparisons to the new wave of PC handhelds.

You can always count on Nintendo for a surprise. This is the company that followed the Game Boy with a strange dual-screened handheld and broke out of its GameCube slump with a console focused on motion controls.