Nintendo Switch Software to Be Playable on Successor Device

A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Nintendo Switch Software to Be Playable on Successor Device

A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)
A logo of Nintendo is seen at a store in Shibuya district in Tokyo November 5, 2024. (AFP)

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

The Kyoto-based gaming company has said it plans to make an announcement about a successor device during the financial year ending March 2025 but has not provided further details.

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

"Customers will be able to enjoy the games they own and choose their next title from the lineup of games already on the market," Furukawa told a management policy briefing.

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

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

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

The Kyoto-based gaming company has had success in extending the lifecycle of the 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 the key year-end shopping season.

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

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

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

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



Oracle, Google Cloud Units Strike Deal for Oracle to Sell Gemini Models

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Oracle logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Oracle logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Oracle, Google Cloud Units Strike Deal for Oracle to Sell Gemini Models

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Oracle logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Oracle logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Oracle and Alphabet said on Thursday their cloud computing units have struck a deal to offer Google's Gemini artificial intelligence models through Oracle's cloud computing services and business applications.

The deal, similar to one that Oracle struck with Elon Musk's xAI in June, will let software developers tap Google's models to generate text, video, images and audio while using Oracle's cloud.

Businesses that use Oracle's various applications for corporate finances, human resources and supply chain planning will also be able to choose to use Google's models inside those apps, Reuters reported.

Those Oracle customers will be able to pay for the Google AI technologies using the same system of Oracle cloud credits they use to pay for Oracle services. The two companies did not disclose what, if any, payments will flow between them as part of the deal.

For Oracle, the move advances the company's strategy of offering a menu of AI options to its customers rather than trying to push its own technology.

For Google, it represents another step in its effort to expand the reach of its cloud offerings and win corporate customers away from rivals such as Microsoft.