Nintendo’s track record when it comes to transferring consoles between different generations is not exactly brilliant. For example, it was not possible to transfer games or accounts purchased on the Wii U to Nintendo’s latest console, the Nintendo Switch, when it was released in 2017.
However, it seems that this will change in the future. Nintendo appears to be planning for games purchased on the Nintendo Switch to be transferable to future consoles released by the company. During a shareholder meeting, Nintendo’s CEO and president, Shuntaro Furukawa, stated:
In the transition from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console, we would like to make every effort to ensure that customers can make the transition smoothly while using their Nintendo account.
When we might see a new console from Nintendo remains to be seen. Since Nintendo released the NES in 1983, the company has released new home consoles with a gap of 5-7 years between them. After the NES came the SNES in 1990, Nintendo 64 in 1996, Gamecube in 2001, Wii in 2006, and Wii U in 2011. It has been six years since Nintendo released the Switch, so I assume the company may unveil a new console within one to two years.
