There are a lot of reasons to be excited about theNintendo Switch 2. The successor to the wildly popular and influential Nintendo Switch is shaping up to be a great improvement, both in terms of power and new features, not to mention the slew of third-and first-party titles coming to the system, includinga new 3DDonkey Kongand an exclusive multiplayer game by FromSoftware.
But things aren’t all sunshine and roses for the Switch 2. At this point, theNintendo Switch 2’s biggest problem appears to be that it doesn’t seem to go far enough to address the criticisms of its predecessor. There are some bizarre left-field choices, like the premium pricing ofNintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tourand higher prices for first-party games, which have left a lot of players scratching their heads. While these oddities are certainly worth discussing, one of the biggest downsides of the Switch 2 might actually come as a side effect of something that’s been touted and received as mostly positive: Nintendo Switch Online’s new GameCube catalog.
NSO’s New GameCube Games Seemingly Block Much-Requested Remasters
Popular GameCube Games May Be Locked To Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo unveiled itsplans to add GameCube gamesto the premium tier of Nintendo Switch Online, which many seem to be happy about. After all, there are countless masterpieces from the GameCube era that are still unplayable on the Switch, and this tier of NSO is launching withThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker—one of the most highly requested GameCube ports.
And therein lies the problem. By locking these games to a subscription service rather than releasing them as remasters, or even just re-releases that players can buy, their accessibility is actually undermined. It now seems incredibly unlikely that games such asWind Wakerwill be properly released for the Switch 2, since Nintendo can now charge a recurring fee for access to them, rather than a one-time charge. As with many things in the games industry, profit motive is driving this new GameCube tier of NSO, not games preservation or audience desires.
It would be one thing if Nintendo Switch Online functioned like Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, allowing players to pay a subscription fee for games that could otherwise be purchased permanently and independently. These titles aresolely available through Nintendo Switch Online, limiting consumer choice and ultimately dealing a blow to games preservation.
It can be argued thatNintendo’s decisions with NSO’s game catalogare actually undermining its efforts to curtail illegal torrenting and third-party emulation of its games, as a more convenient and consumer-friendly way of delivering these classic titles would make these alternatives seem less appealing.
Nintendo Switch Online’s GameCube Catalog Is a Step Backward
Part of why Nintendo’s strategy with Nintendo Switch Online stings so much is the way it contrasts the company’s earlier steps toward game accessibility. On the Nintendo Wii, for instance, players could purchase a wide array of SNES, NES, and N64 games via Virtual Console, and often for fairly low prices. This is to say nothing of the various enhanced versions of these older games, like the HD editions ofWind WakerandTwilight Princesson the Wii U, or the graphically updated 3DS releases ofOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Mask.
Before the Switch, Nintendo seemed to take a far more liberal approach to preserving its games. It wasn’t giving these classic titles away for free, of course, but the one-time purchase agreement was much more fair, either due to low pricing or upgrades over the originals. For better or worse, there are likely countless players who would pay full price for an HD version ofWind Wakerthat they could actually own. Now, it seems that this sort of release will never happen.
Nintendo Switch 2
The successor to 2017’s Nintendo Switch continues down the same path as its predecessor, providing a hybrid experience that supports both home and handheld gaming. Launching on Jul 12, 2025, with games like Mario Kart World, the basic Nintendo Switch 2 bundle comes with the console, Joy-Con 2, straps for the controller, a dock, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, and a Joy-Con 2 grip.
