You should still be able to play the game on Switch 2, right? IIRC Sony does mandate PS4 games to work on PS5 past the PS5's release but you don't automatically get entitled to the native PS5 version. Although I can't think of any that don't offer an upgrade path, paid or otherwise.
Oh yeah, the Switch 2 has near universal backwards compatibility with Switch 1 games, aside from a few outliers that are periodically being fixed with patches and system updates.
I don't think Switch backwards compatibility is anti-consumer at all. In fact, a lot of games seem to run better on the Switch 2, even without any updates.
The problem is that trying to figure out how to play the best possible version of a game on Switch 2 is so confusing that you almost need a decision tree to navigate it.
Like, a given game could fall into any of these categories:
- No upgrade path or Switch 2 version available, but the game might or might not run better through backwards compatibility.
- Can be upgraded through a free patch.
- Has a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade available that could cost anywhere from nothing (No Man's Sky) to $20 (Mario Party & Kirby) and might or might not include new content.
- Technically doesn't have a Switch 2 Edition but has a discount available for the Switch 2 version when you own the Switch 1 version (Hogwarts Legacy).
- Has no upgrade path of any kind; you just have to pay full price for the Switch 2 version, even if you own the game on Switch 1 (basically all Sega titles).
I can't imagine how an average consumer who just wants to know how to get the most out of their new system without spending six hours a day browsing gaming websites would even begin to make sense of this shit.