According to the manufacturer’s updated data, Nintendo Switch 2 will not support some streaming services. And its possible competitor, the portable Xbox, cannot be released as a separate device.
Nintendo declared compatibility 122 own games of the previous generation and more than 15 thousand third-party titles appealed to potential users, but it’s not that simple. Nintendo is testing the entire library of games and apps to see if they will be playable on Switch 2 at launch. TechPowerUp reports that an update to Nintendo’s support page suggests that the new console will no longer support Crunchyroll, Hulu, Niconico, and Abema video streaming services, the InkyPen manga and comic book reader, and the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04 VR set.
It is known that a number of games that Nintendo has been testing will not work on Switch 2 right away — like Fortnite, which will be supported later. However, there’s a line between apps that won’t work right away and those that won’t work at all on Switch 2. For the above streaming apps, Nintendo says that they «cannot be used on Nintendo Switch 2».
It is unclear whether these streaming services will be completely blocked on Switch 2 or whether developers will be able to post updated versions of the programs. The form factor of Nintendo consoles is well suited for video streaming as they can be connected to a dock — it makes sense for the company to expand support for streaming. Practical information about Nintendo Switch 2 will be available starting from June 5, when the console will be available.
Rumors about Microsoft creating a portable Xbox have been circulating for a long time. However, Microsoft seems to have postponed or rethought the idea. The company is now working hard to develop and optimize Windows for third-party portable devices such as the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. According to Windows Central, The company is still planning to get a portable Xbox, but this product will not be a traditional proprietary console.
According to the leak, a recent internal Microsoft announcement indicates that the portable development team is refocusing on products of the company’s partners. One of these consoles will allegedly be Asus ROG Ally under the Xbox brand, which is due out at the end of 2025. In this case, the company will face a tough competition with Valve, which has officially released SteamOS for third-party consoles — and in the case of Windows the advantage is not on Microsoft’s side. The next Xbox Series X|S is expected in 2027, and the portable console (whatever it is) is likely to come later.