Thursday, July 2 will mark the end of an era for Nintendo and the Nintendo Switch. After the unprecedented success of the Wii and DS era, Nintendo found itself in trouble with the 3DS and Wii U. While the 3DS eventually turned things around, the Wii U was a complete commercial flop. Some went as far as to predict that Nintendo might drop out of the console race entirely, but instead it regrouped with the Nintendo Switch, an innovative device that combined its handheld and home console game pipelines into one and is on track to become the best-selling video game console of all time.
Nintendo ensured that the Switch got off to a hot start by releasing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a launch title. The console also received the landmark Super Mario Odyssey within its launch year, and it carried that momentum forward with a steady stream of high-quality releases. But now that the Switch 2 has been out for over a year, Nintendo is starting to leave the OG Switch behind. Only one more Nintendo-published game is 100% confirmed for the original Switch at the time of this writing, and it’s set to release on July 2.
Rhythm Heaven Groove Could Be the Key to Unlocking Another Long-Rumored Nintendo Franchise Secret
Rhythm Heaven is finally making its return after over a decade, and this bodes well for another major Nintendo franchise’s future.
Last Major Nintendo-Published Switch 1 Game is Coming Soon
Rhythm Heaven Groove is releasing on July 2, with the music/rhythm game potentially the last Nintendo-published exclusive for the Switch 1. Rhythm Heaven Groove will also be playable on the Switch 2 through backward compatibility, but it is not getting a native release on Nintendo’s latest console, like we saw with games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The jury is still out on Rhythm Heaven Groove, but it comes from a well-regarded series and should prove to be a solid swan song for the OG Switch, if it does indeed turn out to be the last Nintendo-published exclusive on the platform.
It’s entirely possible Nintendo has more surprises in store for Switch 1 owners. After all, the OG Switch is one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time, and the Switch 2 doesn’t have near the same install base. However, the focus is clearly on the Switch 2 at this point. When Rhythm Heaven Groove launches on July 2, it will only be the second Nintendo-published Switch 1 exclusive to do so, with the other being Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream in April. Compare that to the Switch 2 output. This year so far Nintendo Switch 2 has seen Mario Tennis Fever, Pokemon Pokopia, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, with Star Fox coming on June 25, Splatoon Raiders on July 23, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave on September 17, and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on October 22.
And then there’s the Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake, which is without a specific release date at the time of this writing, but is confirmed to be dropping this year. Nintendo is clearly fully committed to the Switch 2 at this point, and so while it’s sad that the Switch 1 era is finally coming to a close, it is nice to be moving on to bigger things.
It’s been nine years since the original Switch hit store shelves, so it definitely had a good run. Those that have yet to upgrade to the Switch 2 can look forward to playing Rhythm Heaven Groove on Switch this coming July 2, but they may want to look into upgrading to a Switch 2 soon, especially with the $50 price increase starting September 1.
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- Released
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July 2, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone / Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo SPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
