Nintendo Switch Online could get GameCube games next, as part of Switch 2 upgrade

It's widely understood that Nintendo Switch Online will carry on after the Switch 2 has been launched, and it might even expand further.

Online evidence has emerged that suggests GameCube games could be added to the service next, allowing subscribers to catch up on some rare retro classics.

An FCC filing for a new Nintendo control device has been linked to the original GameCube controller on Famiboards by poster Pokemaniac. They claim that it's a sign the Japanese gaming giant could be planning to introduce a wireless version.

And anyone who has been following Switch Online since the beginning will know that often when Nintendo announces an extension to its service, it releases a Bluetooth version of the respective controller.

That resulted in official, Switch-compatible, wireless NES controllers, a SNES controller, an N64 controller, and even a MegaDrive/Genesis controller to play the Sega games with.

If the latest "leak" does indeed mean a Bluetooth GameCube controller is inbound, it stands to reason that we'll need the games to use it with.

However, anyone who dabbles in retro games emulation (like myself) knows, GameCube requires a fair amount of processing grunt to work well. So it could be that the expansion will be exclusive to the Switch 2, which should have more than enough firepower to run most of the classics – certainly more than the regular Nintendo Switch.

Time will, of course, tell, although we might not have too long to wait to find out more – Nintendo's dedicated Switch 2 Direct will be streamed online on 2 April, so only a couple of weeks away.

And, if current predictions are true, we only have until June to wait for the console itself.