While it doesn't seem like a bad idea at first thought, I like the idea of backwards compatibility... and it has precedence in that the Genesis had backwards compatibility with a hardware add-on... I don't think it makes much business sense when we live in an age of endless ports to current systems.  Also, the game pad... how is the Switch going to emulate that?  You'd be tethered to a disc drive.  It makes more sense to just buy a Wii U for dirt cheap when they are on clearance.  Furthermore, is the Switch even powerful enough or capable of emulating the Wii U?  I doubt it.  Just because it can handle ports easily doesn't translate into easy emulation at full speed.

From a business standpoint, it makes sense to have customers feel invested.
But that only works well with an iterative platform - If Nintendo is ending interface changes with the Switch, then it will be alright. What that means is that all hardware going forward will be compatible with the Switch interface (motion controls, HD rumble, diamond face buttons, analog stick, etc...); future iterations can add more options, but they can't take anything away. Nintendo should hold game card media as well - all future iterations should be able to use all old cards (like 3DS to DS).

Also, new hardware will have to be capable of running all past Switch software, regardless of how much more powerful it gets: think iPhone X and iPhone 1 - while iPhone X can run virtually every phone-supported iOS application, iPhone 1 can't run most apps released in the past 5 years - Switch should be somewhat like that, except instead of annual releases bi/tri-annual releases of new hardware; also more significant than DS updates. I know Microsoft has dabbled in having tiered asset sets released with games, I think this is one of the best ideas so far for a console; PC has allowed this for decades. E.G. if Switch 2 is running a more advanced game that supports older hardware, it might go at 60GFPS and 1080p (or higher) instead of 30 FPS and 900p and support faster load times.

I would like this. Add Gamecube-games too. It would only be playable in docked mode, as it would be too clunky and needs to much power, but the games it would read were never portable in the first place. WiiU-games using the gamepad might pose a challenge though. Wiimotes should be easily possible to emulate with the Joycons.

I would LOVE to play the original Xenoblade Chronicles, Pandoras Tower, Zack&Wiki and some more on the Switch, even if portable mode is impossible.

For people saying it would cut into profits reselling the games: sure it would. But make it 100€ and you also lose portability in comparison to enhanced ports, so it probably doesn't do too much.

No way the Switch could emulate the wii u, Zelda BOTW only runs marginally better on the Switch. It needs a lot more cpu power to emulate a different CPU architecture and the Switch doesn't have the 32MB of edram etc. Lack of Gamepad. Any sort of wii u emulation isn't possible. wii emulation is possible of course but that would only need a dvd reader and you can emulate that already on low end systems elsewhere without problems.

I'm sure when the Switch is hacked and has a lot of homebrew we will see gamecube and wii emulators that read iso's from a external hard drive. Nintendo are much more interested in reselling old titles than allowing people to make use of their older bought software. If Nintendo needed something to get the Switch to appeal to more people they might consider it but considering how its selling they don't.

Not going to happen.  They have already ported many of the best games of the "U" over to switch.  A player like that would cannibalize double dip sales of those titles as well as open the system up to pirating software.  Also, the sales of such an item wouldn't warrant its existence by a long shot.   Out of the abysmal 14m "U" sold, how many people would pony up for a peripheral that would allow them to play the game on Switch, when they could just plug in the "U" and hit the power button?

Don't need it, I've a Wii U for that.

yep same here