I already have a Switch to play Switch games on, so BC offers no value to me.
I keep all my older consoles and still revisit my Wii U, PS3, and 360 sometimes, so I have no doubt I'll still be using my Switch years after it is replaced.

If/when I buy the next system, it will to play actual new games I can't get on the current hardware.

Holy f...

Ill still get it day 1 probably, but it would be sad to not have the option to play many of the great Switch games I own on it. Lots of Switch ports incoming if theres no BC though.

I would really love backwards compatibility, plus a unified account system that pulls in all my digital games to the current platform, but ultimately I'm going to buy the next Nintendo system regardless.

Nintendo makes my favorite games and life is short.

It would be somewhat disappointing, but not the end of the world for me in regards to picking up the Switch successor. In the end, if the new games are good, that’s all it’s gonna matter. The Wii U had BC, but if that’s one of the big things it’ll be fondly remembered for, then it means it had more problems overall which led to its abysmal sales performance. I still have my GameCube even though I have a Wii. Same with a GBA even though I have a DS lite.

With all that said, I think the successor will have BC. Nintendo is aware of the Switch’s incredible library of games and how they need to handle the transition to its successor.

The backwards compatibility on Wii U is not how I’d like to see it on Switch 2. That was kind of painful going back and forth—although, a lot of that was the horrific loading time on the Wii U. It’s better than nothing, but not even close to ideal. I also didn’t like how Gamecube games needed a Gamecube controller on the Wii… I suppose it’s OK if you could use the Gamecube controller, but it caused me physical pain to use more than about 5-10 minutes on most games (particularly action games and racers), strong cramps along the sides on my hands.

Ideally, it’s a unified solution rather than two separate modes. That would also provide confidence that Nintendo is supporting the Switch library for the long haul and not ending support the moment the new console is off and shutting the EShop down in 4 years, and redownloads in 6.

I love Nintendo, and they’re the only dedicated console company I currently purchase, but I do expect that they at least reach basic standards. I’m looking at PC and mobile and how it’s much easier to have confidence in those platforms than it is Nintendo.

I do think there is a high probability (based on comments from Furukawa last year on the Switch successor) that Nintendo is aiming for the ideal solution.

If the PS3 and Vita can have crossbuy with each other and at times the PS4 and PS5, there's no reason Nintendo can't unify Switch and its successor on an account where you can pull up your library of Switch and Switch 2 games. It would be pretty easy to purchase or download Switch games on the next system, and crossbuy of a crossgen game should be a thing. 

Nintendo hasn't committed enough yet to their online networks to make a seamless process for shopping and gaming, but there's no time like the future.

You would think so but then you have a ton of people subscribing to a service to play the games they owned before.

I'm probably going to jump to the next console late either way. But I would be way more likely to upgrade sooner if the next console is backwards compatible. Especially if there are performance upgrades.

It wouldn't affect my decision in a long term, but it'd definitely do in a short term. With backcompat I can simply replace my old system and treat my purchase as an upgrade, so in the event of a disastrous launch or a lacklustre launch catalogue, I wouldn't regret it. I think it's especially important when it comes to handhelds as you need to carry them. Otherwise, I'd simply wait until there's more titles released on it.